Homemade Smoothie - Adding in extra healthy ingredients?

150poundsofme
150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
edited December 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, Just started making smoothies the last month. Consists of plain Greek yogurt (5 - 8 oz), little skim milk, baby spinach, frozen blueberries and a banana (and started putting water in it too but I think that is what is making is bubble up). I add some flaxseed (though expired - don't know if it is still beneficial because it is expired - what do you think?). Today I added tumeric. I heard this spice is good to help with inflammation. (And is tumeric and cucumin the exact same thing?) So one thing I am wondering is should I use a whole banana - they come in such different sizes - use 1/2? Or no problem with a large banana? When company was here last week they were using almond milk and coconut water in their smoothies. I used it for a week so I could finish the containers. Ok, so what is my question and not all the above rambling? So what do you put in your healthy homemade smoothie to help you get good nutrients and inflammation help? Thank you!!! p.s. Do you ever put cinnamon in smoothies?

Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I should mention I found out what I liked by making up a big batch of bland oats based meal replacement shakes, bagging in to single servings then using every flavouring I had in the house. I took notes. Vanilla and cinnamon did not make the cut.

    I make my lemon lime by adding a Crystal Lite package and this stuff:

    https://biosteel.ca/collections/high-performance-sports-mix-315g/products/high-performance-sports-mix-315g-lemon-lime

    It was in the sales bin at my pharmacy.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    I make a green smoothie every day. Be careful with them-they can be calorie bombs!

    My go-to is a serving of 0% fat Greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen kale/spinach, 1 small or medium banana, 1/2 cup frozen berries and then water.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    Hi, Just started making smoothies the last month. Consists of plain Greek yogurt (5 - 8 oz), little skim milk, baby spinach, frozen blueberries and a banana (and started putting water in it too but I think that is what is making is bubble up). I add some flaxseed (though expired - don't know if it is still beneficial because it is expired - what do you think?). Today I added tumeric. I heard this spice is good to help with inflammation. (And is tumeric and cucumin the exact same thing?) So one thing I am wondering is should I use a whole banana - they come in such different sizes - use 1/2? Or no problem with a large banana? When company was here last week they were using almond milk and coconut water in their smoothies. I used it for a week so I could finish the containers. Ok, so what is my question and not all the above rambling? So what do you put in your healthy homemade smoothie to help you get good nutrients and inflammation help? Thank you!!! p.s. Do you ever put cinnamon in smoothies?

    It's unlikely you will be able to receive a medical benefit from turmeric just from adding a little spice here and there. If you like the flavor in your smoothies, add it. For medical benefits, take a curcumin supplement.

    https://examine.com/supplements/curcumin/

    Do Not Confuse With
    Turmeric (Spice it comes from), Curry (meal preparation using Turmeric), Tree Turmeric (a term for Berberis Aristata)

    ****************

    I weigh bananas so I know how much I am adding. "1 banana" is not accurate enough. I leave the peel on the part I'm not using right away and wrap the cut end in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Or, if they are very rip, I peel, chunk, and freeze them.

    *****************

    I've used almond milk or coconut water in smoothies but found this too expensive/inconvenient so use different flavor tea depending on what smoothie I'm making. This is under 10 cents per serving.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    So what do you put in your healthy homemade smoothie to help you get good nutrients and inflammation help?

    What is the cause of your inflammation? I'd focus on correcting that. If you're unsure, perhaps ask your doctor.
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    Hi, Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I appreciate you all. Thank you. Flaxseed smells ok so will continue to use. I still have approx. 50 lbs. to lose so will eat just 1/2 banana. I will check out that curcumin website. My inflammation - my doc sent me to rheumatologist - thought maybe lupus. Did a ton of lab work. Labs came back no lupus. Doc says I have rheumatoid arthritis even though he said my labs say no. My toes and fingers just a little stiff (I believe I feel it now because I am no longer on blood pressure meds and one of the meds was also like a water pill (Hydrocholorizide). I do not think I have that. So I do not know why. I do have calf/thigh pain, could use a knee replacement but the knee itself no longer hurts, just the calf/thigh on one leg that I have had over 5 years. Docs just keep sending me for dopplers to see if I have blood clot. No bloodclots.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited February 2019
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    So what do you put in your healthy homemade smoothie to help you get good nutrients and inflammation help? Thank you!!!

    I don't think I have an issue with inflammation, so that's not a focus of my efforts.

    My preference is to have more vegetables than fruit, a good source of fat, decent amount of protein, and something that is filling for me.

    I start with a good amount (around 100 g) of frozen greens (kale or spinach), add half an avocado if I have avocado (if not I often use winter squash), and some other kind of vegetable (I love fennel, but zucchini, cucumber are my most common others).

