kako piti smoothie

...i od čega ga raditi?

Dobivam puno upita za recepte za smoothie... Obično kažem ljudima da je to nešto intuitivno, da je najbolje da sami smisle svoje recepte za smoothie i da uostalom ne postoji neki poseban recept. Samo ubaciš i izblendaš. Ipak, na nekoliko stvari treba obratiti pažnju ako želite napraviti dobar smoothie. Stvarno vjerujem da će vam one i zvučati logično i intuitivno, ali neka se nađu i te informacije u bespućima ovog bloga.

Za početak, nemojte da vas zavede činjenica da je sve to ionako izblendano u kašicu i misliti da zato nije važno što je unutra. Pokušajte razmišljati jednostavno. Tri do četiri, možda pet sastojka je sasvim dovoljno. Hrpa sastojaka koje inače nikada ne biste spojili može opteretiti probavni sustav i izazvati vam nelagodu u želucu, i džabe onda što su ti sastojci sami za sebe "zdravi". Također, bilo bi dobro da koristite sastojke koje inače volite jesti, ili koji su vam barem OK za pojesti, a izbjegavate one koje niti kada su čitavi ne možete smisliti. Postoji razlog zašto tijelo u određenim periodima odbija određene namirnice i ne treba se siliti da jedete hranu od koje vam je loše ili koja vam nije ukusna (to je malo više istinito ako se hranite manje-više cjelovito pa tijelo stvarno zna što mu treba; ako se hranite pizzom, čokoladama i hamburgerima, vašem tijelu će trebati neko vrijeme da dođe u stanje kada vam može pokazati koja mu hrana zaista treba). To se uglavnom odnosi na voće, povrće i orašide, a ne toliko na razne "superfood" dodatke, kao što su spirulina, maca, acai, koje ionako ne jedete same jer su prejaki.

Po mojem mišljenju (što ne znači da ćete i vi nužno imati isto; slobodno istražite što vašem tijelu i ukusu najviše odgovara), dobar smoothie sadrži neko voće (najbolje jedna vrsta) koje će zadovoljiti prirodnu potrebu za šećerima, zeleno povrće koje će zahvaljujući svojim vlaknima, iako izblendano, malo usporiti apsorpciju šećera iz voća i dodatno vas opskrbiti mineralima i antioksidansima, neku namirnicu koja će vas dulje držati sitima, kao što su chia sjemenke ili orašasti plodovi (osobno preferiram chiu, od previše orašastog u smoothiju mi bude zlo jer je masno, ali to ne znači da će i vama biti) i neku superhranu kao što je spirulina ili maca prah.

Od povrća najčešće koristim špinat ili blitvu, a dobrar izbor su i recimo kelj, raštika, list cikle, matovilac... Što su listovi mlađi i mekši, to bolje. Ne koristim korijenasto povrće u smoothijima jer je puno škroba i tako nešto mi nije drago konzumirati u tekućem stanju. Od voća će vam banana dati najkremastiju teksturu, ali dobre su i jabuka, kruška, ananas, mango... Bobičasto voće samo po sebi nije jako slatko, pa je dobro u kombinaciji s nekim drugim voćem, recimo jabukom ili kruškom. Chia sjemenke je potrebno namočiti u dovoljno vode prije nego što ih izblendate u smoothie, kako bi nabubrile i pustile sluz. Superhranu dodajte u sasvim maloj količini, primjerice 1/2 čajne žličice maca praha ili 1 čajna žličica spiruline. Te su namirnice nabijene mikronutrijentima i drugim korisnim tvarima i već je mala količina dovoljna da dobijemo ono što nam je potrebno.

Zašto uopće superhrana? Te namirnice svakako nisu neophodne, ali nam dobro dođu da malo podebljamo unos nekih mikronutrijenata kojima je današnja hrana, zbog načina uzgoja (osim ako jedete stvarno samo kvalitetne namirnice koje ste sami uzgojili, ili ih kupujete od nekoga za koga znate da ima kvalitetne i nutritivno bogate namirnice), siromašnija nego, primjerice, hrana prije 50-100 godina.

A kako piti smoothie? Zar tu uopće postoji neka mudrost?
Zapravo da, postoji. Ovo je i glavni razlog zašto pišem ovaj post. Smoothie se ne pije jer nije voda, već hrana u tekućem obliku. Probava započinje u ustima, a ne u želucu. Ako samo progutate smoothie kao da ste popili čašu vode, vaše tijelo neće na vrijeme dobiti informaciju da je u njega ušla hrana. Zato se mnogi ljudi ne uspiju zasititi od smoothija, neki imaju problema s probavom nakon što ga popiju, a neki ljudi se debljaju na smoothijima jer mogu popiti puno više nego što bi mogli pojesti da iste te namirnice žvaču, pa na kraju unesu u sebe puno više šećera nego što su namjeravali. Iz ovoga se može zaključiti i da smoothie i nije idealna hrana, barem ne za svakoga, no zapravo je najvažnije na koji ga način konzumirate. Ako volite smoothie i mislite da je to dobar i nutritivno bogat obrok (što svakako može biti), "pijte" ga polako, kao da ga zapravo jedete. Svaki "gutljaj" doživite kao zalogaj hrane i ostavite ga neko vrijeme u ustima prije nego što ga progutate; možete čak pomalo žvakati i premještati jezikom iako ne trebate ništa stvarno sažvakati. Možda zvuči smiješno ali vjerujte mi da će vam tijelo biti zahvalno.

I još jedna stvar, ništa manje važna... kao i uvijek, koristite zrelo voće! Zrele banane imaju crne točkice, zrele kruške su mekane i slatke itd.. Od nezrelog voća ćete se samo i dalje osjećati gladni, a neće biti toliko ukusno.

