Tag Archives: smoothie

Chocolate Smoothie for Vitamin B2 Deficiency

This delicious chocolate smoothie is rich in vitamin B2 (riboflavin) which is used to treat angular cheilitis and seborrheic dermatitis! I developed this smoothie after discovering that I had angular cheilitis which is dry, cracked, crusting skin on the corner of the mouth.

Vitamin B2 deficiency is a major cause of angular cheilitis along with deficiency of vitamin B3, B5, B6, B12 and stress. I also have seborrheic dermatitis on my cheeks and nose which is why I knew it must be vitamin B2 deficiency, as the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis and angular cheilitis are strong indicators of B2 deficiency.

So I looked in my my nutrition textbook for food sources of vitamin B2. According to Liska et al. (2004) the richest sources of vitamin B2 are animal products such as organ meats, fish and eggs. As I am vegan I looked down the list and saw that almonds are a rich source, as well as mushrooms. These are foods that I am not eating much of. I needed a way to get these foods into my everyday diet and had the idea to create a smoothie!

P1010023

Food Amount Vitamin B2 (mg)
Almonds 50g 0.46
Kale 100g 0.26
Cashews 50g 0.125
Sunflower seeds 50g 0.115
Prunes 50g 0.11
1.07

The UK reference nutrient intake (RNI) for women between the age of 15-50 years is 1.1mg. So I worked out how much of each ingredient I would need to get near to my RNI.

I am going to drink this smoothie everyday for a month and see if my angular cheilitis and seborrheic dermatits disappear! If there is no improvement it is either because it is caused by something else such as stress, or I am not absorbing nutrients well and need to work on my digestion!

I had some cacao powder to hand so added some into the smoothie mix to give a delicious, chocolatey flavour!

Chocolate Smoothie

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients

50g Almonds

100g Kale

50g Cashew nuts

50g Sunflower seeds

50g Prunes

3tbsp Cacao powder

200ml Almond milk

500ml Filtered water

Method

If you have time, soak the almonds and sunflower seeds in filtered water overnight. The next morning drain and leave to dry.

Add all the ingredients in the blender. Blend well for 1 minute.

Pour into a glass and enjoy your smoothie!

Store in the fridge. Avoid exposure to sunlight which destroys riboflavin.

References
Liska, D., Quinn, S., Lukaczer, D. et al. (2004). Clinical Nutrition A Functional Approach. 2nd edn. Washington: The Institute for Functional Medicine. p111

Green Smoothie

Detox with this delicious, creamy green smoothie! The flaxseed provides added omega-3!

P1000324P1000334

Serves 2

1                      Ripe Banana

1                      Apple

3                      Dates

½                     Avocado

1tbsp               Flaxseed

2 Handfuls       Spinach

300ml              Almond Milk

300ml              Filtered Water

Chop up the apple and add to the blender with the banana, dates and flaxseed. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh into the blender. Now add the spinach on top and pour in the almond milk and then the filtered water so it just covers the top layer of spinach.

Blend on full power for 30 seconds. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Berry Smoothie

This tangy, pink berry smoothie is full of antioxidants! It is so quick to make and will give you an energy boost!

Berry Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

2                      Apples

Handful           Raspberries

Handful           Blueberries

Handful           Strawberries

500ml             Filtered water

Instructions

Slice the apples and add to the blender along with the raspberries and blueberries. Pour in the water so it just covers the fruit.

Blend for 30 seconds and pour into a glass.

Tropical Pineapple & Mango Smoothie

A refreshing smoothie full of enzymes and vitamins! This pineapple and mango smoothie will remind you of tropical destinations.

Tropical Pineapple & Mango Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

1                     Ripe Mango

1 slice             Pineapple

1                     Kiwi

1tbsp              Desiccated Coconut

300ml             Filtered Water

Method

Cut up the mango and pineapple and place in the blender. Scoop out the kiwi with a spoon and add into the blender along with the coconut and water.

Blend for 30 seconds.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

 

You can view my Tropical Pineapple & Mango Smoothie Recipe on The Gluten Free Treadmill Sunday Smoothie Link Up!