Food
By Dr Joe
You need more greens in your life. Yep, I said it.
This Banana Avocado Celery Kale Smoothie otherwise known as ‘BACK’ Smoothie is just what you need. Packed with nutrients, you will be doing yourself a disfavour if you don’t indulge yourself with this green smoothie.
Your immune system will thank you for nourishing it with this awesome green smoothie.
Green smoothies may not win trophies in the “looks” department in terms of visual appeal, but they sure make up for it in the nutrients department. Don’t deprive yourself. Please don’t.
> And if you thought this banana avocado celery kale smoothie won’t taste great, you will be dead wrong. It does taste great. Wait until you try it. As the saying goes, don’t knock it until you try it. My wife who normally sniffs at green smoothies had to ask me for seconds when she tasted this wild creation of mine.
It’s not just good, it actually tastes great. But I would say that, won’t I? After all, I came up with the idea, so I am bound to like it.
Well, how about you reserve your judgement until you try it.
So, what do we need for this Banana Avocado Celery Kale (BACK) Green Smoothie?
Here’s what you need to make this smoothie come alive in your cup:
Banana X 2
Avocado X 1
Celery X 3 Sticks
Kale Vegetables X 3 quarters of a pack (150 g)
Flaxseeds (Linseeds) X 4 tbsf
Hemp milk X 100 ml
Natural Yogurt X 150 g
Nutritional Information of Kale per 100 g
| Calories | 29 kcal |
| Total fat | 1.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.2 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.3 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 4.0 g |
| Sugars | 0.9 g |
| Fiber | 2.9 g |
| Protein | 2.4 g |
| Sodium | 38 mg |
| Potassium | 491 mg |
| Folic acid | 86 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 71 mg |
Kale will also furnish you with Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium as well as Calcium. Don’t forget the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Kale. They are to die for. More about that in a future post.
Nutritional information for Celery per 100 g
| Calories | 16 kcal |
| Total Fat | 0.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 3.0 g |
| Sugars | 1.8 g |
| Fibre | 1.6 g |
| Protein | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 80 mg |
| Potassium | 260 mg |
Celery also provides Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6.
Nutritional information for Avocado per 100 g
| Calories | 160 kcal |
| Total fat | 15 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 10 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.9 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 9 g |
| Sugars | 0.7 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Sodium | 7 mg |
| Potassium | 485 mg |
A good provision of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin B6 awaits you from your avocado too.
How to make the Banana Avocado Celery Kale Green Smoothie
This smoothie will have to be done in stages given the bulk of the ingredients.
>> Chuck in the 150 g of Kale into the Nutribullet jar
>> Add the Hemp milk.
> Blitz the kale and milk for 30 seconds. The idea is to reduce the bulk of the kale to make way for other ingredients. Pause the nutribullet.
>> Now slice up the bananas one at a time and chuck it in.
>> Cut up the celery and add them in.
>> Add the flaxseeds.
>> Scoop out the avocado flesh and add it in.
>> Blitz the mixture for 45 seconds. Pause the Nutribullet.
> Add the second banana and scoop in the natural yogurt
>> Blitz one more time for another 30 seconds or so.
That’s it. Your banana avocado celery kale smoothie is ready to be enjoyed.
Tested the banana avocado celery kale green smoothie 1 hour after having it and my glucometer reading was 4.6 mmol/l (82.8 mg/dl). Awesome!
Don’t have the Nutribullet and would like to have one. Get your Nutribullet here on Amazon.com and if in Europe, get it here from Amazon.co.uk
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Food
By Dr Joe
On a greyish Saturday morning when it doesn’t look like the sun is ever going burst through the clouds and brighten up the day, what should a cup-is-half-full folk do to perk things up?
Well, I thought about it and felt the Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie will be just what the doctor ordered.
So, I set out to accomplish this imaginative Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie. This is like packing lots of health ingredients in one cup.
You get carbs, you get monounsaturated fats and when you realise that we are going to add some Natural yogurt to the smoothie, then it becomes clear that we are not going to miss out on protein requirements too.
Wholesome, I’d say. What about you?
Well, you gotta try it and see for yourself what I mean.
I have to confess that I thought at first that this Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie was going to be a tricky one in terms of blood sugar alignment in the healthy range. The reason was because I felt I had overdone it this time. Too many fruits in there, I thought but I was wrong. I got away with it. This beetroot smoothie is healthy.
The blood glucose results was quite satisfactory and I shall reveal as usual at the bottom of this page if only to convince you that this smoothie is good for your optimal health.
So what do we need for this Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie.
