Digestive Anti Bloat Smoothie

Start your day with a habit that boosts digestion & beats bloat

In order to prevent bad digestion and to promote the absorption of nutrients, we should take plenty of time to chew our foods. But sometimes we are in a hurry, are impatient or just a bit lazy. At those moments we can help nature a little by mechanically breaking down food with the use of a blender. Blending makes the absorption of foods easier and (as opposed to cooking) maintains living enzymes, which are essential to digestion and cellular health. Add picking and combining foods that have the most positive impact on your gut and and you’re just one step away from boosting metabolism, working toward less bloat, and having a flat(ter) belly.

Raw fruits and vegetables are packed with fiber, micronutrients and living enzymes, so you can’t really go wrong with a smoothie. However, there are some important details to know and some key ingredients to consider. In the end it’s all about single-mindedly creating the ultimate elixer. Let me share my bloat beating, digestion promoting formula with you!

Digestive enzymes + Lauric Acid + Prebiotic food = Digestive Anti Bloat Elixer

1. Digestive enzymes to break down food
   Pineapple, Papaya & Mango
   Papaya, Pineapple and Mango contain digestive enzymes. Moreover papaya has a strong capacity to destroy intestinal worms (eeks!), especially the seeds, so do include a bit of the seeds in your smoothie.

2. Lauric Acid to kill parasites
   Young coconut meat
   Young coconut meat has a jelly-like texture and is the most nutritious form of coconut. In the Netherlands it is sold frozen at Asian supermarkets. Young coconut meat feeds the good bacteria in the intestines and helps regulating digestion. It contains Lauric Acid, which our body converts into Monolaurin (coconut being the richest source after breast milk). Monolaurin kills disease causing bacteria, virus and fungi and intestinal parasites. If getting hold of young coconut meat is difficult, go for coconut water instead.

3. Prebiotic properties to grow good bacteria
   Bananas & Mango
   For proper bowel function (whether it’s constipation or diarrhea) bananas and mangoes are an excellent choice because of their high content of fiber and electrolytes. Furthermore, bananas & mangoes have prebiotic properties, which help the growth of good bacteria in the guts. Makes sure the bananas are ripe, for they will digest easier, contain higher levels of anti oxidants and as they’re fully ripened will produce TNF, a substance that has anti-cancer qualities.

4. Avoid
   Knowing what you should eat is as important as knowing what you should avoid. To be blunt we could say that a super healthy habit makes little sense if you’re living on junk the rest of the day. Anyone who cares for their health or experiences digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, bloat, gas or cramps should pay attention to proper food combining and avoid (or at least drastically reduce their intake of) soy, dairy, gluten, alcohol, fatty foods like oil and meat, caffeine, soft drinks, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Watch video/and or get recipe below.

Recipe
Serves: 1 big or 2 smaller portions
Diet: raw vegan

Ingredients
2 Bananas
1 cup pineapple (preferably fresh, but frozen is fine too)
½ a mango (preferably fresh, but frozen is fine too)
½ a Papaya
1 cup of young coconut meat or coconut water

Method:
You can just put all the ingredients in the blender and mix until smooth, or you can make the layered version as shown in the video.

• Layer 1: 1 banana, 1 cup pineapple, 1 cup young coconut flesh (along with the fluid).
• Blend until smooth and pour halfway up the glass.
• Layer 2: 1 banana, ½ a mango, ½ a papaya, bit of water if needed.
• Blend until smooth and top up the glass.

Note: If you’re suffering from Fructose Intolerance I believe you can still benefit from this elixir. I suggest to just leave the mango out, since it’s on the high FODMAP list.

Recommendation: If you want to learn more about digestive health I recommend the book Gutbliss, an insightful, practical and easy to read roadmap to good gastrointestinal health by integrative gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan.

With Love from The Happy Earth Kitchen