    I think make sure I have a decent amount of protein -- main additional would be plain protein powder or, if I don't feel like protein powder I'll have more greek yogurt (usually lower fat if I'm including more for protein). I also might add peanut powder or homemade nutmilk (which has more fat, since it includes the nuts) or even just some nuts or seeds (I've used flaxseed and don't mind it). I've used goat's milk too, or soymilk to add a bit of protein, it just depends on what I feel like.

    Then, for the fruit, I usually use berries (in addition to the avocado mentioned before). Lately my favorite combination is strawberries and rhubarb, but I like any berries or a combination (I know rhubarb is not a berry, but it goes well). In the summer I focus more on a variety of fruits in season, like melons are great in smoothies.

    I use various fresh herbs when I have them -- mint, sage, anise hyssop is great, what works depends on the other ingredients. I don't really use spices, I use those in cooking, though.

    My smoothies often have a lot of calories (400-500), but they are gigantic and filling. I could make the calories less just by reducing portions.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
    I love adding some avocado to a smoothie.
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    :):)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited February 2019
    If it’s one leg, have you considered going to a physiotherapist? Doctors look for disease. Physio looks to improve range of movement.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    My inflammation - my doc sent me to rheumatologist - thought maybe lupus. Did a ton of lab work. Labs came back no lupus. Doc says I have rheumatoid arthritis even though he said my labs say no. My toes and fingers just a little stiff (I believe I feel it now because I am no longer on blood pressure meds and one of the meds was also like a water pill (Hydrocholorizide). I do not think I have that. So I do not know why. I do have calf/thigh pain, could use a knee replacement but the knee itself no longer hurts, just the calf/thigh on one leg that I have had over 5 years.

    I've heard good stories about elimination diets, where you eliminate common trigger foods for a month, like gluten, processed meats, vegetable oils, alcohol, etc, then re-introduce them one at a time to see which one gives you symptoms. This gives a summary of it: https://blumhealthmd.com/2017/07/20/effectively-navigate-an-elimination-diet/
    There's a LOT of potential trigger foods, so to make life easier, you can have a few elimination cycles, focusing on a few foods each cycle.

    By the way, try hourly stretching for your calf & thigh, and massaging them with a rolling pin too.
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    jgnatca, Is a physiotherapist the same as a physical therapist? Cherimoose, hourly stretching and rolling pin. Yes, sounds like a great idea. Thank you!!! I will look into the elimination diet too
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    I use:
    50g Broccoli sprouts: sulforafane
    50g blueberries: anthocyanin,
    100g apple: ursolic acid, pectin, glucaric acid
    50g kale, 50g baby spinach: fermentable fiber, sulfoquinovose (prebiotic sugar)
    2 celery stalks: luteolin, apigenin
    One scoop hydrolyzed collagen: proline, glycine
    1/2 banana: flavor
    Strawberries: fiber, flavor
    1/2 avocado: fat and mouth feel

    Split three ways, it's a nutrient bomb without being a calorie bomb.

    This is also a good source of vit C, Mg, folate, K, Vit E, Vit A, Ca and a few others in smaller amount. I don't like protein powder so I haven't gone down that path with this sucker. I'd personally rather eat some eggs or meat for that.


  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    jgnatca, Is a physiotherapist the same as a physical therapist? Cherimoose, hourly stretching and rolling pin. Yes, sounds like a great idea. Thank you!!! I will look into the elimination diet too

    Not sure. Probably.

  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    A few of you mentioned kale. I will give that a try, thanks. Wow, very detailed description, thanks :)
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited February 2019
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    A few of you mentioned kale. I will give that a try, thanks. Wow, very detailed description, thanks :)

    I buy it frozen (in the frozen produce section). One bag at my grocery store is $1.79 and I get three smoothies out of it. It's just easier for me to use frozen-it takes up a lot less space this way and it fits in my Nutribullet better.

    I use frozen spinach as well, which is easy to freeze from fresh so I do it myself. Kale is a bit trickier to freeze though, so I just buy it done already :)
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    Thank you for the kale and spinach tip. I didn't know I could freeze spinach myself.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Curcumin is the substance in turmeric believed to help with inflammation. You need a large enough dose to be effective, which is a lot more than most of us want in a smoothie. There's not a specific official recommendation but it's more than a sprinkle. I don't have the research we did at my fingertips. I take a capsule form. It does help, but was not an inflammation cure-all.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    150poundsofme wrote: »
    Thank you for the kale and spinach tip. I didn't know I could freeze spinach myself.

    I do method 2 usually, though I've done method 4 too-

    https://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Spinach
  • 150poundsofme
    150poundsofme Posts: 523 Member
    Thank you both. Pill form of curcumin - will look for it. Freezing spinach - then I will always have it for my smoothie and won't run out of the fresh. :):)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories