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Low Carb Paleo Smoothies are a great way to help get plenty of cooked, wilted or pureed veggies daily. Mix and match the 50 low carb ingredients below in a Nutri-Bullet, BlendTec or Vita Mix. (A regular blender won’t work). HINT: Buy a BlendTec or Vitamix refurbished.
50 Ingredients for Easy Paleo Smoothies with no recipes!
Each Smoothie Bowl will be different, depending on what’s on hand. Most combinations taste good but you can quickly blend another ingredient to change the taste before serving. These smoothies (slurpees?) don’t have much fruit, juice or liquid. They’re blended concentrates of vegetables, herbs, avocado, herbs, nuts, oils, sprouts and more. I call them Low Carb Smoothie Bowls!
Smoothie Puddings you eat with a spoon!
The goal is a thicker smoothie that’s full of nutrient dense food, not water or high calorie juice. Make a Smoothie Bowl out of it by adding chewy toppings such as coconut flakes, nuts or seeds, or chopped peppers or celery.
It’s important to CHEW that smoothie! Chewing is the first step in digestion. When you drink or swallow food whole you bypass the enzyme action in your mouth. Slow down, and eat this dense food like food, not fluid.
These don’t require as much chewing as a steak, but do give them a workout with your mouth before swallowing. Want more info on smoothie meals? Here’s my recent post titled “Paleo Smoothies You Eat With a Spoon”.
Make a meal – not a beverage
The “30/30/30 Rule” is one of the Food Rules in my Diet For Human Beings (check out my DVD here).
30/30/30 means that every meal and every snack have a balance of proteins, fats and low starch carbs. No grabbing just fruit or a hard boiled egg as a snack. It’s not balanced, and you want to keep blood sugar balanced at all times.
One version of the 30/30/30 Rule is the classic “meat and 2 vegetable” plate with added tasty fat…. Low carb Smoothies are another way to make a balanced meal or snack. Here’s a Primal Diet – Modern Health podcast I did a while back on the 30/30/30 Rule.
With the addition of some protein in the smoothie or some on the side (meatballs, sausage, shrimp, eggs, chicken leg) you have a fast meal with minimal cleanup.
Build your Paleo Smoothie like a meal by selecting proteins and fats to go with the vegetable and fruit carbs. I’ve got a big list of food choices below – Keep Reading!
Are raw spinach, kale and collards OK?
The cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens – substances that interfere with the uptake of iodine by the thyroid. Cooking or blanching greatly reduces their impact.
Raw spinach contains oxalates that can cause kidney stones and calcium issues….
However, as long as you don’t consume large amounts of raw kale, collards and spinach, you’ll be fine.
Save lots of the leafy greens for cooking and use a variety of lettuces and other greens in your smoothies instead.
Blanching helps, and leaves the food ‘undercooked”. Boil greens for 2 to 3 minutes, then place in icy water. Keep ready in the fridge for Smoothies (or use blanched collard leaves as vegetable wraps).
Ingredients for Low Carb Paleo Smoothies without Recipes
THE FATS
Some of these are pure fat and some contain fat. Fats make the blender a little harder to clean but we need fat for balance, satiety and texture. If you’re eating Keto (very low carb Paleo) just add more fat and protein options.
- Avocado and avocado oil
- MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride oil)
- almonds, macadamia nuts or oil, nut butters, seeds, cashews, Tahini
- coconut oil, canned coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut yogurt
- ghee
- raw pastured egg
THE VEGETABLE CARBS – PICK A COLOR!
GREEN VEGETABLES AND FRUIT: (starred items ** are personal favorites)
- *organic zucchini
- *fennel bulb and stalks
- *cucumber (especially the long “burpless” English cucumber as they don’t need peeling)
- *all types of lettuce
- sprouts – especially sunflower seed sprouts. See note below on sprouts.
- celery
- green beans, green peppers
- collards, kale and spinach
- dandelion greens, Spring Mix
- green cabbage
- herbs: parsley, mint, dill, cilantro, basil, or whatever you like
- green apple or pear (small quantity)
RED OR YELLOW VEGETABLES AND FRUIT
- *beets (buy organic, scrub hard, no need to peel. Small chunks to not overload your blender)
- *yellow squash
- *butternut or acorn squash (I use cooked or frozen – have never tried raw)
- red cabbage
- red or orange peppers
- carrots
- plain canned pumpkin (small amount)
- tomato
- strawberry or blueberries fresh or frozen (small amount)
- cinnamon
- red apple, red pear (small amounts)
- a little tangerine, orange, peach or pineapple
OTHER VEGGIES, FRUITS OR SEASONINGS
- banana (a small amount adds creaminess and sweetness)
- ginger
- garlic, green onions, shallot
- vanilla
- fresh lemon or lime juice
- spices such as turmeric, curry, salt, hot peppers
THE LIQUIDS
You won’t need to add much liquid, as vegetables and fruits are about 25% water. But you do need some fluid to make your NutriBullet, BlendTec or VitaMix start the blending process.
- *filtered or spring water
- *bone broth
- *canned coconut milk, carrageenan and guar gum free, or low carb coconut yogurt
- herb tea
- weak coffee
- coconut water (small amount as is high in carbs)
- kombucha
- chicken broth
- unflavored, unsweetened almond or rice milk
THE PROTEINS
- *animal protein on the side, such as sausage, shrimp, chicken
- *Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides or homemade bone broth gelatin
- Omega Nutrition Pumpkin Seed Protein powder
- raw pastured egg
- see below for the one Whey protein I suggest, if you tolerate dairy
- nuts and seeds have some protein
How to make your Paleo Smoothie
Gather ingredients randomly or by color. Make vegetables and fat your focus – not fruit or starchy carbs. Have your favorites ready as a reliable base. For me, that’s English cucumbers, zucchini, fennel, Romaine, avocado and blueberries. Cut in chunks and add to NutriBullet or high speed blender, adding leafy greens and a little fluid.
Blend up, adding another few tablespoons of fluid if needed. Taste and keep adding food and flavors, blending until you have the right amount of Paleo Pudding you can eat with a spoon. Don’t forget the FAT!!
Eat protein on the side or add to the Smoothie.
For creaminess, try avocado, canned coconut milk, winter squash, cashews or a small piece of banana.
Smoothie options you may or may not tolerate
- This ultra clean, organic raw Whey Peptein from Premier Research Labs
- Use heavy Cream if you can handle other dairy. Please avoid yogurt and milk as they make most people gassy.
- Cocoa powder or cocoa nibs have fat, protein and carbs but also contain caffeine
- Sprouts: Sprouts are really good for you. Broccoli and radish sprouts tend to be quite bitter or “hot”. Experiment with how much you like. Sunflower sprouts are milder and packed with nutrients.
