This gut loving smoothie features some key ingredients for a healthy gut including prebiotic fibre from the banana, probiotics from the kefir, yoghurt or probiotic powder (depending on what you add), antioxidants from the avocado, spinach and blueberries and the anti-inflammatory spices cinnamon and turmeric.

Dietary Suitability of Gut Loving Smoothie

Gut Loving Smoothie Food As Medicine

We understand that a happy gut is essential for a happy mind and this gut loving smoothie is a quick and easy way to provide your gut with some of the key nutrients it needs.

✓ Prebiotics

Bananas are a source of prebiotic fibre that feed our gut bacteria. Prebiotics aren’t digested in the small intestine like most of our food, instead they remain largely undigested until they reach the large intestine. Here they are selectively fermented by beneficial bacteria to produce beneficial substances such as short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that are understood to be anti-inflammatory and important for energy production and digestive health.(1)

Choosing to use bananas that aren’t too ripe is best for increasing the prebiotic content of your smoothie as unripened bananas have more prebiotic fibres, such as fructooligosachharides and inulin, compared to ripe bananas.(2)

✓ Probiotics

If you used kefir, yoghurt or a probiotic powder in your smoothie you will be supporting your gut health as these are all rich in probiotics. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that live in our digestive tract and can have health benefits when they are consumed in adequate amounts. Probiotics are needed for a healthy gut and immune system, having an important role in breaking down undigested food in the large intestine, allowing nutrient absorption, producing vitamins and maintaining a balance of good bacteria in our gut.(3)

While probiotics are often recognised as heroes for our digestive health research is starting to show how they may also be beneficial for our brain and mental health. Supplementation with a multi-strain probiotic capsule (containing 28 billion CFU from Actobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum and Saccromyces thermophilus) or probiotic yoghurt for six weeks has been shown to improve depression and anxiety symptoms.(4)

Another study has shown that supplementation with the specific probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 has been shown to alleviate psychological stress.(5)

✓ Antioxidants

Blueberries, avocado, cinnamon and turmeric are among some of the highest antioxidant containing foods and we need antioxidants to prevent tissue damage from free radicals.(6) While the production of free radicals occurs from our bodies natural metabolic processes, preventing damage from these free radicals is something we want to avoid as it contributes to the development of a number of chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, inflammatory conditions and cancer.

Increased oxidative stress is also found in patients with digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) highlighting the need for these individuals to consume antioxidant rich foods in the diet.(7)

✓ Anti-inflammatory spices

Turmeric and cinnamon get another special mention but this time it isn’t for their role as an antioxidant, it is for their anti-inflammatory properties. Consuming turmeric and cinnamon in the diet is a simple way to slow inflammatory related ageing processes and help prevent and manage inflammatory conditions.

Turmeric is an all-rounder when it comes to therapeutic uses and the active ingredient of turmeric, called curcumin, is used at specific doses to help with a number of conditions including gastrointestinal disorders, mood disorders, metabolic conditions, arthritis and to relieve muscle soreness after exercise.(8)

Gut Loving Smoothie

Author: alanakrahe
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: Serves 1

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

1 banana
1 cup of spinach
1/2 a cup of blueberries
1/4 of an avocado
1 cup of your desired nut milk or kefir
3-4 ice cubes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
One tablespoon of natural unsweetened Greek yoghurt (optional)
Probiotic powder as directed (optional)

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Instructions

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blitz until smooth.
Serve in a tall glass and drink immediately.

Prep Time: 5 minutes