Drink Your Way to Gut Health (8 page)

Strawberries are another vitamin C–packed fruit! Each serving of this smoothie has 120 percent (70 milligrams) of the vitamin C you need each day. Plus, it tastes delicious and has a creamy texture. For more of an icy texture, add the optional ice cubes.
Serves 2 (1
cup each)

Combine all of 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)

160 calories, 3 g fat, 1½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 105 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 9 g protein, 15% vitamin A, 35% calcium, 120% vitamin C, 6% iron

This smoothie's sweet flavor comes from tangerines, its creaminess from kefir, and its hint of coconut from coconut milk. The unique, slightly nutty flavor of coconut palm sugar works well here, but a word of caution: While it has been found to be higher in antioxidants compared to other types of sugar, coconut palm sugar is still sugar and the quantity still needs to be limited!
Serves 2 (1½ cups each)

Combine the tangerines, kefir, and coconut milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sugar, if desired, and ice cubes. Blend until frothy.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

120 calories, 1 g fat, ½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 5 g protein, 25% vitamin A, 15% calcium, 70% vitamin C, 2% iron

The tropical combination of pineapple, orange juice, and coconut makes for a delicious smoothie that can boost your immune system! Each serving has 110 percent of the daily value for Vitamin C (67 milligrams) to provide an immune boost. The smoothie makes incredible ice pops as well—freeze leftovers in ice pop molds for a refreshing frozen treat.
Serves 2 (1½ cups each)

Combine all of 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)

130 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 7 g protein, 4% vitamin A, 110% vitamin C, 20% calcium, 2% iron

A blend of tropical flavors gets an added boost of flavor from shredded coconut—which has slowly been moving from “bad guy” food to health food. This is due to new discoveries and a deeper understanding that all saturated fats are not created equally. The main saturated fat in coconut oil is medium-chain triglycerides, which can increase the levels of healthy cholesterol
and
bad (LDL) cholesterol, yet it seems not to negatively impact the ratio of the two. As science continues to sort out the specific details of coconut oil and even as it moves to more of a health food status, keep in mind that just because some is good, more is not necessarily better—but you can still enjoy the coconut flavors of this smoothie every now and then.
Serves 1 (1½ cups)

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)

250 calories, 8 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 36 g sugar, 5 g protein, 30% vitamin A, 120% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 4% iron

The anti-inflammatory impact of ginger is well studied and numerous studies have continued to confirm the effect. This drink is an icy and refreshing way to enjoy ginger beer with an immune boost from the blueberries.
Serves 1 (1½ cups)

Combine the blueberries and Ginger Beer in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the blueberry-ginger mixture into a glass, finish with the seltzer, and serve.

nutrition facts
(per serving)

130 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 27 g sugar, 1 g protein, 2% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 2% iron

Icy Ginger Blue

Energizing

The beverage recipes in this section are refreshing and energizing! Some of the recipes blend in caffeine from black tea, coffee, kombucha, green tea, or espresso beans, while others gain their energizing nature from fresh ingredients—like the Lemon Freeze and the Miso Sunrise. Neither recipe includes caffeine yet the refreshing flavor provides an energy boost all of its own.

If you are sensitive to caffeine, opt for decaffeinated coffee or tea for these recipes; they still have some caffeine but much less compared to their full-strength counterparts. Additionally, it is not recommended to serve children any drinks that include caffeine—the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that caffeine should not be consumed by children or adolescents due to a number of harmful health effects on developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems.

Creamy kefir and the sweet flavor of mixed berries balance out the tartness from cranberry ginger kombucha for an energizing smoothie.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Combine the frozen berries and kefir in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water to thin and ease blending, if necessary.

Stir the berry-kefir mixture into the kombucha.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

100 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 3 g protein, 4% vitamin A, 40% vitamin C, 10% calcium, 2% iron

This refreshing beverage includes caffeine from green tea plus probiotics from kefir. Studies have found that EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a type of catechin found in green tea, may help boost metabolism and help keep weight off once you have lost it. Plus the brewed green tea will provide an extra energizing boost from the caffeine.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

Stir together the kefir, green tea, lemon juice, and sugar.

Divide the blackberries between 2 glasses. Add ice and half of the green tea and lemonade mixture to each and garnish with the fresh lemon slices.

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, 10 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 1 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 4% calcium, 40% vitamin C, 6% iron

*
It is difficult to calculate the nutrition facts for water kefir because the nutrition varies based on how much sugar is fermented by the kefir grains during the process.

Blackberry Green Tea & Lemonade

This icy kombucha beverage will give you an energy boost from the caffeine in the black tea plus an antioxidant boost from the blackberries.
Serves 1 (1½ cups)

Combine the blackberries and apple juice in a blender and pulse to gently blend the berries.

Stir the berry mixture into the kombucha and add ice if desired.

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

150 calories, ½ g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, 23 g sugar, 2 g protein, 6% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 6% calcium, 8% iron

The fresh flavors of mango and yogurt combine with a green tea base in this protein-rich smoothie. When choosing a protein powder, look for a high-quality protein like whey protein isolate or pea protein isolate.
Serves 2 (1 cup each)

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

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

nutrition facts
(per serving)

130 calories, 1½ g fat, ½ g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, <5 mg cholesterol, 110 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 8 g protein, 15% vitamin A, 10% calcium, 40% vitamin C, 0% iron

Mango Green Tea