As you know, I blog a lot about juicing but not so much about smoothies!
Some smoothies can be difficult to digest if they have a lot of fibre but I’m always being asked about an easy to digest smoothie recipes.
Therefore I’m excited to share this gut-friendly smoothie recipe with you today; it’s full of lots of goodness and can be adapted depending on how sensitive you are to fibre.
I recently also made a delicious iced smoothie lolly version of this smoothie so make sure you check that recipe out too!
What makes it an anti-inflammatory smoothie?
The key to an anti-inflammatory smoothie is turmeric and ginger, both of which do amazing things for your digestion.
So always add organic turmeric to smoothies and add a pinch of black pepper to maximise absorption.
Turmeric is vital to anti-inflammation and I always recommend trying to supplement turmeric with black pepper in addition to putting it in smoothies.
You’re looking to find a mix of turmeric and black pepper and also have some kind of fat in the mix; as this helps with absorption too.
Ginger is another great anti-inflammatory. I always recommend buying it fresh- top tip if peeling; only peel very thinly as most of the goodness is located in the top layer.
How else can it help my health?
The chia seeds are great for getting a dose of gently absorbing soluble fibre and are also a source of omegas. Blending them ensures they’re not too tough to digest.
Banana also has soluble fibre which is much gentler on the stomach. Remember this type of fibre is quite easy to digest (instead of the insoluble fibre found in veggies etc)
Hemp Protein is a great source of non-dairy protein and omega 3 too. It can be a little tough to digest at first, so I’d recommend starting at a teaspoon and then building up.
Almond Milk provides calcium.
Cashew Nut Butter is a good way to increase your intake of nuts and fat (the fat, in particular, will help with the absorption of the turmeric).
If you can’t have nuts usually as they’re too solid, you might find that when they’re blended in nut butter, they’re fine.
You can use any decent blender or smoothie to make this drink. I personally use my Optimum Vacuum BLENDER which works particularly well for making batches of smoothies (as it’s vacuum technology prevents it from spoiling or rotting! It’s very clever!)
Gut Friendly Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 tablespoon of cashew nut butter
- 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric and sprinkle of black pepper
- 2 thumb size pieces of ginger, chopped finely and peeled
- I added these extra ingredients but these are optional depending on how you tolerate them. Although the seeds might like really tough, once they’re blended in the smoothie, you should do just fine (especially with Chai since it’s mainly soluble fibre. If you are cautious, then please try them one at a time.
- 1 teaspoon of Chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon of Hemp Powder
- 1/4 cup of gluten-free Muesli or oats, I used Delicious Alchemy’s Gluten Free Muesli
- 1 cup of Almond Milk, I use Alpro Unsweetened because it’s one of the few that are carrageenan free- but Rude Health is also a good shout
Instructions
- Whizz all together in the Nutribullet for 30 seconds and voila….the perfect breakfast smoothie.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Saturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 36mg Net Carbohydrates: 0g Sugar Alcohols: 0g
Is this smoothie suitable for those on a low residue?
If you are on a low residue diet, it could be worth eliminating the chia seeds or introducing them very slowly.
The rest should be suitable for a low fibre or low residue diet.
If you enjoyed my gut health smoothie, you might also want to try my ‘Gut Rest and Repair Soup’ or my ginger and mango rehydration smoothie.
Where next?
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I love making smoothies, they’re such an easy way to get your 5 a day. This recipe sounds really interesting. I’d never think to add spices to a smoothie. Thanks for the idea!
This looks lovely, I use a lot of this type of almond milk, it’s so nice x
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We occasionally make smoothies, but we’ve never tried one with raw ginger! This looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Can you use a regular blender?
Yeah course no problem.
Hi there – smoothie sounds great, just wondering why your picture does not show a yellow smoothie? With a tablespoon of turmeric this shake should be bright yellow!
Sharon
Yes mine is very yellow (but very delicious)!
Chia seeds are a big nono for UC…
hi jessica, how so? They are a great source of omega 3 and soluble fibre. When grounded they should be fine-you can also soak them which breaks them down further. Of course, everyone’s different but there’s nothing about them that makes them bad for UC. Even fibre is soluble kind which is easier to tolerate.
Hi there-I have made so many times this smoothie recipes and i find it very tasty and comforting.I suffer from IBS and indeed is working.I just wanna thank you for this delicious recipes.We can use peanut butter instead?
Being “gut healthy” and IBS friendly – according to FODMAP foods to avoid are ripe bananas and cashews so I can’t see this recipe being totally beneficial
if you read my blog, you’ll know I have a lot of issues with low-fodmap! I don’t believe low fodmap is the key to good gut health- it’s extremely restrictive and a LAST resort not a first one. saying that, i’ll mark recipes as low fodmap if they are- but there’s plenty of gut health recipes that are good for you without having being to low fodmap.
Could you please share the macros for this smoothie recipe? TIA!
I struggle to drink room temp drinks. I made this smoothie yesterday, and just couldn’t finish it because it was room temperature. Would it be possible to add ice to this to make it frozen, or to make it the night before and refrigerate it?
What can you use instead of almond milk and cashew nut for allergy sufferers?
coconut milk? and perhaps a seed butter-I’ve used that before when avoiding milk? seasame seed butter?
Thanks for sharing! Does it separate much after sitting?
Ripe bananas and cashew butter for IBS? I don’t think so. Maybe to increase IBS pain.
why would bananas increase pain?!
Because ripe bananas causes IBS which causes pain. There is too much sugar in the banana the ripper it gets…. hope this helps.
Have every used essential oils for the turmeric and ginger?
Interesting recipe. I went with a teaspoon of turmeric and that was plenty. Thankfully the cashew butter masks the curryness of the beverage. Ginger gives a nice spice. We only eat just ripe (green) bananas. Which, I avoid as they give me a sore gut, however my partner is fine with bananas. Greener is better due to less sugar and more resistant starch, which is helpful for increasing healthy microbiome in the bowels. Oats are great for soothing the GIT lining, however, can cause issues for some people. We should all learn what to eat by listening to our bodies and use restrictive diets as a tool to help us discover which foods aren’t right for us. Also, the picture for this recipe is not accurate at all and the recipe doesn’t say anything about berries, even as a topping suggestion. Please use your own content! This type of thing only creates distrust in your website/brand.