This berry protein smoothie is absolutely fantastic. What I love about this berry protein smoothie is that unlike most berry protein smoothies you find this blend does not contain protein powder. Instead, it is loaded with protein from a variety of plant-based sources – almond or hemp milk, almond butter, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts. And it contains health-promoting fats with avocado and virgin coconut oil. To sweeten the deal, this blend contains low-sugar blueberries and cranberries.
From a nutritional perspective, this is the perfect protein smoothie.
I am so excited to share Dr Mark Hyman’s upcoming book, The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet with you over the next couple of weeks. I’ve made many of the recipes over the last couple of weeks including this berry protein smoothie proving that this is definitely not a diet of deprivation. The diet is not strictly plant based. There are recipes containing lean animal protein. But, there are plenty of recipes for vegetarians and vegans. So, there is something for everybody.
Dr Hyman and his team invited me and two readers to participate in a beta test group to follow his 10-Day Detox Diet program with other bloggers and patients. I posted on my facebook page asking for volunteers and was overwhelmed with people wanting to change their lives with this program. Everybody was a worthy and deserving candidate, and I was so overwhelmed wanting to give a spot to everybody that I had Dr Hyman’s team choose Melissa Giammarco Longmire and Rachel Joy Cole to take part.
Currently, we are in Day 5 of the program and I feel absolutely fantastic. Prior to starting this week, we were all sent a copy of the book, pre-detox instructions, all required supplements, and a motivating conference call. Every day we begin with a daily phone call with Dr Hyman and his staff, as well as emails and a private facebook group that replicates the kind of support you can expect with the online program.
What I love about this book and program is that it truly a holistic approach to detoxing. It is a complete reset of your body chemistry and emotional reality. Yes, the book contains an entire menu plan (core plan or adventure plan) with breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that have been carefully developed to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and deliver nutrient density as well as fabulous flavor. But, in addition to this, you exercise (brisk walking is recommended), meditate, practice deep breathing exercises, record your body measurements, how much sleep you get the night before (and the quality of that sleep), and journal.
Each day has an intention. For example: Day 1: Satisfy, Day 2: Detox, Day 3: Empty, Day 4: Move, and Day 5: Listen. There are specific questions and your record how you feel and what emotions come up as you set your intentions.
Journaling is really powerful, and engaging in an honest dialogue with yourself is confronting but illuminating. Listening…..I should do it more often. A lot of fear has been coming up for me. As I head into one of the biggest years of my life, I am confronting my fear that I will disappoint myself and my family and colleagues, and the fear that nobody will like my book and want to hear anything I have to say. Basically fear that I won’t be enough. Yeah…that old chestnut.
Cleansing is an emotional journey, and each cleanse is different depending on how you enter the experience. I’ve been eating a clean, gluten free, alkaline plant based diet for many years, and already abstain from gluten, white refined foods, refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and eat every little starchy vegetables, grains, and natural sweeteners that can all lead to sugar spikes and weight gain. I also engage in oil pulling, dry skin brushing, detox baths, walk, hike, practice yoga, stretch, and meditate.
This “detox” has been a process of emotional cleansing for me – letting go of what doesn’t serve me and clearing out the toxic thoughts that are preventing me from standing in my own power, maintaining an attitude of gratitude, and being open to all possibilities. Basically, allowing life to unfold knowing I have the tools in my toolbox to move forward no matter what comes my way. And having fun with it all and enjoying the journey instead of worrying. However, my emotional state directly affects my food choices.
My overwhelming take away so far? “You can always be healthier” and emotional health and physical health are inextricably connected.
I have realized that my “sugar addiction” is grains. Yes, whole grains and alkaline grains – quinoa, millet, and amaranth. But, still complex carbohydrates that convert to sugar. When I’m feeling deflated, down, scared, or upset, I crave grains.
I’ve also realized that I’ve been taking my health for granted and haven’t been growing and expanding on my health journey.
I’ve been under an enormous amount of stress for the last year with Scott’s cancer diagnosis, writing my book, and maintaining my recording and work schedule. As a result, I just haven’t been able to turn my mind off, and have been suffering from bouts of insomnia and surviving on about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night.
Since starting the program I have been sleeping better than I have in years. After soaking in the recommended nightly detox bath with epsom salts, baking soda, and lavender oil, I have felt so relaxed and decompressed and have been sleeping 8 hours a night. I feel like a new person! Our blood sugar levels and internal chemistry really affects our sleep patterns and ability to rest, recharge, and regenerate.