Ingredients needed for the Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana Smoothie
Beetroot (Steamed) X 3
Avocado X 1
Banana X 1
Cucumber X Half
Celery X 2 sticks
Flaxseeds X 3 tbsf
Natural Yogurt (Low Fat) X 200 g
Almond Milk X 50 ml
Nutritional Information for Beetroot per 100 g
| Calories | 43 kcal |
| Total Fat | 0.2 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 10 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Protein | 1.6 g |
| Sodium | 80 mg |
| Potassium | 323 mg |
Beetroot will furnish you with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Calcium and Iron
Nutritional information for Avocado per 100 g
| Calories | 160 kcal |
| Total fat | 15 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 10 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.9 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 9 g |
| Sugars | 0.7 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Sodium | 7 mg |
| Potassium | 485 mg |
A ready supply of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, magnesium, Calcium and Vitamin B6 is available from your avocado as well.
Nutritional information for Cucumber per 100 gm
| Calories | 16 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 3.6 g |
| Sugars | 1.7 g |
| Fiber | 1.5 g |
| Protein | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 2 mg |
| Potassium | 147 mg |
You also get Calcium, Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Magnesium from the cucumber.
How to make the Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana Smoothie
>> Add the 3 steamed beetroots onto the Nutribullet jar
>> Scoop in your avocado flesh
>> Cut up your celery into small bits and add it
>> Add the flaxseeds (linseeds) 3 tablespoonful. It doesn’t have to be precise by the way.
>> Cut up your banana. You may not be able to add a whole banana at first. Slice in half.
>> Scoop in your natural yogurt.
>> Then blitz for 45 seconds. Sometimes you might need to pause the Nutribullet, shake it up a little and re-blitz to a fine pulp.
> Pause the nutribullet. You will find the smoothie to be quite pasty at first. We will thin it out with our milk in the next step
>> Now add the remaining banana and add enough almond milk to thin out the smoothie. How much almond milk you add will depend on how thin or thick you want the Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie to be.
>> Blitz the smoothie once again for 30 seconds.
That’s it. Your beetroot avocado cucumber banana smoothie is ready. Pour in your favourite glass cup and enjoy.
My wife described this Beetroot Avocado Cucumber Banana smoothie as tasting like an ice cream. If you like the usual silky taste of beetroot, this is one smoothie to try today.
As I mentioned earlier, I was a little worried that this beetroot smoothie will spike my blood sugar. I was wrong. In fact, when I tested myself 1 hour after having this smoothie, I got a blood glucose reading of 5.8 mmol/l (104.4 mg/dl). That’s stiil a very decent blood glucose reading. Now go ahead and try this smoothie.
I should add that the flaxseeds (linseeds) are helping to make this smoothie really healthy. Flaxseeds are known to help with making you more insulin sensitive quite apart from the fact linseeds have lignans that help you fight oxidative stress and supress inflammation.
Don’t have the Nutribullet but would like to own one? Get Nutribullet here from Amazon.com and if in Europe, get it here from Amazon.co.uk
Suggested further reading:
Drink THIS first thing in the morning (3 Major Benefits)
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Food
By Dr Joe
What do you do on a Monday afternoon when you are off-duty and you’ve got time to kill? Watch episodes of ‘The Real Housewives of New York’? Maybe.
But the bitchfest does get to you and the conversation is far from intellectually stimulating.
So with your mind bored stiff and the hunger pangs begin to call, what do you do next? Pick up a fictional book to while away time?
Hmmm, Nope.
I would rustle up a quick Banana Apple Cherry Tomatoes Smoothie. That’s what I would do and you should too.
The banana apple cherry tomoato smoothie is easy to make and you can kick-start a dull day having this smoothie. The only condition necessary for this smoothie is that you have to like the taste of cherry tomatoes. Because the banana apple cherry tomatoes smoothie has a distinctly cherry tomato flavour.
You can’t miss it. Some will say, the cherry tomato taste is over-powering.
But tomatoes are good for you. Tomatoes are a natural source of Vitamin C. The Vitamin C from the tomatoes promotes healthy teeth, gums, bones, blood vessels and even your skin. Vitamin C from the tomatoes also facilitates absorption of Iron when you eat foods with good iron supply like spinach.
What do we need to make the Banana Apple Cherry Tomatoes Smoothie?
Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes X 300 g
Banana X 2 fingers
Apple X 1
Natural yogurt X 200 g
Flaxseeds (Linseed) X 3 tbsp
Hemp milk X 50 ml
Nutritional information for Cherry Tomatoes per 6 cherry tomatoes
| Calories | 18 kcal |
| Total fat | 1.0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Monounsaturated | 0.0 g |
| Trans fat | 0.0 g |
| Protein | 0.7 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 4 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sodium | 5 mg |
| Potassium | 242 mg |
Apart from Vitamin C, cherry tomatoes also supply you with Iron, Vitamin A and Calcium.
Nutritional information for Apple per 100 g
| Calories | 52 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.2 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Protein | 0.3 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 14 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Fiber | 2.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Sodium | 1.2 mg |
| Potassium | 109 mg |
Apples will supply you with Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Magnesium too.
