Green smoothies are my number one go-to food to keep my body on track. If I had to choose just one food out of all of the healthy foods I eat, this would be the one. I drink them almost every morning because they are energizing, hydrating and it’s really easy to get several servings of vegetables from just one green smoothie. Having this for breakfast will start your day on the right track to getting all of the live enzymes, vitamins, minerals and fiber your body needs to perform its best.
During Thanksgiving I didn’t drink a single green smoothie and binged on rich, heavy foods for 3 days straight. I was super bloated and groggy every morning and for a few days after. I added this green smoothie to my diet when I got back from vacation and the bloating went away, I had more energy and just overall felt better. Note to self, when going on a food binge make sure to at least drink a green smoothie in the morning to help reduce the side effects.
Why does this green smoothie help reduce bloating?
This green smoothie has a secret weapon. Its called Coconut Water Kefir which is packed with probiotics, enzymes, minerals and vitamins. This health tonic was first introduced to me in Donna Gates’ book, “The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity”. There are many benefits of drinking coconut water kefir. Some include:
- Stops sugar cravings
- Aids in digestion of all foods
- It has a tonifying affect on the intestines, even flattening the abdomen
I go into more detail in my post, “How To Make Coconut Water Kefir And Get Clearer Skin” and you can read about it in the article by Donna Gates, “Young Green Coconuts”.
This smoothie is packed with foods high in fiber like pear, apple, celery and avocado. These fiber rich foods sweep your intestinal track and colon of waste, improve digestion and reduce bloating.
In addition to the fiber, the fat from the avocado will keep you fuller longer. It also holds the smoothie together and gives it a creamy texture.
Easy to digest – your body is not spending energy on digesting your food. Have you every eaten a breakfast burrito in the morning and right after felt sluggish and tired? Since a smoothie is in a sense “pre-digested”, your body can absorb it immediately instead of having to break down a large meal.
Low in sugar. The majority of ingredients in this smoothie are vegetables which hardly have sugar in them. The pear and apple sweeten it just enough and balance the tartness of the coconut kefir and citrus. You can use a green apple to reduce the sugar even more. I use green apples sometimes too.
Added benefit! Glowing skin – Coconut water kefir, cucumber and avocado are great for your complexion.
The Beat Winter Bloating Probiotic Green Smoothie is packed with probiotics, fiber and healthy fats that will keep you full, cleanse your digestive track and reduce bloating. I make sure to drink this one regular over the winter months to reduce bloating and avoid holiday weight gain. It works for me.
How does it taste? Citrus zing is what comes to mind when I think of the flavor. It’s lemony, tart, creamy and slightly sweet. The citrus and ginger mask the green taste. The ginger also adds a little spice and will warm you on cold mornings.
- 2 cups coconut water kefir
- 1 apple, rough chopped
- 1 pear, rough chopped
- 1 cucumber, skin peeled and chopped
- 1 handful of spinach (about 2 cups)
- ½ avocado
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 tbsp ginger, roughly chopped (skin can be left on)
- juice of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lime
- Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- If you are using a standard blender or a food processor (I used to use one before I bought a Vitamix), add the liquid and leafy greens first and blend them for about a minute or while you are chopping up the rest of the fruit and vegetables. Chop the fruit and veggies into smaller pieces so they blend more smoothly. Peel and grate the ginger instead of chopping it into chunks. Add in the avocado last.
Resources
How To Make Coconut Water Kefir And Get Clearer Skin
The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
I am glad to have come across your blog as I have recently started reading about the benefits of fermentation. Great smoothie recipe too, that I definitely intend to try out. Can you recommend some reliable sources for dairy kefir grains? I have always made yogurt but want to start making kefir.
Thank you so much! Milk kefir is very easy to make . I recommend buying live milk kefir grains, because they will produce milk kefir sooner than the dehydrated ones that take a little longer to activate. You can buy the live ones from Amazon here, here. this is the same company I have bought the water kefir grains from and they are very reasonably priced. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks Danielle! This is very reasonably priced indeed. I didn’t see your reply and got something a bit more expensive from GEM Cultures. Anyway… Will let you know how it turns out!
I live in rural Australia and having trouble finding live kefir grains.
Here in winter I cannot get cucumber to grow and I like to eat seasonal vegetables, so what do you suggest to replace the cucumber in winter?
I would just leave out the cucumber. You can use a powdered kefir starter to ferment coconut water into Coconut water kefir too.
Hi Danielle – I’m allergic to Avocados … any good suggestions for replacing them with something else?
You can leave it out or add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
go away.
Hi Danielle……I’m allergic to coconut can I replace it with goat milk kefir or anything else?
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I always drink goat milk kefir would love to make this smoothie with it??
I haven’t tried it with goat milk kefir, but you can certainly try. Let us know how it turns out.
GOD, Can we wipe your butt too?