Longevity Smoothie
This is a simple recipe for a healthy, tasty smoothie you can make easily at home in the morning. I've included the reason why each ingredient is good for you.
Naturally, each person's taste is their own, so feel free to modify to suit your own palate.
Note, for blending, I use the Magic Bullet. Okay, stop laughing. Yes, it's been featured on infomercials you've probably seen at around 3am. It does work, though. I've had it for more than a year, and use it about 5 times per week, and it's never given me a bit of trouble. Compare that to the Hamilton Beach blender (that cost twice as much) that burned out when I tried to make hummus with it...
(I bought my Magic Bullet from eBay, instead of off the informercial where you get 2 for 1. Instead, I'd rather buy one for half the price.)
Step 1: Frozen fruit
Throw in about 3/4 cup of frozen fruit. I like to use frozen blueberries (frozen organic wild blueberries, if available, since they're higher in antioxidants) since I like the taste, and blueberries have among the highest levels of naturally-occurring antioxidants. They're also pretty easy to buy at Trader Joe's or your local supermarket. I like frozen fruit because they retain the vitamins of fresh fruit, and they make the smoothie cold.
Other options:
- frozen raspberries or blackberries, although they do leave tons of gritty seeds in the smoothie. If you're looking for more fiber in your diet, this will do it for you!
- frozen strawberries: readily available and strawberries are high in anthocyanins and ellagic acid, which are potent antioxidants
- frozen bananas: high in potassium, and impart a creamy, fluffy consistency to your smoothie
- acai: Amazonian fruit high in antioxidants and "good" fats; adds a rich berry/chocolate flavor as well. Available frozen or in drinks in health food stores; the most popular brand is Sambazon.
Step 2: Protein pow(d)er
Now I add protein powder. My favorite is Rainbow Light's Protein Energizer, because it's rice-protein based (hypoallergenic; extremely few people have or develop rice allergies), and has natural fiber and herbal extracts. It also helps make smoothies very creamy and custardlike, for some reason.
Other options, if you want to increase the protein content of your smoothie:
- whey protein powder: quickly absorbed protein
- egg white protein powder: the "highest quality" protein, for its amino acid profile, although doesn't dissolve as easily as others
- soy protein powder: rich in isoflavones, so some say it's healthy for women, although this is disputed in the Anti-Estrogenic Diet, among others
- milk protein powder: slower-absorbing than whey, but with a more complete amino acid profile
Great side-by-side comparison of whey, soy, egg and rice proteins.
Step 3: Green Tea & other Greens
Now I add about a half-teaspoon of matcha (powdered green tea). Green tea is extremely high in antioxidants, especially a group of polyphenols called catechins. Particularly high among the catechins in green tea is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which has been the source of growing scientific interest in the health field.
Adding too much matcha makes the smoothie bitter, so don't overdo it.
Next, I add a teaspoon of powdered greens. I use Greens Plus, but there are several other brands out there that are pretty similar. They include a variety of plant and herb extracts that are high in natural antioxidants and chlorophyll (a natural internal deodorizer, and rich in magnesium). With the idea that there are lots of things that are good about a highly-varied diet that we just don't know about, I think adding something like Greens Plus is a healthy addition to the smoothie.
Greens Plus tastes good to me (kind of like wheat grass--both sweet and vegetal), but avoid those that have too much spirulina, which is healthy but tastes downright swampy...
Step 4: Cocoa and sweetening
Yup. Cocoa. I like chocolate, and cocoa is good for you. Rich in polyphenols, cocoa is actually eaten as a health food in Japan.
Cocoa powder, naturally, doesn't have the fat and sugar found in chocolate. A recent study says that cocoa compares nicely to both red wine and green tea when it comes to antioxidant levels.
Chocoholics, rejoice! I dump in a good teaspoon.
Then, I add sweetener. I use erythritol, for a few reasons:
* it's 100% natural, occurring naturally in fruits in small concentrations
* it's really low-calorie: 0.2 calories per gram vs 4 calories per gram in regular table sugar. It only has 70% of the sweetness of sugar, so you have to use more, but even so, it only has 5% of the calories.
