Yes, smoothies are fun to make with your kids, and no you can’t just blend a cheeseburger to make it healthier.
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Author’s Note: This is an account of my own journey and not nutritional advice.
My last article centered around mindfulness and accessibility of thought in the form of communication. It’s about curating what comes out of my mouth, as well as what goes into my ears. I likened it to a body builder who is trying to develop specific muscles, or even just plain mindfulness in health. Today I’m going to talk to you about the same thing via a slightly different vehicle. Smoothies. This isn’t going to be a glitzy fad-driven sensationalistic piece though; it’s more about the journey.
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And just what the hell are superfoods? Are they healthier than healthy food? Do they grant superpowers?
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I have to start by saying I do not eat the healthiest. In fact, I’m eating a chocolate chip cookie as I write this. Eating healthier is something I want to start doing more of. Specifically, to replace the sugary, non-healthy, impulsive snacks I eat (like the aforementioned cookie) with healthy alternatives, and introduce more vitamins into my day. I could just take a multivitamin, but it’s better to get them from food than from concentrate. So I began a journey combining things I like, and they sort of developed into Smoothies. Healthy ingredients, infinite variety, simple recipes, and a kitchen countertop appliance with enough oomph to double as a wood chipper. Come with me as I take the first steps down my path to fun healthy food.
I started with the fun, machinery-oriented part. I acquired a nice blender that didn’t whine and complain about having to deal with ice cubes. In fact, I don’t think it works properly unless it has something hearty to chew through. It can do a single serving or a blender-full. The single serving is nice because I can just make a cup and go. Easy. This is a major component on my journey; if it’s not easy, I’m less prone to stick to it as a lifestyle change.
So. What should I make first? I did a lot of looking around, and found a lot of information. Everywhere. In fact, I got really overwhelmed really fast. And on top of that, there are ingredients I’d never even heard of. My brain wanted to create a table with everything listed in some sort of order, and rank things by nutritional value, highlighting the major health components. And just what the hell are superfoods? Are they healthier than healthy food? Do they grant superpowers? Can I just blend a cheeseburger and that makes it healthier?
*deep breath*
I decided I was going to approach my journey from two angles: Singular ingredient recipe selection, and superfood research. After a few weeks, this approach ended up working pretty well.
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There are simply some foods that have more nutrients than others on average, and some have higher percentages of certain minerals/vitamins than others. Discouragingly, none of them give you x-ray vision.
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Singular ingredient recipe selection: The idea to choose one fruit or vegetable I like, and do a disciplined search for smoothie recipes for that, and only that. Like kiwi. Because it’s short to type and I like it. I found a recipe I like, and bought those ingredients. I made it, liked it, and took my first step. Then, I tried another singular ingredient: strawberries. Same thing. Each time, my smoothie recipes grow, and ingredient pantry evolves. Slowly. Intentionally.
Superfood research: This is a little more in-depth. Before I go further, I have to stress that the word ‘superfood’ is a misnomer. The correct term is ‘food’. There are simply some foods that have more nutrients than others on average, and some have higher percentages of certain minerals/vitamins than others. Discouragingly, none of them give you x-ray vision. My list is not all inclusive; it’s just the ones I was curious about. I encourage you to do the same, and at a pace that is comfortable to you, instead of trying to digest everything at once, or falling down a hype-hole. It’s fun to see if they have an effect on me, and also to use just a pinch of hype as motivation. The main thing I am trying to remember is to create balance and moderation. Not too much protein, or too much fiber. A weekly average should contain a little of everything.
Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, and Hemp Seeds: First on my list were chia seeds. I then found out they’re similar to flax and hemp seeds. What was the difference between them, and do I need all three?For me, it looks like I’d jointly use hemp and chia since they balance each other.
Flax: Similar to Chia. Really, really high in fiber. High Omega-3 (what’s in fish, and is good for the brain). Lose antioxidants if not refrigerated. Must be ground. Adaptogen (supposedly helps repair the body’s cells).
Chia: Similar to Flax. Really, really high in fiber. High Omega-3. Contains all essential amino acids. High in calcium. Flavor neutral. Expands and makes you feel full.
Hemp: Most well-rounded of the three. Contains all essential amino acids, and crazy high amounts of many different minerals. Highest protein by twice as much, least fiber.
Maca: Root of a plant. Provides a good amount of antioxidant, helps with memory, energy, and the national deficit. People with thyroid issues shouldn’t take maca. Ridiculously high in Vitamin C and copper (Is that good? Do I need copper?). Contains many essential amino acids and is an adaptogen. Provides energy.
Matcha: This sounds like Maca but is actually completely different. Matcha is ground up green tea leaves. Benefits are the same as concentrated green tea, and are similar to Maca, including helping with the national deficit. Provides energy.
Spirulina: Yes, it’s algae, and honestly, it tastes terrible. However, it can’t be denied that spirulina may be the single most nutritious food on the planet. It has a lot of antioxidants. High Omega-3 and provides energy. Trillions of fish can’t be wrong.
Cocoa Powder: Complete with magnesium, fiber, iron, and loads of antioxidants. Contains flavonoids that help improve mood as well as theobromine, an active compound that acts as a natural vasodilator to boost blood flow. Basically, it tastes delicious and is actually good for you.
Ginseng: Mainly an adaptogen. Helps with non-nutritional aspects like brain, hormone and mood health.
Coconut Water/Milk/Oil/Meat: This was ridiculously confusing to me. I finally sorted it out though.
Water: The raw liquid inside the nut which is opaque in color. High in electrolytes and minerals, NO fat, very low carbohydrates or sugar.
Meat: The white meat inside the nut. As the coconut matures, the liquid is replaced with coconut meat.
Oil: Pressed and extracted from the meat. All of the fat, none of the carbohydrates.
Milk: When coconut meat is blended with water and strained, the result is coconut “milk” which is white. High in healthy fat and calories, and even more minerals.
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As you know, I’m a dad too. And putting smoothies together with my girls, frankly, is just ridiculously fun.
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So in the end, choose what you’re after. Coconut water gets you high concentration of electrolytes with no cost. Coconut milk gets you high concentration of healthy fats at the cost of calories. The “healthy fat” I think is still up for debate. If in doubt, just use the water!
Antioxidants: The small corner of hype I’ve chosen to embrace. It’s a characteristic of food that isn’t well documented or understood as, say, Vitamin C. Antioxidants are shown to combat free radicals in the body. So I treat this sort of like white blood cells. The foods absolutely highest in antioxidants according to the ORAC index are Cloves, Sumac bran, Cinnamon, and Raw Sorghum bran. So I will endeavor to include these where I can.
This is a description of my journey, and how I am mindfully getting what I want in my life. I invite you to use your own process and try to integrate what I’m doing so it suits you. As you know, I’m a dad too. And putting smoothies together with my girls, frankly, is just ridiculously fun. It’s a fun way to learn about foods, gives them creative input into making them, and gets spinach into them. No really. Spinach you can’t even taste in smoothies. Making a smoothie they know they like on a hot summer day helps cement the fact that these are Good Things. I don’t use the superfoods in smoothies I share with them. They are always willing to taste what I make (I just add the superfoods after they taste it).
My next article will concentrate on Lessons Learned along this journey. There are many. They are scattered all over the place, and I wanted to put them all in one spot for myself.
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Photo: Getty Images