Health is a daily practice of mindfulness and self love – an evolving journey that involves listening to your body, attending to your thoughts and emotions, and setting an intention for wellness. Dr Hyman’s program is not just a collection of recipes, supplements, and exercise guidelines. It’s a template for mindful living. I highly recommend this book and program. It’s a game changer.
I love that Dr Hyman begins every day and each day of the program with a nutrient dense smoothie full of protein, vitamins and minerals, healthy fats and oils, and antioxidants. This recipe is Dr Hyman’s signature smoothie containing low sugar berries and alkaline nuts and seeds. This is delicious and will keep you feeling sustained all morning long.
There is also a yummy kiwi and chia seed smoothie, ginger and cucumber smoothie, spiced almond smoothie, and almond and strawberry smoothie in the book. I have been rotating them so far for diversity. Yum!
I will share more of Dr Hyman’s recipes and my experience next week.
*Probiotic Powder – I add 1/2 teaspoon of probiotic powder to all smoothies to replenish stores of healthy bacteria for immunity, digestion, detox, and to balance the acidic effects of high-sugar fruits and other sweeteners. The really potent probiotics require refrigeration. If you have capsules, break the shell and release the powder. Unsweetened probiotic-rich liquids like kefirs (water, coconut water, milk varieties) or kombucha make wonderful health-promoting additions to shakes, too.
*Celtic Sea Salt – I add a pinch (or more) of this alkalizing, mineral-rich salt to all smoothies to boost the natural flavor of fruits and veggies; temper the acidity of sweet fruits and sweeteners; stimulate the lymphatic system; replenish electrolytes; aid digestion; and help the body access energy. I do not recommend adding common table salt which is generally heated to extreme temperatures, iodized, bleached, processed, and refined. This salt does not have the same benefits. If you have a health condition that requires you to limit your sodium intake consult your doctor before adding salt to your smoothies.
Comments 67
Oh Tess, how cool! I’m going to admit that I’m a tad jealous. 🙂 I’m a huge Dr. Hyman fan. I would so love to meet him one day and thank him for all the work he’s done in the functional medicine community. I can’t wait to read more about your experience!
I totally agree with you Hallie. Dr Hyman is just so amazing as has contributed so much to the wellness community. He is also a lovely, humble guy and I hope this book is a huge success. I just loved it and the program was life changing for me.
Love Dr. Hyman!! Is the 10Day Detox much different than his other books/plans? Thanks
I love him too! This 10 Day Detox is a compressed, fast track version of The Blood Sugar Solution. It’s a fantastic quick reboot you can do whenever you feel like you need a healthy boost or reset. I am going to do it a couple of times a year from now on. I just loved it.
this is DELICIOUS! I am enjoying it now for breakfast, thank you!!
So glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was delicious too, and totally loaded with nutrients.
Wow, this looks like one substantial shake – delicious too! I absolutely love lemon in smoothies, just elevates the entire flavor, and of course many nutritional benefits. Looks great!
I love throwing a lemon, juice, or zest into smoothies too. It just gives everything a lift. And yes, this keeps you full until midday.
That looks yummy, but really high in fat. I’m not a fat-phob, but I am one who, if I look at a nut, see it soon on the scale. And I’m a wild and crazy runner. 😉 Many who don’t do intense or frequent aerobic workouts have to monitor fat intake percentages. Thoughts?
Current thought is by increasing healthy fats such as the ones listed in the smoothie is healthy. If we bring up the healthy fats and decrease the carbohydrates will bring blood glucose into good ranges. This is why Americans are obese and type II diabetes is on the rise. When fat is removed from our diet; such as “low fat” foods, they have to put in additional unhealthy stuff, such as carbohydrate. Your pancreas does not release as much insulin when eating a higher, healthy fats and protein diet, and including healthy carbohydrates. Thus reducing metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.
I am a huge believer that good quality cold-pressed plant based fats and oils are essential for good health, and this smoothie contains a great daily dose of those healthy fats. I certainly include coconut oil. hemp oil, or flax oil every day, as well as a handful of raw nuts and seeds etc. So, I personally don’t worry about it. But, every body is different and has different needs. Dr Hyman has a great blog about fats on his site. Check it out.
I am a big fan of healthy food and make a raw protein shake every morning for breakfast. I tried this recipe today and I really loved it! Great taste and super healthy! The only ingredient I didn’t have was the coconut butter, but I will buy it today and try it again tomorrow. Thanks for inspiring me!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed this Carolina. Dr Hyman’s recipes are amazing. Every single one I tried out of the book was fantastic. Enjoy 🙂
I can’t wait to try this smoothie! I’m curious, Tess, if you’ve got an opinion on obesity and pregnancy. I would assume this detox is safe (it IS whole foods, after all :), but I’m trying to think through what resistance I might hear when I recommend it.
