One of the biggest challenges of eating healthy is finding the time to cook nutritious meals. It’s much easier to grab a bagel for breakfast than fix oatmeal or order carry-out instead of cooking a balanced dinner.
To make things even more complicated, a lot of times we have to make a choice whether to cook a real meal or to get a workout in. And it’s a tough one that affects the way we feel and look.
The tricky part is that if we want to be healthy we need to get both the exercise and the nutrition right. If you do one but skip the other one than our efforts will never bring the results we are looking for.
One of the easiest ways to fix a balanced and delicious meal is to have a smoothie. It’s fast, it’ yummy and it is healthy.
Today I am talking to Farnoosh Brock, the author of the bestselling book The Healthy Juicer’s Bible who has just published her second book The Healthy Smoothie Bible. She is the perfect person to answer all of our “smoothie” questions and to give us a One-Day Complete Smoothie Detox Plan.
1. Farnoosh, what are the biggest benefits of smoothies over juicing or just regular salads?
Smoothies are blended food and they are digested and absorbed by your body more efficiently, easier and faster than regular salads. Smoothie advantage over juicing, however, is that you are getting all the nutritious fiber which slows down any changes in blood sugar levels and also keeps you nice and full for longer. Smoothies are the best kind of healthy fast food you can enjoy any time of day and any season of the year.
2. Eating healthy often requires a lot of prep time. How can smoothies make healthy nutrition simpler?
I talk about the ease of preparation and clean-up for smoothies in my book, The Healthy Smoothie Bible. It’s ridiculous just how quickly you can make a great delicious smoothie that is extremely healthy for you. I believe that on average, it takes me about 4 minutes – this includes washing my Vitamix machine and all the blending time! Can you do better than that and still have a delicious meal to follow?
3. When is it best to drink your smoothies?
Smoothies are good any time of day. I love having them for breakfast, after yoga, for an afternoon snack or even a light dinner. There are different kinds of smoothies for all occasions. On page 134 of The Healthy Smoothie Bible, I have categorized all 108 recipes into such occasions: Meal Replacement, Beginner, Quick, Detox & Cleanse, Hidden Greens, and so on so you can pick the right recipe for the right mood and occasion.
4. What does a person need to start “smoothing” regularly? (Equipment, essential ingredients etc.)
You need so little to start making smoothies. I recommend a high-powered blender. You can use anything of course but I have broken four blenders in my life, and I can honestly say that it was not always my fault 😉 So when I invested in the Vitamix, my life changed. Plus I was making professional smoothies. The Vitamix has been a great investment for me but you can start with any good solid blender and a great recipe book. Of course I am partial to The Healthy Smoothie Bible which has 108 vegan, dairy-free, mostly gluten-free and extremely healthy smoothies with natural ingredients. You also need fresh fruits and vegetables and if you want to use protein powder, then your favorite brand. I only tested a few vegan high-end protein powders and made recommendations about my test results in the book.
5. Can you use smoothies for weight loss? What other health goals can a person reach with smoothies?
Yes you absolutely can. That’s one reason I love smoothies so much – they are extremely versatile. My Detox & Cleanse recipes in The Healthy Smoothie Bible are all for weight loss, getting lean and in shape, and shedding those stubborn pounds. You need to make sure that you are filling the smoothie with the right ingredients that promote these results. I use a lot of fresh greens, other vegetables, a little fruit to sweeten the smoothie and mainly water and ice as base.
Other health goals which one can achieve with smoothies is greater digestion, better elimination, great skin, and lots more energy during the day to tackle your tasks. Oh and happiness. I’ve been so much happier since I have added daily smoothies to my diet.
6. Farnoosh could you please share with us your 4 favorite smoothie recipes for a full day detox?
Breakfast Smoothie
1 peeled grapefruit
2 cups fresh spinach
1 small handful parsley
1 small chunk of ginger
1 green apple
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup filtered water
3-4 ice cubes
Lunch Smoothie
1 cup of fresh papaya
1 frozen banana
1-1.5 TBSP hemp seeds
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 pitted dates
Optional: 1 TBSP cacao powder
After-workout Recovery Smoothie
1 avocado
1 green apple
1 TBSP almond butter
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup kale
1 cup spinach
1 tsp flax powder
1 date
Supper Smoothie
1 1/2 cup filtered water
1 frozen organic bananas
1 stalk of celery
3-4 leaves of kale
2 small cucumbers
1 small apple, any kind
1 small pear
1/2 lemon
1 small pinch of ginger
Optional: 1/2 cup fennel for aroma
7. What are your most important tips on creating a healthy “smoothing” habit and sticking with it?
I would say you need to be very clear why you want to do this. Is your health important to you and if so why? Is your weight a problem and if so what do you want to do about it and why? If you are just doing it as curiosity or just to try something else, you won’t likely stick with it. You need to understand the powerful benefits of smoothies, all of which I explain in The Healthy Smoothie Bible, and then you will have your reasons to stick to it.
On a logistical side, set a space in your kitchen as a Smoothie Counter and set everything up ready to go so you make it super easy to make smoothies daily. I hope this helps because smoothies can change your life. I’ve talked about why and how they have revolutionized my health and how to duplicate these efforts all in my book.
Do you include smoothies in your diet? If you are looking for the awesome health and weight loss results try doing a once-a-week smoothie detox using the recipes shared by Farnoosh above or in her book The Healthy Smoothie Bible.
Let us know if you have any questions or share your favorite smoothie recipe below!