SUPER FIBER SMOOTHIE
How do you get all that fiber?
It’s hard to get enough fiber — and fiber is low key magic for gut and mental health! As a woman, I'm supposed to get at least 20g/day of fiber, and as a chronically constipated woman I should actually aim for closer to 30g/day. I assumed I easily got this because I eat a lot of vegetables. Until I took the time to stop and read the labels. I was sorely disappointed!
An entire bag of baby spinach has just 4g of fiber! A third a bag of baby carrots has just 3g. Beans and whole grains can definitely help get to 30g, but even so, it’s harder than you think.
Which leads a lot of people to consider taking a fiber supplement. But these aren’t great because a) they often either have a lot of sugar or lots of fake chemical sugar substitutes and b) you'd still have to take a ton of them to get to 20-30g.
For example: the stir in orange fiber powder has 12g of sugar and just 3g fiber per serving. Fiber gummies have equal grams of sugar and fiber. And plain old psyllium is probably your best bet, but have you tried it? I’ve drank a lot of nasty tasting herbs in my day, but psyllium is too much for me. It’s so slimy.
So, I started making a fiber focused breakfast every morning to jump start my fiber intake and insure I was getting enough and here’s one of my favorite warmer weather options:
Fiber-Focused Smoothie
1 avocado (10g fiber)
1 cup frozen raspberries (8g fiber)
2 T chia seeds (8g fiber)
1/2 cup kefir (no fiber, some sugar/carbs, but probiotics so something nice)
Add some water or ice if you want it thinner (the above is pretty spoon-able and thick)
You can modify it any number of ways. Here are some variations I like:
I add some liquid Vitamin D, probiotics, collagen powder etc if you’re working on healing your gut, but you can leave those out or add whatever you take if you are working on something else in particular.
Substitute blueberries for raspberries. Less fiber, but blueberries are great in lots of other ways.
Add a 1/4 - 1/2 of a cucumber for a subtle summery twist.
Grow or purchase some fresh mint for another summery twist.
Throw in some nuts for more protein. Almonds or cashews are nice, especially if you soak them overnight and drain them before adding them to the smoothie in the morning.
A handful of spinach makes it feel extra healthy.
Coconut kefir or coconut oil give it a tropical taste.
A half a banana makes it extra sweet if you split the smoothie. It's a nice treat and not too much sugar.
Consider this.
If you are increasing fiber you may want to do it slowly to give your gut a chance to adjust so you don't feel to gassy. Also, it is key to drink enough water when you increase fiber (1/2 your weight in ounces per day). If you do not drink enough water you will end up getting more bound up by the fiber, and no one wants that!
Let me know what you think if you try this recipe! I'd love to hear if it helps you with loose stools, constipation or other bowel issues.
And I mentioned fiber is magic. Do a search for Shilpa Ravella’s TED talk about the gut for a great lesson.
Thanks for reading!
Nicole
Nicole Lange
LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST
HOLISTIC FERTILITY EDUCATOR
