Gut-Loving Green Smoothie

A blend of fibre-rich fruit and veggies with healthy fats and soothing spices, this creamy green smoothie is like a little act of self-care in a glass.

Banana, avocado, and spinach are packed full of fibre, which helps regulate digestion and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Avocado and pistachio butter contain a good dose of healthy fats, which slow the release of energy and support balanced blood sugar levels. Anti-inflammatory compounds in cardamom and pistachios work to calm the gut and reduce bloating, making this blend as soothing as it is satisfying.

Simply multiply the recipe up if you're feeding more mouths.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 small, ripe banana (the riper the banana the sweeter your smoothie will be)

• 1/2 small avocado

• 2 blocks frozen spinach (approx 55g)

• 1 heaped tsp pistachio butter

• The juice of half a lime

• 250ml unsweetened plant-based milk (Using plant-based milk keeps the smoothie dairy-free and gentle on digestion. Almond, oat, coconut or cashew milk all work beautifully—just make sure it's unsweetened to keep things balanced).

• 1-2 cardamom pods

  
  

Method

• Chop the banana and avocado and put into a blender with all of the other ingredients except the cardamom.

• Blend until smooth and creamy. Depending on the strength of your blender, it might take a little longer to get the spinach chopped finely enough to no longer see dark green bits floating in amongst your paler green smoothie.

• Crush the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and add a pinch to the smoothie. Give it another quick mix and then taste. If you like cardamom as much as I do, you'll want to add more. Otherwise leave it there.

• Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours for a quick, gut-friendly pick-me-up.

Nutrition

	Per 100g	Per serve (450ml)
Calories (kcal)	78.9 kcal	375 kcal
Carbohydrate	5.6 g	26.7 g
of which sugars	2.2 g	10.4 g
Fat	5.1 g	24.3 g
of which saturates	0.8 g	3.7 g
Protein	3.2 g	15.1 g
Fibre	1.9 g	9.2 g