Smoothies – not the kind you get from Jamba Juice. I’m talking nutrient packed, healthy goodness. We live in a country where food is abundant but nutrient deficiencies are still a major problem. Ensuring your child gets adequate micro and macro nutrients is essential for their development. Addressing micronutrient needs requires more focus. That’s where smoothies come to the rescue. There are so many reasons why introducing daily smoothies is a great move to amplify your family’s health and, best of all, it’s easy! Here are a few simple rules to follow to make an effortless, delicious smoothie that you can truly feel good about giving to your kids*. Even if they only take a couple of sips, they’ll benefit greatly from getting raw, whole foods into their diet. Remember, it takes trying something 10 times before you develop a taste for it. Getting kids involved in making the smoothie can also help get them excited about trying it since it’ll be partly their creation.

Rule 1: Don’t add sugar. There is way too much sugar in the American diet as it is. After decades of battling industry influence (a campaign that successfully pitted the blame on fat for many years), we now know that sugar causes inflammation,  insulin resistance, weight gain, and acts as a poison for the brain. Healthy fats combat all of these things. Nothing good comes from consuming sugar other than a temporary high. If you struggle with sugar and/or other junk food, I highly recommend reading The Pleasure Trap. You may be worried that your kids won’t drink it if it’s not sweet enough. It may take some getting used to but adding a ripe banana to start is a great way to get that sweetness without the addition of processed sugar. Keep in mind I’m also talking about fruit juices. Please don’t add apple juice. Fruit juices are basically sugar water with no nutritional benefit (pasteurization and processing strips the fruit juice of nutrients).

Rule 2: Always add lemon. Lemon juice or some other kinds of citrus like lime or grapefruit is crucial to the flavor outcome of your smoothie.

Rule 3: Always use organic produce in order to minimize your family’s exposure to toxic pesticides.

Rule 4: Stick with the basics and then get creative. Your smoothie base should always consist of dark leafy greens, fruit, and lemon. Everything else you can experiment with to enhance the flavor and/or meet specific nutrient goals.

Rule 5: Don’t measure – just add! If your smoothie starts to feel like you’re following a recipe (it may at first until you get it down) then you won’t likely stick with it since it will quickly feel like a chore. The two keys to daily smoothie success are quick and easy!

A typical smoothie recipe in my family consists of the following:

• Juice from one lemon – great source of vitamin C!
• Chunk of ginger – antimicrobial!
• Large handful of hemp seeds (makes it creamy) – great source of essential fatty acids!
• Large handful of dark, leafy greens – great source of many vitamins and prebiotics!
• Broccoli sprouts or a few broccoli heads – contains sulforaphane (cell protectant and anti-inflammatory)!
• Frozen berry blend – great source of antioxidants!
• Filtered water
• Squirt of MCT oil – provides ketones (a clean burning fuel source for the brain) and allows the body to absorb the fat soluable vitamins from the produce.
• Iodine supplement and turmeric supplements (more on this below)
• Anything else that may need to be used up – carrots, cilantro, basil, and other fruits, herbs, or veggies. Easy on the herbs! They pack a potent flavor.

Tips:

• • Buy reusable food pouches and freeze some smoothie. That way, if you don’t have time to make it another day, you’ll have some on hand. These frozen smoothie pouches can also double as ice packs for picnic or travel days. I use these BPA-free pouches for my family.

• Add supplements to address other micronutrient needs**. If your little one takes a special kind of supplement or medication, you may be able to hide it by blending it in the smoothie. I will occasionally add a drop of iodine and a turmeric (to address inflammation) supplement to the entire smoothie for the whole family to enjoy and benefit from. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Iodine deficiency is one of the main cause of impaired cognitive development in children.” Read more about the importance of iodine and iodine deficiencies in children here and find the WHO supplement guidelines here.  I put one suggested daily serving size for adults into the large smoothie batch so that I know the amount my little one drinks will be proportional for their body weight.
• Buy organic frozen fruit in bulk for cost savings. Costco is a great resource for this. They also have large bags of organic Power Greens that you can freeze in order to preserve.
• Use up just about any produce you have left over in your fridge before it goes bad.
• Invest in a good blender. I recommend a Blendtec or Vitamix. This will ensure your smoothie stays “smooth”.
• Throw all your ingredients into large, prepared freezer bags. This is helpful if you’re really crunched for time most days but usually have specific chunks of time at some point during the week where you can frontload the preparation time. The juice from the lemon may be the only thing to add the day of. However, you can remove the rind and blend the entire lemon for the same effect.

*Talk to you child’s health care provider about introducing smoothies for babies under 12 months of age.

**Always consult your child’s health care provider when adding supplements to your child’s diet.

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