Arminda – this detox is fabulous for people with obesity. But, I do not recommend detoxing and cleansing while pregnant or breastfeeding. But, I am not a health care professional and each person should consult his/her medical practitioner before participating in any detox or cleanse program.
How many calories is this smoothie?
If you eat low carb as he suggests, it doesn’t matter how much fat because it’s the right fat and calories to fuel your body. It’s hard to believe, I know. But I started cutting out sugars and starches Jan 1 and I have lost 15 lbs.
You can plug this smoothie into cronometer or another third-party software. But, as Peggy says, weight-loss is achievable while including healthy plant based fats in your diet. Dr Hyman’s book is a really fantastic responsible, scientifically proven program. I highly recommend it.
I’m on day four of the 10 Day Detox and have already lost 6.6 lbs! I’m convinced the morning protein shake is most of the reason! So glad to have found a diet that will reset my body and allow me to hopefully lose more weight in the future.
SO pleased to hear of your amazing results. I just love the 10 DAY DETOX DIET, and Dr Hyman’s well researched programs really work. I love the recipes in the book too! Aren’t they delicious?!
I don’t think this is a low calorie shake, since your are adding nuts and seeds, I would like a shake to loose the weight too.
Lina, please read the threads above. As you will read in the book, fat does not make you fat when you are consuming high quality plant-based fats. Dr Hyman’s book is a wonderful program that I highly recommend. There were so many people in the beta program with me that lost weight using these recipes following the program.
I lost 4 pounds on the 10 day detox. I also get to sleep easier and have a better sleep than in a long rime. It has been great. A friend brought me a wonderful gift of chocolate from a trip abroad and I didn’t even want it. Before the detox, I would have eaten the candy without a thought.
That is SO wonderful Theresa. Thankyou so much for sharing your experience. I have heard so many similar stories from participants. This program is a gift.
What do you soak the seeds in…water?
Kris – you soak nuts and seeds to neutralize enzyme inhibitors and release the full nutrient potential of food. You can read more about it here:
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/info/soaking_grains_nuts_seeds
I do not like avacoda, is there a substitution
You could omit the avocado or add a small piece of raw young Thai coconut meat.
I’ve never read any book from Dr. Hyman but based on the comments and your posts, I think his works are really interesting to read. This recipe looks so healthy as it consists of a lot of ingredients, not only that it is so complex too. I need to try this right away and let my family members to taste it too. I do hope that the outcome would be the same as with the picture. 🙂
Dr Hyman’s books are absolutely amazing. Enjoy the smoothie.
Hey can you please tell me how much protein this shake contains?
Sorry, I don’t have a nutritional profile for this recipe. You could plug it into third-party software like cronometer.
Gained 3 pounds on this diet so far and so unhappy. Am drinking the tasteless almond strawberry smoothie right now. Have been doing 10 day detox blood solution diet. Tired all the time. Belly fat worse. Only eating when hungry. Cholesterol has gone up. On my oil free vegan plant based diet of before I brought my cholesterol down 60 points. All in all I’m very discouraged with results. Only been doing it 2 weeks. Maybe it will get better? I’ll keep trying. Is this happening to anyone else?
your comment was the only real one here. The other ones come from some one faking being a 20 something bobble head. You do need to eat green. Fruit always makes me gain. Increase your veggies, cooked and raw. Ditch the wheat, cheese and dairy. Watch your nut intake. They are good fats, but more than a handful a day will put on weight. If you ditch the good fat, you will have dry wrinkled skin, and that is just the out side damage. All your fats should remain in the food ,as in avocado not avocado oil. Keep learning about yourself and how to care for your body.
Hey Lynn, sorry I am just catching up on emails now. I am sorry you have had this experience. I was in the beta group for this program and witnesses extraordinary results from many participants. I know Dr Hyman and his team, and they have wonderful customer service. Please reach out to them for support with this program. Darla – I am confused by your comment referring to the “20 something bobble head.” I am 41.
Are there alternatives for those of us with certain nut allergies? I would love to try but my concern is the almond milk, walnuts and Brazil nuts.
Shay, for nut-free, omit the nuts, and use hemp milk or rice milk and add an extra piece of avocado. The taste profile will be slightly different, but still delicious.
I am curious about the serving size for this smoothie. The book states that a serving is 1½ cups, but the recipe makes 3 cups. Since a serving has about 550 calories, drinking the whole thing seems like it would provide too many calories. Is this recipe supposed to make 2 servings?
Robb, this is one serving. I drink the entire thing and don’t worry about the calories. All of these recipes have been tested extensively as part of this overall weight-loss and wellness program. If you requite a more detailed response, please reach out to Dr Hyman and his team through his website.
