Your New Go-To Gut Health Green Smoothie
Website: nakednutrition.com Instagram: @nakednutrition
If you’re looking to boost your overall health, focusing on your gastrointestinal system is a strategic place to start. Your GI system (aka, your gut) involves your esophagus, stomach, and intestines. It’s obvious that the gut helps us digest food – but did you know that it also plays a key role in our immune system and brain health?
One of the simplest ways to nourish your gut health is with a daily smoothie. This convenient combo of ingredients gives your gut what it needs to flourish. Scroll down for a recipe that will set you up with all the right stuff.
Gut-Healthy Smoothie Ingredients
Let’s highlight these ingredients one-by-one so you can see their connection to gut health benefits:
Fiber & Prebiotics
Immunity and brain health are largely thanks to the organisms who “live” in the gut: the microbiome. These trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms help destroy pathogens, break down toxins, and synthesize vitamins, amino acids and anti-inflammatory fatty acids.
One of the best ways to support your gut health is to make sure your microbiome has plenty of fuel to digest - and that fuel is fiber, the non-digestible portion of plant foods. A high-fiber diet is the most effective approach to supporting a healthy gut bacteria. The smoothie recipe below provides a dose of fiber from banana, pineapple, and avocado.
If we look even closer at fiber, there’s a specific type called prebiotics. These are special plant fibers that only “good” bacteria can digest. Naked Nutrition’s green superfood powder contains a prebiotic called inulin to help your microbiome thrive.
Probiotics
Eating fiber is a way to support the bacteria that already live in your gut - but another way to potentially boost gut health is to add even more of these helpful bacteria through probiotics.
Probiotics are helpful bacteria in both food and supplements. This smoothie contains a dose of probiotics (Bacillus subtilis) in powdered supplement form.
Ashwagandha
Have you heard of ashwagandha? It’s an herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine with a variety of benefits, including increased energy, reduced stress, and lower inflammation levels.
Ashwagandha can impact gut health by way of mediating stress. Chronic stress can actually change the profile of your gut bacteria towards a less healthy balance (or “dysbiosis”).
Getting your stress in check can be a step towards balancing your gut for the better.
Smoothie Recipe
[Makes 1 serving]
Blend together and enjoy!
1 scoop Naked Greens
1 cup of your favorite plant-based milk (coconut, almond, oat, etc.)
1 banana, frozen and sliced
¼ cup pineapple chunks, frozen
¼ avocado