Nutritional information for Bananas per 100 g
| Calories | 89 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 g |
| Protein | 1.3 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Sugars | 12 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 358 mg |
Bananas also supply you with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron and Magnesium.
How to make the Banana Apple Cherry Tomatoes Smoothie
>> Peel banana, slice up one banana and place in the Nutribullet
>> Add the Cherry tomatoes.
>> Now slice up the Apple and add it taking care not include the apple core.
>> Scoop in the Natural yogurt
>> Add the flaxseed (linseed)
>> Pour in the hemp milk and blitz the content in the Nutribullet for about 45 seconds.
>> Pause the nutribullet.
>> Now slice up the second banana and blitz again for about 30 seconds. You may add more milk depending on how thin or thick you want the babana apple cherry tomatoes smoothie to be.
Pour into a glass and enjoy your latest smoothie creation. Awesome!
Testing myself 1 hour after drinking Banana Apple Cherry Toamatoes smoothie, I got a blood sugar reading of 4.2 mmol/l (75.6 mg/dl). Quite healthy range of blood glucose. The flaxseeds helps drive the blood glucose into your body cells for energy use preventing any blood sugar spikes.
If you would like to get your own Nutribullet, get it here at Amazon.com and if you reside in Europe, get your Nutribullet here on Amazon.co.uk
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Food
By Dr Joe
When you are in need of an energy boost during the day, then you have a ready solution in this smoothie. We are talking of the strawberry banana almond smoothie.
Wholesome at worst in terms of nutritional value. Every ingredient in this strawberry banana almond smoothie is nutritionally dense.
Even the banana, although if you are concerned about weight gain or if you are on a course of a weight loss journey, you may use one banana instead of two to make this smoothie.
It is so full of energy, you will be wondering when next hunger is going to knock on your door.
Hunger won’t be knocking on your door for hours because in this smoothie you have almond butter providing you with some rich goodness of monounsaturated fat which we all need.
Not only does the almond butter provide you with healthy fats but it helps keep you going for longer without the need for another meal for hours. The almond butter locks hunger away.
Then you have the pea protein providing a nice buffer for the banana. Nice combination.
So what do we need for this strawberry banana almond smoothie?
Here’s what we need.
Banana X 2 fingers
Strawberry X 200 gm
Greek Yogurt X 250 g
Flaxseed X 3 tbsp
Celery stick X 2
Almond butter X 2 tbs
Pea protein powder X 2 scoops
Hemp milk X 80ml
Nutritional information for Banana per 100 gm
| Calories | 89 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Sugars | 12 g |
| Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Protein | 1.3 g |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Potassium | 358 mg |
Bananas also provide you with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron and Magnesium
Nutritional information for Pea protein powder per 10 g
| Calories | 35 kcal |
| Protein | 8.4 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0.32 g |
| Sugars | 0.0 g |
| Total fat | 0.17 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.04 g |
| Fiber | 0.24 g |
| Sodium | 0.15 g |
Pea protein made from split pea is the perfect alternative for people wishing to avoid dairy and soya based proteins on account of food allergy and intolerance, and is also gluten-free. The brand of pea protein I use has no added refined sugar and not even an artificial sweetner in sight. I use it with confidence.
You may use whey protein instead if that’s your preference. A similar protein powder to use here that’s an alternative to whey protein is hemp protein – another plant-based protein.
We will use hemp milk in this recipe and I have the nutrional information below.
Nutritional information for hemp milk per 240 g
| Calories | 110 kcal |
| Total fat | 7 g |
| Saturated fat | 1 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 g |
| Total Carbohydrate | 6 g |
| Sugars | 4.9 g |
| Fiber | 1.1 g |
| Potein | 5 g |
| Sodium | 20 mg |
Pea protein will also provide Iron and Calcium to boot.
How to prepare the strawberry banana almond smoothie
Slice your banana up into small chunks and put into the nutribullet processor.
>> Add the strawberry
>> Add the almond butter – 2 tablespoonful
>> Now scoop in the Greek yogurt about 200 g. You could use less, say 150 g if you are looking to lose weight just to reduce the amount of calories.
>> Add the 2 tablespoonsful of flaxseed.
>> Pour in the hemp milk.
>> Then blitz the content for about 1 minute.
>> Pause the nutribullet processor
>> Add the cut-pieces of the celery and scoop in the Pea protein powder.
>> Then blitz again for another 1 minute.
That’s it. Enjoy your strawberry banana almond smoothie. Enjoy the smoothness and the richness of this shake.
When I tested myself 1 hour after having this smoothie, I had a blood glucose reading of 5.4 mg/dl (97.2 mmol/l). Well within normal healthy limits.
Like the Nutribullet and like to own one? Grab one here at Amazon.com and if in Europe here on Amazon.co.uk
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Dr. Joe