Below are 10 Amazing Add-Ins to that will boost your shake’s taste, texture, and nutrition content!
Tips by @moanoutloudproteinshakes
1. Avocado
This superfood fruit (yes, avocado is a fruit!) is one of the most unexpected health and texture boosts your shakes have ever seen, and you won’t even taste it. Avocado is the secret ingredient to making your chocolate and green smoothies gorgeously creamy, and the added bonus is that the healthy fat in avocados will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours. If that’s not enough, just half of an avocado will also give you plenty of fiber, folate, vitamins, and as much potassium as a small banana. Boom!
2. Cacao or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
It’s incredibly satisfying to be drinking a frosty and creamy chocolate shake and know that it’s full of healthy goodness! Raw cacao and unsweetened cocoa powder are yummy sources of antioxidants, trace minerals, heart-healthy flavanols, and as you may have already discovered, feel-good compounds that can elevate your mood. All you need is a tablespoon or two, and you’re in healthy, happy chocolate shake heaven.
3. Leftover Cooked Veggies (Pumpkin, Beet, and Sweet Potato)
Once you’ve had a Sweet Potato Pie Shake, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Adding cooked vegetables to your blender creations is the easiest and most creative way to eat your leftovers AND makes your shakes ridiculously nutritious, fibrous, creamy, tasty and filling. You’ll be getting in your serving of veggies while feeling like you’re having dessert. Winning!
4. Raw Spinach, Kale, or Collard Greens
Speaking of getting in your veggies, what better way to eat your greens than to blend them into a delicious shake? We all know spinach makes us strong and healthy like Popeye, and you have probably heard by now about kale and collard’s long list of health benefits. Leafy greens blend well, so you’ll hardly know they’re there, except for the beautiful color of your shake. Keep some in your freezer ready to go, and never let your produce spoil again.
5. Nuts and Seeds (and Nut and Seed Butters)
Just like avocadoes, nuts and seeds give a healthy dose of good fats, plus some protein to keep you going. And, they make creamy shakes that will curb any sweet cravings. Just a small handful of almonds or sunflower seeds, or a small spoonful of any nut butter, will give you a generous dose of Vitamin E, which repairs cellular damage and makes your skin glow. As if you needed another reason to whip up a Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake!
6. Fresh Ginger
Ginger is anti-bacterial, a natural anti-inflammatory, and instantly energizes, boosts your immune system, flushes toxins from your system, and eases the nerves. Its distinct peppery flavor is the perfect complement to many types of shakes, and it only takes a second to grate or simply slice some fresh ginger root straight into your blender. Zing!
7. Raw Honey
A spoonful of honey in its raw, unprocessed form is nature’s most delicious medicine. It’s one of the healthiest sugars you can eat, as it is chock-full of nutrients and plenty of enzymes that aid in digestion. Sweeten your shakes as needed and feel good about it!
8. Chia Seed Gel
Chia’s tiny black seeds are touted as one of the most nutritious foods on Earth, because they’re full of fiber, protein, micronutrients, and essential fatty acids. Just remember that nuts and seeds are more nutritious, and better digested, when first soaked. Stir ¼ cup of chia seeds in 1 cup of water, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Now you have a jar of chia seed gel (which will last 2 weeks in the fridge) to add to your shakes anytime. One or two tablespoons of chia gel will give you a mega-dose of nutrition without altering the taste of your shake.
9. Kefir
Kefir is a cultured drink, which means it’s full of good bacteria for your gut, a.k.a. probiotics. So it’s similar to yogurt, but easier to digest, and can be made with coconut milk or water if you want to stay away from dairy. Look for it in your local health food shop, or easily make your own, and you’ll be able to have your shake and probiotic drink all in one.
10. Coconut Water
It’s hard to imagine there is a type of water that adds a slightly tropical flavor to your shake, gives you more potassium than bananas, contains zero toxins or artificial anything, and is full of electrolytes which hydrate, rebuild damaged tissue, regulate nerve and muscle function, and more. Hello, coconut water, a perfect liquid to blend your shake! You can also freeze the coconut water into ice cube trays, for cold, slushy, DIY recovery shakes.