Drink Your Way to Gut Health (12 page)

nutrition facts
(per serving)

140 calories, 1½ g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 85 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 22 g sugar, 6 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 10% vitamin C, 2% iron

Vanilla beans are the super tiny flavorful beans that reside inside the vanilla bean pod. Using vanilla beans for a pure vanilla flavor is the signature of this smoothie. The only drawback is that vanilla beans can be pricey—but they are worth every penny. Look for vanilla beans in the natural food section of the grocery store or buy online (see
Resources
). If you prefer, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract could be substituted for the vanilla beans, although you won't get the vanilla bean “look” to the beverage.

The smoothie, although delicious on its own, is also a versatile base for other smoothies in the book:
Mango Banana Smoothie
,
Roasted Apple Smoothie
, and
Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie
.
Serves 3 (1 cup each)

To remove the seeds from a vanilla bean pod, snip the ends of a pod and gently slice the pod lengthwise to open. With a spoon, gently scape the vanilla beans from the pod.

Combine the seeds from the vanilla bean pods, the kefir, and yogurt in a blender and blend to combine. Add the agave nectar and ice cubes. Blend until frothy and smooth.

Divide among 3 glasses and serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

110 calories, ½ g fat, ½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 12 g protein, 4% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 2% vitamin C, 0% iron

Vanilla Bean Smoothie

This smoothie is nutrient packed with omega-3 fats from the walnuts (the nut with the highest source of omega-3s). In addition, the creaminess of kefir and the subtle sweetness of honey make it a soothing way to start the day—or just enjoy as a snack. To cut the calories, blend in 1 cup frozen fruit (like raspberries) and increase to 3 servings, which will drop the calories by about 100 calories per drink.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the kefir and walnuts in a blender and blend until smooth.

Add the milk, honey, and ice cubes. Blend until frothy and smooth.

Divide between 2 glasses and serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

320 calories, 18 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 27 g sugar, 14 g protein, 8% vitamin A, 25% calcium, 2% vitamin C, 6% iron

Detoxing

The idea of detox is to cleanse your body, and there are many forms of detox diets that claim to do that—some are all liquid based, some require special products, and some can do more harm than good. The drinks in this group are not intended to be a detox diet, but rather a set of beverages that includes plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits to help detox your body.

Foods that have been found to have detoxifying properties include basil, ginger, beets, pineapple, apples, lemons, and probiotics. Each recipe in this chapter includes, of course, a probiotic ingredient or beverage, plus each works in fruit and/or vegetables.

Enjoy these recipes as part of an overall balanced eating plan that helps boost your system with the benefits of a wide variety of vegetables and fruits combined with probiotic-rich ingredients.

A blend of raspberries and ginger beer has a fresh and slightly sweet flavor. Ginger has been found to give the metabolism a boost, flush out waste, and help keep your appetite in check, according to a 2012 pilot study from Columbia University.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the raspberries, ginger beer, and water in a blender and blend until icy and smooth.

Divide between 2 glasses and serve.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

90 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 20 g sugar, <1 g protein, 0% vitamin A, 0% calcium, 10% vitamin C, 2% iron

By itself, lassi, a creamy, traditional Indian drink, provides 2 percent of the daily value for vitamin A. But when vitamin A–rich cantaloupe cubes are whipped in, the vitamin A content jumps up to 5,511 IU, or 110 percent of your daily requirement.
Serves 1 (1½ cups)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy and smooth.

Serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

190 calories, 3½ g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 31 g sugar, 9 g protein, 110% vitamin A, 30% calcium, 100% vitamin C, 2% iron

The pairing of sweet cherries and lime juice works well with kombucha. To stretch this drink further without adding calories, add a cup of lime seltzer.
Serves 1 (1 cup)

Combine the frozen cherries and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water to ease blending, if needed. If desired, add in the agave nectar.

Add the kombucha to a glass, stir in the blended frozen cherry mixture, and combine.

Serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

110 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 1 g protein, 0% vitamin A, 2% calcium, 30% vitamin C, 2% iron

Cherry Lime Fizz

Using whole cranberries as the base gives this lemony smoothie a nutrient boost from the antioxidants in the cranberries; plus each serving boasts 3 grams of fiber. The basil is added because of its anti-bacterial properties for an extra detox boost. Because of the tartness of the cranberries, honey is listed as an option to add sweetness: Taste the smoothie first, you may find that honey is not needed.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the frozen cranberries, lemonade, orange juice, and basil leaves in a blender and blend until smooth. If desired, sweeten with honey.

Divide between 2 glasses, garnish each with a lemon slice, and serve; or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

60 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 9 g sugar, <1 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 2% calcium, 60% vitamin C, 6% iron

This light and refreshing smoothie was inspired by tzatziki, the garlicky Greek dip made with yogurt and cucumber. To boost the protein content, swap out plain regular yogurt for plain Greek yogurt.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Divide between 2 glasses and serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

80 calories, 1½ g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 80 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrates, <1 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 6 g protein, 2% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 10% vitamin C, 2% iron

Add this to your breakfast routine for a vegetable boost. To save time in the morning, make up a large batch and refrigerate; gently shake or stir before serving.

The lycopene from the tomato juice may provide ample benefits to your health: Finnish researchers found that lycopene had a protective effect against stroke. Men in the study who had the highest levels of lycopene had a 55 percent lower chance of having any type of stroke. The likely connection, researchers concluded, was the protective effect from the lycopene attacking free radicals and reducing inflammation and cholesterol levels.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend we consume 2,300 milligrams or less of sodium, and if you are 51 years or older or have certain health conditions the recommendation is 1,500 milligrams or less. To lower the sodium content of this recipe, choose low-sodium tomato juice.
Serves 1 (1 cup)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

variation

Add ½ teaspoon (or more, to taste) hot sauce to the mixture for a Bloody Mary twist.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

90 calories, 1 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 7 g protein, 10% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 60% vitamin C, 2% iron

Creamy Tomato Smoothie