* unlike other sugar alcohols like mannitol, sorbitol and lactitol, it's absorbed into the bloodstream and so does not cause the horrible laxative effects that those other sugar alcohols do.
I usually put in 2 teaspoons, which contribute less than 2 calories to the smoothie.
I buy erythritol in bulk online.
Voila! the finished smoothie
Step 5: Pretend you're making a margarita...
(i.e. add liquid, ice and blend!)
I typically add either rice milk or iced tea (about 3/4 to a full cup). Another option is to add kombucha tea, which has a vinegary taste, but has reputed health benefits.
A handful of ice will give the smoothie more body and a milkshake-like mouthfeel. If you don't like drinking cold beverages, though, skip it.
With my Magic Bullet, I screw on the blade attachment, shake it up, and blend for about 15 seconds. I then add the "Comfort Lip" (their term, not mine) and drink away!
Comments
AUTHORThank you, rebekahELLE! Can't promise this will make you live forever, but it's healthy and delicious enough for even when we're senior citizens. And, yes, the coldness is something to enjoy when it's swelteringly hot outside!
Nice! I saw this on the feed and wanted to take a look. I've been looking for some cold smoothie recipes for the hot summer months. These sound super healthy and delicious. And who doesn't want to live forever?? ;))
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Thanks, vespawoolf! I think your handful of spinach is even healthier than greens powder; I can only imagine how wonderful-tasting your smoothie must be with mangoes.
This is a great smoothie, and drinking it makes me feel like I'm going to live a lot longer! I used matcha, cocoa, soy protein powder, bananas and mangoes and a handful of spinach since we don't have dried greens. Delicious!
There are some great recipes here that come in handy whenever I run out of ideas.
Thanks!
Great smoothie recipe and you gave easy directions. I especially like the nutritousness to go with the yumminess! :-)
Thanks for the great information on the healthy smoothies. I don't have the magic bullet but I have a normal blender which should work just fine. I'm glad to hear the blueberries are so healthy as I love them. I like raspberries and blackberries but I get a reaction from all the seeds/direticulitis.
I used my magic bullet so much it blew out! Had to get an old school blender. I love making smoothies, I got my 16 year old daughter hooked on them too. I'm going to try your smoothie.
Thanks for this recipe, I'm going to give it a go this morning, it looks great!
This looks really good. I'll have to try it out.
Wonderful delightful, healthful smoothies ! Thank you for sharing the recipes that I will try to make. They look delicious. God Bless You.
This longevity smoothie sounds dee-lish-uss!
I sometime use mesquite in my smoothies.
If you haven't had this Peruvian super-food,do get hold of some!And also ground cacao nibs,high in the anti-oxidants.
And thank-you Deelstra for that rather shocking information.
I have been using soya milk for a long time.
Happy new year!
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I also use the Magic Bullet to make smoothies - it works great. Great recipes - can't wait to try them.
I've tried a couple of these, and they are fantastic! Great info!
- AUTHOR
Good point Deelstra. I don't drink soy milk myself (being a man), but I did not know it caused problems for women, too. I'll change the language above to reflect that there's not any consensus regarding the safety/health of soy even for women.
I hope you are getting paid commission for all the Magic Bullets that are sold as a result of this hub!! I thoroughly enjoy all the information with the exception of your advice to take soy. Please do some further research on soy as it is actually quite disturbing to discover that soy should never be ingested. It is filled with hormones, and is known to activate cancers. My grand daughter is allergic to cow's milk. Not just lactose intolerant, but actually allergic to the point where she can not have any milk. As a substitute, she was placed on soy. She is 9 with the body of a much more mature young woman. When we were told that soy is toxic, and is actually processed with a substance which is in essence, chlorine bleach, we were devastated. We had been poisoning this child since birth with soy milk. Just a bit of research will show you that what I say is true. It's hard to believe, because we are indoctrinated by mass advertising to believe that soy is the healthy choice. It is in more products now than ever before. Shame on the FDA.
Best to you.
