Drink Your Way to Gut Health (15 page)

This smoothie, packed with veggies (and some fruit too), has a creamy orange color that is loaded with beta-carotene and 190 percent (9,563 IU) of the daily value for vitamin A. The creaminess and sweetness of the frozen yogurt works well to flavor this smoothie.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The mixture will be thick; if desired, thin with water or additional almond milk.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

230 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 135 mg sodium, 49 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 31 g sugar, 5 g protein, 190% vitamin A, 30% calcium, 60% vitamin C, 6% iron

The refreshing combination of lemon and blueberries and the beautiful purple color of this smoothie provide important nutrients that are beyond the food label—specifically, anthocyanins.
Serves 1 (1½
cups)

Combine the blueberries, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the yogurt and blend until creamy.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

170 calories, ½ g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 23 g sugar, 13 g protein, 2% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 30% vitamin C, 2% iron

A blend of fruits makes for a nutritionally packed smoothie and a delicious sweet taste. Each serving has 140 percent of the daily value for vitamin C (84 milligrams), plus provides a slew of B vitamins: riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, vitamin B
12
, and folate.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

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

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

230 calories, 4½ g fat, 3½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 36 g sugar, 6 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 140% vitamin C, 2% iron

Fruit Punch Smoothie

Including tempeh in this smoothie packs an impressive amount of protein—10 grams per serving! For an added bonus, the prebiotic properties of the banana work together with the probiotics of the tempeh to boost your overall gut health.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the tempeh, banana, and water in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the orange juice and blend until combined.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

180 calories, 3½ g fat, ½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 10 g protein, 2% vitamin A, 4% calcium, 140% vitamin C, 8% iron

This drink is so filling—it is an excellent nutrient-rich snack or drink. Each serving has 15 grams of mostly healthy fat, coming mainly from the pistachios, and 5 grams of fiber.
Serves 2 (¾ cup each)

Combine the kefir and pistachios in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the banana and milk 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)

300 calories, 15 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 15 g protein, 10% vitamin A, 25% calcium, 15% vitamin C, 8% iron

Popeye certainly ate his spinach, but generally, most people could squeeze more dark leafy greens into their eating routines. Since spinach can go bad quickly, either make up another batch of this smoothie and have it the next day or sauté the leftover spinach with garlic and a light drizzle of olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is tender, for a super-quick side dish to go with dinner. Each serving of this smoothie provides 20 percent of your daily requirements of vitamin A (987 IU), vitamin C (14 milligrams), and calcium (213 milligrams).
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the kefir, strawberries, and spinach in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the ice cubes and blend until icy.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

110 calories, 4½ g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 85 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 5 g protein, 20% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 20% vitamin C, 2% iron

Each serving of this antioxidant-rich smoothie has about 4 grams of soy protein from the silken tofu, which is linked to helping heart health.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the tofu, berries, cherry juice, and water in a blender and blend until icy and smooth. Add the yogurt and blend. If desired, sweeten with the honey.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

110 calories, 1½ g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 25 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 6 g protein, 2% vitamin A, 8% calcium, 20% vitamin C, 4% iron

Flavored kefir is a scrumptious way to get your daily dose of probiotics. This is another fresh fruit kefir that is absolutely delicious; in fact, my husband (Bill) picked it to be his very favorite recipe of the book. The light strawberry flavor makes it an excellent base for other drinks, like the
Very Berry Cheesecake Smoothie
and
Berry Kombucha
.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and 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)

230 calories, 2½ g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 41 g sugar, 7 g protein, 40% vitamin A, 180% vitamin C, 30% calcium, 4% iron

This smoothie gains its nutrient boost from sweet potatoes—each serving has 200 percent of the daily value for vitamin A (10,178 IU), along with 6,107 micrograms of beta-carotene.
Serves 2 (2 cups)

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

Divide between 2 glasses and serve immediately.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

200 calories, 1½ g fat, ½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 10 g protein, 200% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 70% vitamin C, 6% iron

This smoothie has an incredibly smooth texture from coconut milk yogurt (also called cultured coconut milk) combined with light coconut milk. The fat and saturated fat all come from the coconut milk, but remember that the type of fat in coconut milk is a medium-chained triglyceride that the body can immediately use for energy. However, it is not the green light to add coconut milk to everything! Enjoy this smoothie occasionally and balance out the intake of saturated fat throughout the day.
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.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

240 calories, 15 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 17 g sugar, <1 g protein, 0% vitamin A, 35% calcium, 25% vitamin C, 10% iron

Coconut Strawberry Whip

Blending and drinking your vegetables is an excellent way to boost overall vegetable intake. Note: Avocado, when exposed to air, will brown because of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. If there are leftovers, store them in an airtight container; if the top of the smoothie still turns brown, you can simply skim off the oxidized portion (brown color) and enjoy the bright green smoothie that waits underneath it.
Serves 3 (1 cup each)

Combine the chard, celery, cucumber, kefir, and almond milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the avocado, grape juice, water, and salt; blend again, until smooth.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

180 calories, 10 g fat, 1½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 5 g protein, 30% vitamin A, 25% calcium, 40% vitamin C, 4% iron