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From my point of view, a smoothie should be definitely more than a creamy liquid made with fruits and milk. If I go for a smoothie, I need it to replace a meal, be it a breakfast or a fuelling snack, so it has to be loaded with fresh nutrients, healthy fats and protein.

While I don’t advocate for a diet or an other, this filling blueberry smoothie turned out keto-approved, as it’s loaded with low carb fruits and vegetables, enriched with nut butter and packed with fibre from seeds.

HOW TO MAKE A KETO BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE?

As I stated before, I’m not on a ketogenic diet, but dealing with hormone imbalance I learned that healthy fats and low-sugar fruits should become a staple in my kitchen.

Many of my recipes can be considered keto or low-carb, but what I really aim is to stay away from sugar, eat healthy monounsaturated fats that support the hormone production (home made mixed nut butters is never missing from my kitchen), antioxidants-packed fruits and veggies and fermented foods to replenish the gut microbiome on a daily basis.

So, making a blueberry smoothie or any other berry smoothie always involves blending fresh or frozen berries, plant yogurt or Greek yogurt, homemade nut butter, plant milk  and definitely chia or flaxseeds for fibres.

Sometimes I add a vegan protein powder (hemp or pea), and a bit of honey or banana.

If you want to improve the taste or flavour, you can add healing spices such as cinnamon for its antioxidants, turmeric for its anti-inflammatory compounds, cardamom for anti-bacterial properties, and, especially for the morning smoothies, freshly grated ginger for a digestive soothing effect.

WHAT MIXES WELL WITH BLUEBERRIES?

Blueberries gives a gorgeous magenta colour to your smoothies, but in terms of sweetness they aren’t very generous.

Mixing it with nut butters and yogurt will balance their sour taste, but if you really want to make your smoothie sweeter, you can add fresh or frozen banana, some maple syrup or raw honey.

This sweeteners aren’t keto, but if you are following a strict ketogenic diet, you can add some erythritol. Coconut oil, raw cacao and vanilla extract also pair nicely with the blueberries flavour.

WHICH ARE A BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE BENEFITS?

Blueberries and berries or all kind are definitely my favourite fruits, and I always look forward for the summer to eat them fresh.

Although some of its antioxidants are partially lost during long time freezing, there are still a lot of nutrients in blueberries to convince you to eat them on a daily basis.

When it comes to this keto blueberry smoothie, the ingredient combo has excellent health benefits:

1. Gives antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support to your body cells – blueberries are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, including the superstar resveratrol. These active substances have a chemoprotective (cancer-preventing) and tumour suppressing properties.

 

1. Support the mental health – the yogurt replenishes the good bacteria in the microbiome, responsible for the serotonin neurotransmitter secretion. The nut butter is packed with magnesium and healthy fats that nourish the brain cells, stimulate neuronal regeneration and improves the mood and sleep cycle. The blueberries also improves neural response and cognitive function, by protecting the nerve cells from oxidative damage.

 

1. Boost the natural detox function – blueberries are packed with manganese, a mineral involved in the natural detoxification processes within our body cells. Its antioxidants also support the liver detoxification activity.

 

1. Balance the hormone production – the vitamin C in blueberries stimulates the progesterone production, which is responsible with your overall good mood and a healthy sleep cycle.

Looking for more healing, nutrient-packed and energy fuelling smoothies? Try these:

Berry Smoothie Recipes, 3 Ways 

3 Breakfast Smoothie: Antioxidant, Digestive Healer and Energizer

Kale and Pineapple Smoothie for Radiant Skin

Master Immunity Boosting Smoothie

I love seeing your take on my recipes, so if you made this soup don’t forget to tag me @theawesomegreen so I can see them and share with the community!