Category: Food

As many of you know, a few years back I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. While I’ve been able to keep my blood sugar numbers under control, diabetes is always going to be there. It is like a beast hiding in a dark cave, just waiting for the chance to come out and attack.

With that in mind, I’ve tried to up the nutrients in my diet and focus more on whole foods while limiting starches and sugars. This year, I discovered smoothies. I don’t always feel like eating when I wake up, but I know it’s important to get something healthy in my body to start the day right. This smoothie does not negatively impact my blood sugars, but if you are battling blood sugar issues, I encourage you to test, test, test every time you try something new. Your reaction may differ from mine.

This recipe has a couple of unique things in it that I believe keep my numbers low while letting me drink essentially crushed fruit.

• A shot of Ningxia Red – This is basically wolfberry or goji juice. It hails from China and is a powerhouse of antioxidants. I am so impressed with the benefits of this berry that I signed up for a discount with Young Living (called distributor) just to order it myself at a discount. I drink about 2 ounces per day of Ningxia Red (or put it in a smoothie). I actually love the tartness of the juice but some people find it too tart, so mixing into a smoothie disguises the taste.
• Konjac Glucomannan Powder – (note, the link is an affiliate link that helps support this site). This powder has some neat properties that help balance blood sugar. I add 1 teaspoon to smoothies. You can also drink it in water before a meal or add to things like yogurt. Never ever take the powder if it is not in a liquid as it turns to a thick gel and thus could harm you eating it straight.
• Coconut Oil – I try to get about 2 Tablespoons of virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil in my diet every day. This also has benefits for controlling blood sugar. When I added coconut oil to my daily diet, my blood sugar dropped almost 30 points. I have been a believer in it ever since. It also is very satisfying. If you buy the right brand (I like Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 15 Ounce), it has very little taste. You won’t even notice it in a smoothie.

With a note on why I add those additions, you may find it is smarter for you to add something different to address your own particular health concerns. Chia seeds have a lot of nutrients, you can add extra fiber, or add nothing at all.

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Another note. Recently, I got really tired of all the food my family wastes. It seems we are always throwing out “extra” food that didn’t get eaten. I cut up berries and a cup or so would go bad before we ate it. I’d buy spinach for my smoothies and it would go bad before I could eat it all. For the purposes of smoothies, I went ahead and bought a couple of cheap ice cube trays from the dollar store. I threw that cup of berries getting ready to go bad and that spinach into a blender and made it into a mash. I then poured into the ice cube trays, froze, and transferred to freezer bags. Now, I can just grab a few cubes and throw into the blender. Saves money, time, and I feel good about not wasting food.