Similar to an Icee, but more healthful
Try this for dessert instead of calorie-laden items like pie, cake, cookies, and ice cream. Unlike this smoothie, those aren’t very nutrient-dense, either. This smoothie is equivalent in calories to four Oreo cookies which are predominantly sugar and flour.
Since I provide the nutritional analysis below, you can easily incorporate this into the Advanced Mediterranean Diet.
At the Parker Compound, we mix this in a Vitamix. Other devices may work, but I’m not familiar with them.
It’s all here
Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) frozen raspberries
1/2 cup (120 ml) frozen blueberries
1 cup (240 ml) frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana (7 inches or 18 cm), cut into 3–4 pieces
1 tbsp (13 g) chia seeds
1 handful (1/2 ounce?) raw kale
2.5 cups (590 ml) water
1 cup (240 ml) ice cubes
Instructions
First item into the Vitamix is the water, then banana, all berries, chia seeds, then top off with the ice. Start mixing on variable speed 1 then slowly increase spin rate to 10, for a total mix of 45–60 seconds. Soon after you get started you’ll probably have to use the “plunger” a few times to un-clump the top items.
Loaded and ready to spin
Depending on your batch of fruits, this drink may not be as sweet as you like. You could easily sweeten it up with your favorite artificial non-caloric sweetener. I used 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) of Truvia to good effect, just thrown in with every thing else before or after the primary mix. Or you could use table sugar, about 4 tsp (20 ml), instead of the Truvia. Most of us eat too much sugar. If you go the sugar route, you’ll increase the calories per serving by 15, and increase carbohydrate grams by 4 per serving.
My able assistant wields the plunger
Number of Servings: 3.5 servings of 12 fl oz (350 ml) each
Advanced Mediterranean Diet boxes: 2 and 1/2 fruits
Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
7% fat
90% carbohydrate
3% protein
190 calories
46 g carbohydrate
7 g fiber
39 g digestible carbohydrate
5 mg sodium
290 mg potassium
Prominent features: Rich in vitamin C, fair amount of fiber, homeopathic amounts of sodium
Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: I credit my wife with this recipe.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 