This Is The Only Smoothie You'll Ever Need To Beat Burnout
Did you know that many of the smoothie recipes you see on social media, at smoothie bars, and even in recipe books are actually packed with sugar?
These days, smoothies tend to be advertised as festive, colorful, fruity concoctions—their vegetables and healthy fats are mere afterthoughts. And that's where the good stuff is!
That's why I founded Global Smoothie Day, which we're celebrating today, October 3. I'm on a mission to redefine green smoothies as low-sugar, high-nutrient food medicines for the stressed, the sick, and the burned out. I hope to offer our global community a playful way into the oftentimes overwhelming world of healthy living.
So how do you turn your smoothie into a recipe for productivity and optimal energy? It's simple: Make sure your smoothies are 20 percent (or less) fruit.
While fruits certainly have nutritional benefits, they also pump naturally occurring sugars to the body, which can exacerbate inflammation, fatigue, and cravings. Excessive intake of fruity smoothies can happen all too easily when the blender is loaded in a casual way. Here's a signature recipe to get yourself started on the veggie-heavy, energy-packed smoothie route.
The Real Deal Smoothie
The Real Deal is a low-glycemic green smoothie rich in essential vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, fiber, plant-based proteins, and healthy fats. Basically, it's a mind-body powerhouse!
If you're nervous about the taste of all the greens, remember that your taste buds will adjust and love it after a few servings. You're also welcome to include other low-glycemic fruits, like a green apple or green (yes, green!) banana.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark leafy greens
- 1 handful broccoli sprouts
- 1 cup mixed berries
- ½ avocado
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ red bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin and/or hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon chlorella powder
- 2 cups nondairy milk
Preparation
Simply blend and enjoy! (If you find your blender getting too full, blend your leafy greens with liquid first, then add the rest.)
Rhea Mehta, Ph.D., is a Canadian scientist (PhD, Molecular Toxicology from University of Toronto), social entrepreneur and community builder who has been working in the fields of science commercialization, health data privacy, and lifestyle medicine for over 10 years.
Committed to helping millions of people adopt a healthier and more joyful life, Rhea is the co-founder of Bowhead Health, a privacy-enabled health data capture and sharing platform, co-founder of Reset, a wellness-inspired Canadian adult summer camp and digital detox, and is the founder of Global Smoothie Day, an inclusive movement to inspire health awareness and accessible plant-based living.
Rhea recently entered the psychedelic medicine space to focus on developing transformative therapies for mental health disorders. In her spare time, Rhea practices and teaches meditation and kriya-kundalini yoga from the Himalayan Vedantic Tradition.