Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Perfect Shake

I love smoothies and shakes.  I'd much rather drink my calories than eat them...and I don't necessarily mean at the bar. :)  But I really like to have a nutrient dense shake in the morning because I never have much of an appetite.  This helps me to make sure I always have breakfast - the MOST important meal of the day.
So while I do enjoy Jamba Juice, I do not enjoy the outrageous calories and excessive grams of sugar that saturate almost all of their smoothies.  Some of the smoothies have more sugar than TWO Snickers bars.  WILD!  Possibly one of the culprits of America's out of control obesity rate!  And let me also say that sugar makes you fat....fat doesn't make you fat. 
Now here is my tasty, healthy, nutrient dense shake recipe!  It's a great breakfast, after-workout recovery drink or anytime you want something delicious - without compromising the scale.

THE PERFECT SHAKE
4 oz. cold water
6 oz. unsweetened almond milk (you may use a milk of your choice, just make sure its low-fat and low-sugar)
1 scoop Designer Whey Protein - Vanilla
1/2 cup berries (any kind - frozen or fresh)
1/2 banana or peach
1 capful Flax Oil or Omega 3 Oil
4 ice cubes

Blend to desired consistency and drink!

Some suggestions:
  • You may use 10 oz milk instead of combining h2o and milk.  I simply do that to make the almond milk last longer (cost effective).
  • The Flax Oil (which can be found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) helps with absorption of the nutrients in the fruit (making the nutrients more bioavailable to your body) and studies are showing how important it is to supplement your diet with Omega 3's.
  • Designer Whey Protein Powder can be found at Trader Joe's and the protein helps slow the absorption of the Carbohydrates, keeping you full and satisfied for a longer period of time.
  • Frozen fruit is just a nutritious as fresh, actually even more so.  Once it's picked, its flash-frozen, therefore sealing in all the important nutrients that are sometimes lost in fresh produce.  Plus its cost effective.
Depending on the type of fruit you use, this shake will run you about 250-300 calories.

Be creative...just stick to the basic structure!

One more thing....I am not bashing Jamba Juice.  It's a great place and where I go to get my Wheatgrass shots.  If you do want to stop by to grab a smoothie, their website offers detailed nutrition information for their entire menu.  Go for the small.  And don't upgrade.

Cheers!

Jill

4 comments:

  1. I love it! That's almost exactly what I make in the morning. Do you think it matters of I take the omega 3 and flax in pill form instead of adding it too the smoothy? I haven't tried the liquid vits yet.

    Andrea T

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  2. Hi Andrea!

    Definitely continue taking your Omega 3 in pill form. Like I mentioned, I add the liquid form to the shake to make the nutrients in the fruit more bioavailable for my body to absorb. It doesn't have much of a taste so I would try it and see what you think!!

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  3. Hey Jill--

    What are some other forms of protein powder that are good alternatives to whey? I have trouble digesting it along with soy.

    Whit

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  4. Hey Whit!

    Since you can't really tolerate whey or soy, egg white protein is available if you would like to have some sort of protein in powder form. Otherwise, if you are going to make the shake, use milk or low-fat, low-sugar yogurt to get your protein. :)

    Jill

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