Superfood Smoothie with Amla

One of the best tasting ways to get the health benefits of amla into your diet is mixing the whole fruit powder into a superfood smoothie.

I’ve been making up different variations on the recipe below to start off my day for quite a while now. It’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health and I’d really recommend trying it for yourself.

You’ll need a good blender for some of the ingredients ahead but it’s a great way to have some very healthy foods that are not always the easiest to eat, especially first thing in the morning.

Feel free to use whatever fruit and other ingredients you have available, but here’s an example of a breakfast smoothie enhanced with amla and other superfoods. It equally good as a mid afternoon pick me up or even a surprisingly filling and very easily digested dinner.

Amla Smoothie Ingredients

• A quarter of fresh papaya (preferably just turning from green to yellow for more of the digestive enzyme papain).

• A small banana.

• A quarter of fresh pineapple (keep the bromalin rich core).

• A teaspoon of amla powder (or a single fresh fruit if you’re lucky enough to have them).

• A whole apple, preferably organic (add apples last as they tend to oxidize quickly). Always scrub the skin of non-organic apples well with sodium bicarbonate to remove waxes and sprays. I tend to pull off the stalk but leave the core and seeds in to blend up for the vitamin B-17 content. I’ll leave that up to you but this video might be worth watching on it.

• Half a cup of unflavored real bio-live yogurt (avoid the sugary fruit versions that rarely have any significant probiotics).

• Enough almond milk, hazelnut milk, or organic cow’s milk if you tolerate it, to reach approximately two thirds as high as the ingredients in your blender.

• A couple of ice cubes if you like your smoothies cold.

Optional Extras

• Organic berries like raspberries, blueberries and strawberries add a beautiful color as well as flavor and nutrients to any smoothie. Packs of frozen berries are a handy ingredient for your morning smoothies

• Half a dozen drops of liquid stevia will give a sweeter taste without the calories or insulin rush if you’re concerned about stronger flavored ingredients.

• A teaspoon of fresh papaya seeds for their anti-parasite properties. These do have a peppery flavor but once again you won’t taste them once they’re all blended up.

• Two tablespoons of goji berries, soaked in water for 10 minutes if they’re dried. Add both the soaked berries and the water to the smoothie.

• Any other fruit or vegetable you’d like to use up. My blender even blends up diced carrots and beetroot well for an incredibly healthy drink that will keep you going for hours with a really strong, solid and reliable energy (completely different to the jittery caffeine buzz).

Method

Chop up the larger fruit like the papaya, pineapple, banana and apple. These can be quite thickly cut, just enough to make sure they get down into the blades of the blender. If you’re using greens it’s best to chop them up well and put them in first.

Top them with the heavy ingredients followed by the amla powder, yogurt and milk. Blend everything up well into a smooth and creamy consistency and drink immediately for maximum benefit.

I’d appreciate hearing what you think and how it makes you feel if you try it for yourself.

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Photo credit with thanks: Nikki L.