Super Smoothie

By Julian Warmington

Spring is well sprung, summer is coming. Starchy complex carbohydrates like rice or potatoes are still important with every meal, but it’s the right time of year to review our daily intake of lighter colors and how much water is in our foods to keep us hydrated as the temperature really starts to increase.

While crunchy fresh salads are easy to enjoy, not everyone likes to invest the preparation time.

Whether you want protein or other macro or any of the micro nutrients your fit, healthy, active body needs, simply dropping them into a smoothie is quick and convenient.

Experimenting with different ingredients and quantities becomes both fun and interesting. “Add quantity according to taste” becomes a mantra. Some of these ingredients can be kept in the freezer. Buying frozen berries in bulk provides a great base and gives you an instant antioxidant boost for every drink. Leafy greens like spinach or kale are best bought once or twice a week, kept in the fridge, and eaten within a few days. Powdered ginger is certainly convenient and adds some quality, but fresh ginger adds more nutritional value and flavor.

If blending and the joys of experimenting with quantities and ingredients is new to you, it’s worth remembering how our microbiomes, or healthy gut bacteria, really do flourish and, in turn, directly influence what we develop a taste for, as we feed them more of each ingredient.

Within the context of a berry-based smoothie, adding black pepper and turmeric may seem strange at first, but, taken together, they offer your body the world’s greatest-known natural anti-inflammatory. A small, simple shake or two of each is enough for a first taste test. Add just a little bit more each new time you make another smoothie, until you find the perfect amount for your taste.

If you’re looking to up your game in running or any impact sport, this becomes highly valuable for recovery and reducing achy-joints downtime until your next training session.

Some blenders remove fiber. Please leave it in. Fiber is hugely important. You’re not making juice for spoiled international air travel tourists. Similarly, you don’t need to add expensive protein powder if you’re actually consuming fresh vegetables.

For more inspiration, understanding, or ideas on how to develop your smoothie skills, check out the Canadian ultra-long distance marathon runner and former professional triathlete Brendan Brazier’s book series Thrive.

Finally, quantities given below should necessarily vary depending on the size of your blender, your developing taste, and also how quickly you can drink the smoothie over the next day or two. This recipe is designed to be made in a large glass jar blender and drunk within two days.

SUPER SMOOTHIE: INGREDIENTS

• Blueberries and/or other berries: one or two handfuls

• Kale, spinach, or other leafy green: two or three handfuls

• An apple, cored

• One smaller beet, or half a large one, peeled

• Cacao powder, one or two tablespoons

• Freshly ground black pepper, and turmeric: one or two shakes only if this is a new taste for you

• Cinnamon and red pepper powder: one or two shakes

• Also consider adding: Carrots, celery (organic if possible), cucumber, one teaspoon only of powdered spirulina

Process

1. Put everything in the glass jar.

2. Fill half full with water.

3. Put the lid on top.

4. Blend, adding more water to taste and consistency preference.

5. Pour some into a stainless steel or glass bottle for the gym or workout tomorrow.

6. Pour the rest into a bottle or glass to enjoy immediately.

7. Rinse out your blender and lid.

The Author

Julian Warmington taught for twenty years at the university level in South Korea, half of which he spent in Gwangju. He has been cooking fine plant-based cuisine for three decades, races in triathlons in his spare time, and misses doenjangguk in winter and a traditional vegan patbingsu in summer.