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It's officially high summer. Time of the year once the mere thought of turning on the stove or oven is enough to send you searching for the nearest ice pack. “Cooking” (if you're able to call it that) has regressed to cold salads, maybe popsicles or <\/span>ice cream sandwiches<\/span>. Anything that <\/span>doesn't require heat<\/span>, essentially.<\/span><\/p>\n If you're nodding your head in complete agreement, we're also willing to bet your late-summer cold food culinary repertoire also includes plenty of smoothies. Icy-sweet and satisfying, smoothies are the hero food of the no-cook summer, whether you are making them like a meal replacement, a snack, dessert, or as post-workout muscle fuel. And why don't they be? Smoothies offer a one-two punch of simplicity and nutrition, they're delicious, satiating, and more often these days, only need a blender cooking up – as long as you make them properly. A simple search on the internet from the term 'smoothie' will bring up any number of recipes, both healthful and otherwise. Some include handfuls of greens while others are just milkshakes not-so-subtly masquerading like a healthy meal or snack option.<\/p>\n What differentiates a satisfying smoothie from a sugar-laden treat? A major factor that separates a proper smoothie in one better suited being an occasional dessert is exactly that: sugar. Browse the nutritional facts on most smoothies made by chain restaurants\/smoothie joints and you will watch a shocking amount of sugar thanks to the inclusion of fruit juice, frozen fruit, honey along with other sweeteners, and even ice cream. They are all delicious things (and we'd reason that probably the frozen treats is probably more appropriate as dessert – but we are all adults and may do what we should want), but blended together without enough balancing fiber, protein and healthy fat, this “smoothie” becomes less of the meal and much more of the blood-sugar-spiking treat. What's the trouble with a blood sugar spike? Have you ever experienced a sugar “high” (and eventual crash), you know. For the short term, a blood sugar spike and crash may cause lethargy and you'll find you're hungry shortly after consuming. And in the long run? The body might not be equipped to handle those spikes and crashes quite so gracefully, which could result in more serious conditions, like diabetes type 2. We're not attempting to scare you, and also the good news is, crafting a well-balanced smoothie is super simple. We love to nutritionist, Kelly Leveque's 'Fab Four' philosophy:<\/p>\n “<\/em><\/strong>The Fab Four Smoothie is really a formula that will help you create a blood sugar levels balancing meal replacement shake in any flavor with enough protein, fat and fiber to help keep you full.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n By crafting your smoothies with sufficient protein, fat, fiber, and greens – and a touch of fruit – they'll help you stay fueled for the day, no blood sugar levels crashes around the corner. Of course, measuring only a foundation. Below we're sharing some of our favorite smoothie boosters and superfoods to consider your summer smoothies up a notch:<\/p>\n Pea protein! Bone broth protein! Whey! Hemp! There's a an entire world of protein powders out there – what's the best protein powder available on the market? Our answer: The best protein powder is whichever one works well with the body. It may take some trial and error (check your local market for sample packs so you can consider using a little before you purchase a big tub). We recommend steering clear of high-sugar options, and opt instead to have an organic unsweetened option, or if you like a touch of sweet, search for organic stevia or organic coconut sugar as ingredients.<\/p>\n Fat? Inside a smoothie? YES! Right now we should all be on board with healthy fats like avocado, coconut and MCT oil, and small areas of nuts. They are all great choices for adding to your smoothies. Besides adding a proper fat help make your smoothie super creamy and delicious, but that fat also makes your smoothie a meal, by balancing blood sugar levels, helping the body absorb nutrients, and supporting steady energy levels. Try adding 1\/4 avocado or 1 Tbsp fat to your smoothie to create an additional satisfying meal (company, nut butter counts like a healthy fat!).<\/p>\n This superfood burst onto the scene in the past and has only grown in popularity. This root, that is sold like a powder, can add an earthy, butterscotch-like flavor to your smoothies and can help support levels of energy and may support hormone health and mood. Combine it with a post-workout smoothie to aid recovery.<\/p>\n So popular as a health food, who even remembers Chia Pets? These little seeds are beloved for his or her capability to gel (great for making chia pudding), so when added to a smoothie can add a boost of nutrition without a ton of calories. A 1 oz. serving of chia seeds contains 11 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, with 9 grams of fat, along with calcium, manganese and magnesium.<\/p>\n Another great protein option in a tiny package, hemp seeds are a good choice for those looking to minimize ingredients while still supporting protein consumption, as protein makes up 25% of hemp seed's calories. Hemp seeds are also found to contain rich amounts of fatty acids, which may support hormone levels and skin health. Give a tablespoon or two for your smoothie like a protein source, or use hemp seeds like a crunchy topping (research has revealed that chewing your smoothie supports better digestion). <\/p>\n Another great option for a crunchy topping or chocolaty add-in, cacao nibs are made by crushing cacao beans. There is a satisfying but slightly bitter chocolatey taste, and contain protein, fiber, fat, zinc, iron, magnesium – and more. Cacao nibs are full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and could support mood and even boost immune health. Use them as a topping, or add in a smoothie for a chocolate flavor with no sugar (1 serving has 1 gram of naturally-occurring sugar).<\/p>\n It's officially high summer. Time of the year once the mere thought of turning on the stove or oven is enough to send you searching for the nearest ice pack. “Cooking” (if you're able to call it that) has regressed to cold salads, maybe popsicles or ice cream sandwiches. Anything that doesn't require heat, essentially. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-4277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-foods","tag-green-foods"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenfuturemedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"http:\/\/greenfuturemedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220403060950-100.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/greenfuturemedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220403060952-17.jpg\")
<\/p>\n#1 – Protein Powder<\/h1>\n
#2 – Healthy Fat<\/h1>\n
#3 – Maca<\/h1>\n
![](\"http:\/\/greenfuturemedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220403060954-64.jpg\")
<\/p>\n#4 – Chia Seeds<\/h1>\n
#5 – Hemp Seeds<\/h1>\n
![](\"http:\/\/greenfuturemedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220403060957-62.jpg\")
<\/p>\n#6 – Cacao Nibs<\/h1>\n
![](\"http:\/\/greenfuturemedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/20220403060959-60.jpg\")
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