smoothie and raw food combination tips!

Smoothies make a great breakfast (and if you like, you can continue drinking them all day). They replenish your cells with water, minerals and natural sugars! Here a few tips, to make your smoothie experience very enjoyable!!

1. Melon should always be the first meal of the day (never in between other meals) and in a smoothie also best just by itself. The reason why it doesn't mix well, is, that is has a very high water content, and digests very fast. So if you ate something more dense before, it may cause bloating or even stomach cramps.

2. Smoothies (for the exact same reason) make a great first meal (and also second and third...) but don't go well after a denser meal. As a general rule of thumb, try to eat foods that are digest faster (high water content = fresh fruit and vegetables, smoothies) first and earlier in the day, and foods that digest slower (less water content = cooked or baked foods) later, or in the evening.

3. Good raw food combinations (apply also for smoothies!):

• Greens go with everything
• Melon goes by itself
• Very sweet fruits (bananas, dates, figs, persimmon,..) go well together and with greens
• Semi sour fruits (all fruits with stones and berries, some apples) go well together and with greens and some sour fruits
• Sour fruits (citrus fruits and tomatoes, pineapple, some apples) go well together and with greens, and with fats (avocados, nuts, flaxseed, coconut) and with some semi sour fruits
• Fats don't mix well within their own group, but go with sour fruits and greens 

These combination guidelines shouldn't limit you in any way! In fact many many raw food and smoothie recipes break these rules (for example combining fat with sweet fruits, or fat with other fat) and create absolutely delicious treats. Just if you aim to include a lot of raw fruits and veggies in your diet, paying attention to the combinations is gonna safe you a lot of bloating and stomach pains, I promise!

Some of my recent favourite smoothie are:

Bananas + swiss chard leaves + basil + ice

Bananas + dates + vanilla + lupine flour + ice

Strawberries + peaches + ice

I hope this was a helpful introduction to smoothie and raw food combinations!

Much love, Vik (guest blogger today!)