Winter smoothies to help digestion

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is recommended to avoid drinking cold drinks with meals as it can “chill the digestive fire”. Drinking a smoothie filled with frozen berries and crushed ice is thought to have the same effect and may lead to stomach ache, bloating and other digestive issues.

If you love your morning smoothie but struggle to stay warm during winter, or perhaps you want to give your digestive system a bit of attention, take a look at these tips to protect your chi, energy and digestion.

Warm your berries

Food is far more cooling when it is frozen. Instead of using them straight from the freezer, leave them to thaw overnight. If you forget to take them out the freezer but need your smoothie immediately, simply rinse them in warm water.

Think about the energetics of food

It is thought that the longer the food takes to grow, the warmer it is. Try to use seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as kale, in your smoothies.

Focus on colour

Choose warm-coloured ingredients. For example, blue, green and purple foods are cooler than red, orange and yellow coloured foods.

Include fats and protein

To keep your body warmer and keep you fuller for longer, include fats and protein in each smoothie. This may include coconut oil, almond or other nut butters, avocado, nuts and seeds.

Include a warming ingredient

According to Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, foods will have a cooling, neutral or warming effect on the body. While opinions may differ, warming ingredients popular in smoothie recipes include apple, blackberry, cashew, cinnamon, date, ginger, nutmeg, sweet potato, turmeric and pumpkin.

Warming pumpkin spice smoothie recipe

Add all the ingredients into a blender until smooth and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kale
• ½ cup pureed pumpkin or mashed sweet potato
• 1 tsp blackstrap molasses
• 1 pear
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 cups unsweetened nut milk
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or ½ avocado
• a pinch of nutmeg.