I am not a fan of smoothies.

There I said it-

And while smoothies are quintessential to the nutrition world- I think it’s time we put smoothies in context. 

No where in nature would you find such a concentrated dose of varying nutrients, eaten all at once. Well, other than breast milk but those are different constituents. Think about, those smoothies packed with different fruits, vegetables, nuts, green powders, mushroom powders, supplements and etc- is a HUGE dose of very concentrated nutrients that our gut has to digest ALL AT ONCE. This can be overwhelming on the digestive system and as a result, you may not be properly absorbing any of those nutrients. 

Smoothies are usually made with “cold” ingredients, raw fruits and vegetables, chilled coconut water or nut milks, frozen fruits and vegetables- Chinese medicine states that too much cold, will dampen our digestive fire. And if we routinely consume cold- well, bye bye digestive fire and hello bloating, cramps and all sorts of digestive complaints. 

Oh and, smoothies make us skip the first and most important part of digestion. CHEWING. Yup, we dont chew our smoothies- but chewing is the first step that signals to our stomach and other organs to prepare for incoming traffic. Without this step- well- ya. 

But if smoothies are a part of your daily diet- at the very least make sure to at least:

1. Use protein powder and water- not milk

2. Make sure its room temperature and not cold

3. Dont add ice

4. Chew it (YES I AM SERIOUS)

5. If adding ingredients, keep it to 1-2 additional! No extra!