Sada ću vam napisati nekoliko ideja za smoothie po mom ukusu, a vi se slobodno zabavite i izmislite neke svoje kombinacije koje će vam bolje odgovarati.

1.
* 2 banane + 2 šake mladog špinata + 3 datulje + 1 čajna žličica spiruline + 2 dl rižinog mlijeka

2.
* 2 kruške + 1 šaka bobičastog voća (borovnica, kupina, aronija, jagoda....) + 1/2 čajne žličice maca praha + 1 jušna žlica chia sjemenki namočena u 2 dl zobenog mlijeka

3.
* 2 banane + 2 jušne žlice chia sjemenki namočene u 1,5 dl vode + 1 šaka lješnjaka + 1 jušna žlica sirovog kakaa u prahu + malo kokosovog šećera ili datulja + 1,5 dl zobenog mlijeka

4.
* 2 banane + 1 šaka bobičastog voća + 2 šake mlade blitve + 1 mala šaka badema + 2 dl vode.

Eto, a dalje sami.
Živili!

[ENGLISH]

how to drink a smoothie

...and what ingredients to use?

I've always believed that making a smoothie was pretty intuitive thing and that everyone should make it according to their own feeling, but people keep asking me for a smoothie recipe, so I will write some general smoothie wisdom and give you some examples and ideas.

First of all, don't get carried away by the fact that it is all blended into a smooth mash and think that it doesn't matter what's inside for that reason. Try to think simple. Three, four, maybe five ingredients are just enough. A bunch of different ingredients that you would usually never combine can unnecessarily burden your digestive system and cause discomfort in the stomach, so you don't really get all the benefits from what was supposed to be healthy food. Also, I would recommend you to use only the ingredients that you normally like to eat, and avoid those that you can't stand when they are whole. There is a reason why our bodies refuse to consume certain foods in certain periods and we shouldn't force ourselves to eat what we don't find tasty or what even makes us sick, no matter how healthy people claim it to be (this is more true if you eat primarily whole foods and your body knows what it needs; if you "feed" your body with junk food, then it will need some time to be sure what food it needs, and what the addicted brain wants). This refers mostly to fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and not so much to various superfoods such as maca, spirulina, acai and so on, that are used only in small amounts because they are too strong.

In my opininon (which doesn't mean that you have to feel the same; discover what fits your body's needs and your personal taste), a good smoothie contains some fruit (preferably one kind) that will satisfy natural need for sugars; leafy greens that contain fiber and will, despite being blended, slow down the absorption of sugars from fruits a bit and provide you with some more minerals and antioxidants; some foodstuff that will keep you satiated for longer period, such as chia seeds or nuts (I personally prefer chia seeds, too much nuts in a smoothie make me sick because it's too oily for my taste, but if you like it, go for it!) and some superfood such as spirulina or maca powder.

My favourite vegetables for smoothie are spinach and swiss chard, but all kinds of kale, beet leaves and lamb's lettuce are also a good choice. The younger the leaves, the better the taste. I never use roots and other starchy vegetables because i just don't find it natural to consume so much starch in a liquid form (maybe in a pumpkin or sweet potato soup, but not in a smoothie). From fruits, almost anything goes. Bananas will give you the creamiest texture, but apples, pears, mango and pineapple also make a good smoothie base. Berries are not that sweet by themselves, so they go well when combined with some other, sweeter fruits, such as pears. Chia seeds need to be soaked to absorb water before you use them in a smoothie. Superfood powders are full of micronutrients and need to be used only in smaller doses, for example 1 teaspoon of spirulina powder, or 1/2 teaspoon of maca powder.

Why superfoods anyway? They are not indispensable for sure, but they can come in handy when you feel like you can't get all the nutrients that your body needs from regular food. It is common that today's food is less nutrient-rich than the food that was produced 50-100 years ago, and not everyone can produce their own food, or have someone to buy quality nutrient-rich foodstuffs from.

And how to drink a smoothie? Is there really so much wisdom to it? Well, there is some wisdom, and that is the main reason for me to write this post. Smoothie should not be drank because it is not water; it is in fact food in a liquid form. Digestion starts in your mouth, not your stomach. If you just swallow smoothie as if it was a glass of water, your body will not get the information that you put food in it on time. That's why many people can't get to feel satiated after a smoothie, some have digestion issues after drinking it, and some people even gain weight on smoothies, because they can drink much more  than they would normally be able to eat if they chewed all the ingredients. So it looks like smoothies are not ideal food, at least not for everyone, but the thing is, how you consume it matters the most. If you like smoothies and think it is a good and nutritious meal (which it certainly can be!), "drink" it slowly, as if you were eating it. You can perceive every sip as a bite and leave it in your mouth for longer, even "chew" on it, move it over the tongue even though you have nothing to really chew. It might sound funny, but believe me, your body will thank you.

One more thing, not less important... as always, use ripe fruits! Ripe bananas are somewhat soft and have black spots on their skin, ripe pears are soft and sweet and so on.. After eating unripe fruits you will probably still feel hungry, and it won't be that tasty either.

Now, here are some ideas for smoothie that are just up to my taste. 

1.
* 2 bananas + 2 handfuls young spinach + 3 dates + 1 tsp spirulina powder + 200 ml rice milk

2.
* 2 pears + 1 handful berries (blueberries, blackberries, aronia, strawberries......) + 1/2 tsp maca powder + 1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 200 ml oat milk

3.
* 2 bananas + 2 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 150 ml water + handful hazelnuts + 1 tbsp raw cacao powder + some coconut blossom sugar or dates + 150 ml oat milk

4.
* 2 bananas + 1 handful berries + 1 handful young chard leaves + 1 small handful almonds + 200 ml water.

Now you! Get creative and think of some new combinations that you will like the most and have fun nourishing your body with real foods.