This looks like it's pretty refreshing. There's a lot of info these days on the benefits of blueberries, so I wrote a hub on growing your own fresh ones.
https://hubpages.com/living/Growing-Blueberries
But you're on your own when it comes to the green tea.
cool hub
Hey this is great - thanks! Any idea what the nutritional stats are?
Agave syrup (sometimes called agave 'nectar') is a wonderful natural sweetener. Get the raw, organic kind. It has a very low glycemic index; many diabetics use it. Some companies add other ingredients, like maltitol to it. Try to get the 100% pure. On Amazon, most of the buyers rave about how delicious it is.
I use 'Beyond Berries' from URI International to obtain the highest quality live whole food powders of a blend of the most talked about superfruits. berries and veggies. They're amazing and add awesome flavor to my smoothies. Have been a rep for URI for a year now and very pleased with their fast, low heat drying methods. Definitely going to invest in a 'bullet'!!! And looking forward to using your recipes with the addition of my product. Thanks...appreciate you!
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Just a warning about acai pulp: most of it is badly degraded in the process of getting it from the rainforest and into those packages. While it's still plenty healthy for you, it's not actually much better than pureed blueberries.
Plus, check out the added ingredients on most of those acai packages. Generally they're full of added cane sugar. The acai berry on its own is not sweet at all! It's a dark, dense, very bitter thing. It's like eating a blend of blueberry peels and maple bark.
Yes, I've tried it. Where can you get fresh acai berries? Only the amazon rainforest. The acai berry loses something like 800 ORAC (anti-oxidant rating) per gram, and the fatty acids start going rancid, very quickly after being picked.
So, please don't waste your money on expensive acai pulp. Just use frozen blueberries or something. The only company I'm aware of that has a process that preserves most of the richness of the acai berry is Monavie.
ps. who am I? certified nutrition educator, raw food coach, and soon-to-be-published author of a health-oriented book about kombucha. Oh, and Monavie distributor. :D
Excellent article. I never knew you can add so many ingredients for a great taste... sounds yummy.... I will try this weekend and let you know which combinations worked !!!
- AUTHOR
Hi Neil, Yes, acai is expensive here, too. I generally use blueberries (organic, imported from Canada; I get them from Trader Joe's for about $2.50 per bag). But yes, acai tastes really nice.
cgull8m: I like the Magic Bullet because it's really easy to use and clean. But it's small, so if you have to blend a lot of stuff (like a couple of quarts of soup, for instance), you can do it, but it takes some time.
Will check it out, glad I saw this, I also wanted to buy Magic Bullet will buy it seems convenient.
Hi again Livelonger. Just thought I would update you. I got a 'Magic Bullet' from ebay Uk. £25 brand new. Pleased with that. The only thing is the Acai berries cost a fortune in the Uk, so I made some Pulpa Acai & Sensha Green Tea - Let it go cold and added that - WOW - Totally delicious. I feel great. Thanks again for a great smoothie. Neil
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Best of luck! My friend who lives in London bought a Greek version circa 1990 for 5 pounds about a year ago. MUCH louder but it does the trick, too. ;-)
Livelonger that is one of the best smoothie recipes I have ever come across. Thanks. I'm off to see if I can get a cheep 'magic bullet' from ebay UK.
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Sometimes I use honey (which can harden from the cold) or maple syrup. But they're basically sugar in liquid form (honey has more fructose, but maple syrup is just flavored, liquid sucrose).
Why don't you use some other, more official sweetener? Like molasses. Blackstrap Molasses might be a bit bitter. My second choice would be nice 100% Canadian Maple Syrup. Yum.
- AUTHOR
You know, I'm a big fan of Cafe Gratitude, and saw it for sale there this past Friday. Will definitely pick it up, esp since I read recently (can't remember where?) that the dutching process they usually do to cocoa, to darken the color, destroys some of the healthy polyphenols...
Good Job! May I suggest getting raw organic cacao powder from rawfood.com for your chocolate fix? Mark: https://hubpages.com/misc/Maria_She_feels_pretty
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