Ideally a smoothie is packed with nutrients, satisfies our hunger, and tastes great. So…how do we go about making that happen? Well, taste is a matter of…taste. I tend to think if you add a little banana it will be manageable. In this post, I’m focusing on the other two parts. However, should you make the smoothie above, I can assure you it’s yummy.
As we learned years ago, each meal and snack needs to have the same number of protein, carbs, and fat to fill us up and keep our metabolism in gear. (Click here to read about figuring out portions) For my body and activity level that’s:
- 20-30g of protein
- 25g carbs
- 7-10 g of fat
- About 250-300 calories total
After a workout, we need to get this in our body within 45 minutes. Honestly, the sooner the better. It’s also important we feed our body with protein it can easily absorb and dispatch to our muscles asap. A smoothie is our best option!
So let’s break down my smoothie:
Protein: Grass-fed organic whey is 20g of protein. If you ‘re dairy free, look for pea protein and avoid soy.
Carbs: 1/3 of a banana (9g carbs and potassium), a few frozen blueberries (10g carbs and antioxidants), and 1/2 pack of sugar-free Acai (superfood with 2g carbs, 2.5g fat).
Fat: 1/5 Avocado is 4g fat.
You need the fat to satiate your hunger. It also slows down your digestion so your body has time to absorb the nutrients. Since I’m incorporating two handfuls of spinach (one veggie serving for the day), I use avocado as my fat source. Besides the fact it makes the drink super smooth, avocado has also been proven to help your body absorb 200-400% more of the nutrients in vegetables. Another option is a dollop of coconut oil or flax seed oil. (I try to stay away from nut butters because I eat almond butter and nuts throughout the day. They’re really hard to digest and high in calories.)
Now that the nutritional portion is taken care of, I can add on things like glutamine or Philosophie superfood powders which taste so good on their own.
If I’m on the run and can’t get home to make a smoothie, I take a Vega Sports Protein Performance pack and a bottle and shake it up with cold water. Don’t worry, it tastes great!
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