These 3 smoothies for healthy digestion will breathe new life to your morning routine. Each smoothie is packed with nutrient dense ingredients and can be made in less than 5 minutes!
If you aren’t a big “breakfast eater” we totally get it. The digestive fire is lowest in the morning, which is why a big breakfast just doesn’t make sense for most people. These gut nourishing smoothies are the perfect solutions for the “non-breakfast” breakfast!
How to Make Smoothies for Healthy Digestion
Here are a few tips that can help you assemble your own smoothies for healthy digestion:
-
Choose a liquid: Coconut water, filtered water or alternative milks like cashew, almond, oat, hemp, all work. If you prefer a creamier consistency then choose an alternative milk.
For the more digestive sensitive types, you may prefer to stick with coconut water or plain filtered water.
It’s best to add your liquids to the blender first because it's easier to blend the ingredients together that way. This is especially true if you have a lot of thicker, frozen ingredients.
-
Include frozen fruits and veggies:
Frozen produce chills the smoothies and makes them refreshing. I try to avoid using ice as much as possible because I’m not a fan of tap water, which is what my ice machine uses to make ice. -
Keep your freezer stocked with frozen produce:
This makes it super convenient to whip up a smoothie at a moment’s notice. I’ll often make myself a second smoothie in the afternoon when my fridge and pantry are lacking in the snacks department. -
Create the creamy consistency:
I like my smoothies the consistency of a milk shake. This is why I almost always add an avocado or a banana (or both) to get that thick and satisfying creaminess. It almost always tricks my mind into believing I'm having dessert for breakfast! -
Choose Gut Healthy Ingredients:
Our 3 smoothies for healthy digestion are loaded with ingredients that work to ...- nourish the digestive system
- support the healing of leaky gut
- are hypoallergenic and likely to keep the immune system feeling happy and nourished
- supply the body with anti-inflammatory polyphenols
-
Add Essential Oils for greater digestion benefit:
Add essential oils to your healthy digestion smoothies to increase the medicinal value. Simply add 1-2 drops into the blender before blending. Here are some of our favorites:
Ginger: tempers inflammation in the gut and also soothes digestive discomfort and nausea
Peppermint: cools and tames bloating. Apply directly to the lower left abdomen to promote healthy bowel movements.
Fennel: cooling and soothing to any digestive discomfort
Cardamom: wonderfully helpful in soothing heartburn and reflux symptoms. It's also a great ingredient to include in any of the smoothie recipes we share below, especially the Peanut Butter Date Smoothie.
Make Our Smoothies for Healthy Digestion (VIDEO)
Tips For A Healthy Digestive System
MAXIMIZE:
- Filtered water intake (drink ½ your body weight in OUNCES of water)
- Fruits and vegetables
- Fiber rich foods
- Gut healing bone broth (homemade is best)
MINIMIZE:
- Dairy: this is why our “milks” are alternative milks. Dairy can increase mucus production and be acid forming.
- Artificial sweeteners
- Refined sugar
- Foods rich in preservatives
- Foods that have been genetically modified. Stick to mostly organic fruits and vegetable and you should be fine.
The Benefit Of Adding Bananas To Your Smoothies for Healthy Digestion
You’ll notice that each of our smoothies for healthy digestion include a banana. This is because bananas act as a prebiotic for good gut bacteria. A “pre” biotic is a little different than a probiotic. A prebiotic is food for the good bacteria whereas a probiotic are actual strains of good bacteria.
Additionally, bananas are known to strengthen the surface cells of the stomach lining. This protects them against acids. It's particularly helpful for those who struggle with heartburn, GERD or gastric reflux.
Bananas are also great for promoting more regular bowel movements. Whether you struggle with constipation or diarrhea, bananas' high quality fiber content helps to regulate digestive patterns in either case.
And finally, their high potassium and vitamin B6 levels promote healthy contraction of the bowel muscles. Yes, the bowels themselves are literal muscles. Daily consumption of potassium rich foods like bananas ensures those muscles can contract and move foods down the digestive tube efficiently.
Of course, the banana also packs a nice flavor punch and adds to the creaminess of any smoothie, so it’s benefits are more than just medicinal.
Tools You'll Need
- Blender : We use a Vitamix. We’ve had this blender for over 10 years and have used it almost everyday! We use it to make smoothies, soups, dips and dressings. It is worth the investment!
If you prefer to start with a smaller and less expensive option, my mother uses the Magic Bullet and absolutely loves it in her kitchen.
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
SMOOTHIES FOR HEALTHY DIGESTION RECIPES
Blueberry Cherry Smoothie
We love this recipe since it’s sweet, tangy and super delicious. Here we chose to use alternative milk, but if you prefer coconut water it will work nicely too.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup alternative milk
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup frozen cherries
- 1 banana
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BLUEBERRY CHERRY SMOOTHIE
- Throw all ingredients into the blender, beginning with the liquid first.
- Blend until smooth
- Add additional liquid if you prefer the smoothie a little less thick
Mango Madness
From 2019-2020, Evan and I traveled to the Philippines 10 times! It was during those trips that we fell in love with mangos.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup coconut water
- 2 cup mango
- 1 banana
- 1 drop Ginger essential oil
HOW TO MAKE YOUR MANGO MADNESS SMOOTHIE:
- Throw all ingredients into the blender, beginning with the coconut water first
- Add the rest of the ingredients
- Blend until smooth
- Add additional liquid if you prefer the smoothie a little less thick
Peanut Butter Date Smoothie
The healthy fat of the organic peanut butter and the fiber rich dates in this recipe nourish the gut and encourage regular bowel movements.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup alternative milk
- 3 dates
- 1 banana
- 2 tbsp organic peanut butter or any organic nut butter
- I handful of spinach
- Optional: 1-2 drops Cardamom essential oil
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PEANUT BUTTER DATE SMOOTHIE
- Pour the alternative milk into the blender first.
- Add the other ingredients, finishing off with the handful of spinach
- Add ice* to get the chilled and icey consistency of a milkshake.
-
Blend until smooth
*Note: if you are trying to avoid the chemicals in tap water, you can make your own filtered ice cubes in advance. We almost always have a tray of filtered ice cubes in the freezer for smoothie recipes like this one.
We absolutely love incorporating smoothies into our day. They really promote better digestion and more energy! It’s a convenient way to pack in fruits and vegetables without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.