Thank you for the reply. I did reach out to Dr. Hyman and his response was very similar to yours:
“How much you eat matters, but the quality of the food we put into our bodies matters more because it drives our gene function, metabolism, and health.
Rather than subscribing to the antiquated calories in/calories out model for weight loss and good health, focus on powerful, gene-altering, whole, real, fresh food that you cook yourself can rapidly change your biology. You will lose weight by getting your systems in balance, not by starving yourself.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD.”
Wonderful. Yes! Thanks for sharing this with everybody.
Thankyou so much for sharing this. I will amend the post, now!
Can this smoothie be made ahead and frozen?
Smoothies are always best consumed fresh right after they’re made to reduce the degradation of nutrients and for the most balanced flavor profile. Some ingredients get more assertive as a blend sits, and the texture can often get thicker. Having said that, for convenience, you can make ahead of time in a glass mason jar, freeze (allowing 1-inch at the top for expansion of the liquids when freezing) and then defrost and shake or blend for the creamiest consistency.
I mix everything except the liquid an save it in zip bags in freezer. In the morning i just put the mix in blender and add the almond milk and water
Fantastic. Great ways to save time in the morning. Thanks for sharing.
Is this 2 cups of Brazil nuts and walnuts? It just says 2. Assuming it’s cups???
It’s just 2 walnuts and 2 Brazil nuts in the smoothie. Not cups.
The recipe looks good however if you don’t mind me asking, are protein shakes good for health? I’ve never consumed a protein shake before as many people have their reservations about protein shakes saying that they can be damaging to your health in the long run.
That is a valid question. I’m not a huge fan of drinking tons of protein powder drinks. But, this blend is simply a smoothie containing a lot of foods containing protein, so is perfectly safe.
And don’t forget to reduce the coke
Well, that is always a good idea.
I attempted to make the shake today and followed the directions to a T and something went terribly wrong. My smoothie was brown and gross tasting. Not sure what went wrong. Anyone else have issues when making this? I think I’ll start my detox tomorrow instead if I can figure out what the heck happened!
Oh, no! I am so sorry this happened Cindy. Mine always turns out. I am sorry, perhaps you over measured the ingredients? The avocado was brown? Sorry, trying to think of any reason.
Question about cranberries. I can buy frozen cranberries from frozen food section or a bag of the Ocean Spray cranberries directly from the store shelf for 1/4 the price. Are these the same? Or are berries sold frozen actually cooked prior to being packaged and frozen? Hope this makes sense. Please advise. Thanks. Steve
Frozen cranberries are just raw cranberries that have been frozen. So, yes, purchase the fresh and freeze them for this recipe.
I’m a little confused here. I’ve been buying frozen cranberries just as I’ve been buying frozen blueberries. Now I wonder if this is all wrong–it’s definitely cheaper to buy them frozen. Blender Girl’s reply to Steve is confusing to me: “Frozen….are just raw….that have been frozen” and then “yes,” buy fresh and then freeze. Aren’t they frozen in a fresh, raw state? Is there really a significant difference? If I’m wrong and I spend more money and time buying raw…then freezing them….will this all make more sense to me? I think that I need a TARDIS right now!
LOL! Sorry for any confusion Steve. In some countries they can’t get frozen cranberries. I’ve never found them in Australia, for example. In the U.S they’re widely available. But, there is no difference between freezing them yourself from fresh or buying them at the grocery store already frozen. I hope that clears it up.
Thanks.. DELICIOUS! I am enjoying…
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed this!
Is there a substitute for the cranberries? I am having a hard time finding them anywhere around town. I called Whole Foods and they said they did not have any.
Ann, I’ve been using unsweetened Acai as a substitute for the cranberries. I’m curious what Dr. Hyman’s philosophy opines on this. When cranberries come back into season, I’m buying up a lot of them.
Thanks for sharing with everyone!
I couldn’t find the frozen cranberries anywhere so substituted Trader Joe’s dried cranberries (they are soaked in cranberry oil). Thoughts on that? In any case, this was absolutely delicious!
Thanks for sharing your tweak Lois. I’m glad it was delicious with dried cranberries. I prefer fresh or frozen for the health benefits. I eat very little dried fruit as it’s typically dried with sulphur, but for treats, I use dates, raisins, prunes, etc. And during the holidays dried cherries and cranberries are delicious in salads and desserts. But, for every day smoothies, I always use fresh or frozen fruits. I hope this helps.
Thanks! Based on previous comments, in the future I’ll look for fresh and just freeze them!
Great. Also, Wholefoods has frozen cranberries all year round. Enjoy.