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How To Make The Perfect Super Smoothie

Here at 3D Personal Training Headquarters we’re major fans of smoothies, and over time we’ve developed what we think is the perfect mix of ingredients to give you an awesome start to your day. This smoothie is great as a breakfast smoothie, a snack anytime, or as a post-workout source of essential nutrients.

Not all smoothies are created equal

You don’t need us to tell you that you can buy smoothies from all over the place these days. From stalls in shopping malls to your local supermarket, there has been a developing trend towards smoothies over the past few years as a way to get plenty of nutrients fast.

The problem in consuming so much fruit at one time (as you can see on our Food Pyramid) is that it’s likely to be very high in sugar, promoting high blood sugar levels, high insulin levels and fat storage amongst other health concerns.

That’s not too healthy, despite what the packaging is trying to impress upon you.

On the flip side are the bodybuilders who you see drinking protein shakes and smoothies as part of their aim to grow big muscles. Often these guys (and gals) just want to get big and take whatever protein powder is cheap or that their gym sells.

Both approaches to making your perfect smoothie are big mistakes. 

Why this smoothie is tasty, fast and unbelievably healthy

The 3D Personal Training Super Smoothie contains a lot of things your body wants and nothing it doesn’t. It’s also fast and easy to make, and because it’s not just lots of fruit thrown together and made into a drink, it doesn’t mess with your body’s blood sugar levels. When taken at breakfast it gives you the nutrients you need to kick start your day, as a snack it provides your body with long lasting energy, and as a post workout source of essential nutrients it helps your body recover and adapt to what you’ve just done, which is the key to a natural, healthy, strong and flexible body.

And if you’re trying to lose weight, this smoothie also delivers essential nutrients which your body needs to help it shed fat, calm inflammation and balance your blood sugar levels. 

Is it beneficial to add protein powder like those body builders?

We’ve found it usually is.  That’s because good quality protein is good for you. In fact it’s essential.

Wanna be body builders are prone to abusing both protein powder and themselves by using low quality additive laden commercially available whey – this is the run-off from low quality commercial cheese production and is no good for you. It gets big muscles but the long term effects of this type of nutrition are anything but healthy, and gives protein powder a bad name.

The protein powders we use ourselves and recommend to you should be seen as a source of food and as a way to access essential nutrients that your body needs, not singularly as a means to add muscle (it also adds good, functional muscle in all the right places depending on the exercise you do, which is extremely beneficial as well as helping you look great).

Here’s something else we add...

Oil, and plenty of it. But not just any old fat or oil, we only recommend fats and oils which are essential to the function of your body. But I’ll get fat! we here you cry. No you won’t. Our personal clients, who we see week in week out, have shown us over the years that taken in the correct quantities, these fats help you to reach an optimum body weight and composition.

What you’ll need to make a 3D Personal Training Super Smoothie

Makes 750ml of smoothie

• A smoothie maker or food blender
• 600ml of water – preferably filtered
• One and a half medium sized bananas
• 55ml Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend or one heaped dessert spoon of coconut oil/fat – preferably virgin and organic
• Two heaped scoops (each powder comes with a scoop) of protein powder. We like these and use them ourselves:
• Grass fed goats whey powder
• Grass fed cows whey powder from a clean source – some brands from New Zealand fit the bill
• Raw Power (hemp and brazil nut protein with added goji berry, maca and mesquite powder)
• Good quality pea protein
• Sprouted or fermented brown rice protein

Optional extras:

• A small handful of nuts – we like almonds, walnuts, cashews, brazils, pecans, but NOT peanuts. Also note that you shouldn’t add nuts every day as you’ll get a food intolerance. Make sure you have a few days off nuts for every two or three days in a row that you have them
• Berries – we like blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
• 3D Total Greens, our very own blend containing organic barley grass extract, a special fruits and greens formula, spirulina and chlorella, an enzyme complex, soluble and insoluble fibre complex, Lactospore culture, policosanol and green tea extract
• Add vitamin c powder as natural preservative if planning to keep a couple of days

Many of these hard to find products are available from our online store.

How to make it...

Put the water in the smoothie maker or blender, throw everything else in and hit the start button! In order to make your smoothie thinner or thicker, just add more or less water.

Yours in health,

Craig Burton and Matt Brereton-Patel.