Smoothies? All in one shakes?

[bexnews]

So I'm thinking to stay away from animal fat and protein for my smoothie. My smoothie base is a blend of a whole organic lemon which nicely emulsifies 50ml+ of olive oil. I throw in 2 handfuls of salad mix and then various other stuff depending on my tastes and inventory. I have been trying to also add a green smoothie powder of some kind. Kind of like Gundy's Primal Plants but it is a little pricey. Started using Havasu Nutrition Beet powder. Lately been thinking to add more mushroom powders like lions mane and cordyceps. These are in the Beet powder. Unsure of the quality of some of these. Also not sure exactly what to optimize for. A lot of powders have wheat grass or focus on protein which I'm not sure I want either...

[apod]

If I was throwing a quick blend together (without optimizing for price), this looks like it would be a pretty cool mix:

* Spectrum Vibrance (143,590 ORAC serving of mixed polyphenol-rich extracts @ 4g net carbs)
* Flavored Grassfed Whey / Marine Collagen Peptides (High in glycine + cysteine for GSH, glutamine for gut health, low in metals, adds palatability at low net carbs)
* Multivitamin powder
* Avocado + nuts + seeds, maybe added olive oil or MCT for macros

For comparison, the "MRM Veggie Protein with Superfoods" all-in-one shake is listed to provide 20,000 ORAC per serving by way of polyphenol-rich foods.

Personally, I wouldn't optimize a shake for caloric energy (I'd often rather eat guacamole than drink avocado). I do see a benefit to extra odd plants / foods that I might not otherwise eat, micronutrients that I might under-consume, or amino acid related nutrients that could be useful (eg. taurine, glycine, creatine, etc.) Products like the mushroom and beet extracts certainly would fit in this list.

Lately, I'm dabbling with a one meal a day strategy, where my protein intake is on the lower side in the context of my activity levels, and there's only so much volume of food that is comfortable to consume. So the combo of aminos + micros + phytos is my preferred fast-breaking shake sipping mix... a bit more like an energy amplifier than an energy source. I suppose enzymes and probiotics could also fit in this mix if you wanted to fully-formulate an "all-in-one" sort of supershake.

Wheat grass usually looks sketchy to me, but spirulina and chlorella are quite a bit more interesting. Ymmv.

[PJD@4411]

It is so important to read labels and to pay attention to the ingredients such as "natural flavoring", what does that mean?

[NF52]

It is so important to read labels and to pay attention to the ingredients such as "natural flavoring", what does that mean?

Hi PJD4411,

I'm guessing that when you ask what "Natural flavoring" means, you're referencing having seen it on labels, not a specific mention on a previous post in this thread. My personal favorite was the local grocery store in my previous hometown, which had signs above displays of "FRESH" strawberries. Someone obviously though quotation marks were the same as using exclamation points--although it also seemed that "fresh" should be a given

Just a hint, to have posters notified of your post, use the quote icon in any post.

And enjoy "natural flavoring" !

[floramaria]

It is so important to read labels and to pay attention to the ingredients such as "natural flavoring", what does that mean?

Here is an answer to your question that I pulled from an allergy website, where the writer was primarily warning that even natural flavors may contain allergens. You'll see the FDA definition below (I've put it in bold) of "natural flavoring" is quite broad.

"The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires food manufacturers to list if one or more of the eight major food allergens are in a natural flavor. This includes: milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and crustacean shellfish.
While the term “natural” evokes feelings of health and nature, in reality “natural flavors” are typically highly processed chemicals which, by themselves or in combination with other naturally derived chemicals, impart a flavor to prepared food. They are only called “natural” because the original source of the flavor additive is not manmade. According to FDA, “The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.” Essentially, anything added for flavor that is not an artificial flavor is a “natural flavor.” And, since food manufacturers do not need to disclose the ingredients of the “natural flavors” added, it can pretty much include anything...."

[asha31]

Excellent thread..!!!

[DebS]

Excellent thread..!!!

Hello and welcome asha31! I am glad to see that you found this thread helpful.

If you haven't yet found the "What Can I Eat?" section of the wiki, you may like the recipe ideas you will find there. Our primer, written by Dr. Stavia, has a wealth of general information as well as a prioritized list of helpful strategies and is a great place to start. You may also want to introduce yourself to the group in the Our Stories thread.

Please feel free to reach out with questions!

[LBKnudson]

Why pay for stuff like this when you can make a better one tailor made for you by yourself? You can put what you want in it. Probably not a good idea to be lazy and just buy it, especially since we're all into a not-one-size-for-all philosophy here.

[tesslo]

I have been using pea protein or mixes with pea protein and I am beginning to look like a giant pea with legs... bak to Gundry protocol

[Richard McG]

Hi apod, thanks for this resource. I hadn't ever heard of the clean Label Project before. Went and looked up my former favorite meal replacement shake, Garden of Life Raw Meal, and it also only was a 1 star rating. Interesting.

Hmm think I will maybe ditch garden of life