Photo: ilovemypit

I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the smoothie.

“That’s ridiculous, how could you dislike something as healthful as a smoothie?”

Is likely what you’re thinking and I don’t blame you. So hear me out.

The Science of Ayurveda says that you shouldn’t drink anything ice cold because it serves to slow down digestion. Imagine the fire that is your digestive system. If you’re one that constantly fills your water glass half full of ice then you end up putting out your digestive fire before it has an opportunity to use the food you’ve eaten.

The same is true of ice cold smoothies. If you add ice to your smoothie it causes some of the same problems as with ice cold drinks. I learned this at a yoga detox retreat with Scott Blossom last year. So with this in mind, serve your smoothies cold, but not ice cold.

Another reason why I was never a huge fan of smoothies is because I prefer to eat food rather than drink it. So for the longest time I shunned the smoothie. But lately, I’ve begun to rethink the smoothie. I realize that smoothies are an avenue for packing in nutrients that you normally wouldn’t be able to include at breakfast. We need nearly nine servings of fruits and vegetables combined a day. If you break that down into three meals, that’s three servings per meal. It’s a lot to fit in.

Veggies For Breakfast?

When I envisioned a green smoothie, to be honest, it made me gag a bit. Vegetables for breakfast? Unless they’re in an omelette, I can’t stomach it. But the fact of the matter is that the taste of your smoothie isn’t altered. By adding greens, specifically leafy greens like kale, to more traditional smoothie ingredients, the color and nutrient make up are the only parts to change.

Kale is loaded with vitamin A, K, and C. It also has manganese, dietary fiber, iron, and calcium. It’s likely one of the healthiest vegetables you can throw in a smoothie. It’s what makes your Green Goddess green.

Coconut milk makes up the nutritional foundation of your smoothie. It has 50 percent of your RDA for B12, which if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you know isn’t always so easy to come by without meat products. It has 30 percent of your RDA of vitamin D and 10 percent RDA of magnesium and calcium. And in my humble opinion, it’s downright delicious.

I can’t take credit for the name. It was first a lovely salad dressing I found on the salad bar at Earth Fare and then a smoothie in last month’s issue of Yoga Journal. Though the recipe is purely Serene.

Green Goddess Smoothie

1/2 cup plain coconut milk (I like the So Delicious brand)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup seasonal fruit (like blueberries, peaches, pears, etc)
2 leaves kale
2 tsp raw honey
1 tsp Spirulina (in the powder form)

Method

1. Add to a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Serve immediately.

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More on Breakfast
Start Your Day the Ayurvedic Way
A Serene Breakfast Makes For a Blissful Day
Coffee or Tea? Yoga and Your Morning Ritual