Ok, I’ll come clean. Since really taking care of my body and wanting to create as nutrient-rich a diet as possible, juices and smoothies are my go-to essentials. Juices and smoothies are easily absorbed by the body (more so juices, because smoothies require more work on your digestion’s behalf) and are perfect as a snack or pick-me-up. I wish I had had this knowledge in the early stages of my illness, as my appetite was practically non-existent, and juices and smoothies would have provided much-needed nutrition in an easy and practically effortless way.
CFS Juices
Green CFS juices and vegetable juices in general are probably my favourites. My Grandad always used to buy huge bags of carrots from the farmer down the road and make us litres of carrot juice. Pure carrot juice is still one of my favourite things! Fruit juices are lovely and refreshing occasionally, but I tend to find that I’m a little bit jumpy because of all the sugar, even though it’s all natural. Green juices on first glance can look absolutely disgusting, but trust me, the nutrient content of them will blow your mind and you’ll feel instantly better.
Another amazing wellness inspiration, Kris Carr, pours her juices into wine glasses for that bit of extra glamour. I’ve started doing this too, and must say, it makes me feel fabulous!
Top Ingredients for Juices
Kale, beetroot (the colour is beyond belief!), carrots, cucumber (for beautiful skin), green apple and celery. If you can buy organic, then I’d definitely recommend it. It can be expensive in some places however, so buying fruit and veggies from the supermarket and removing the skin/peel can lessen the chemical load a little bit.
CFS Smoothies
Smoothies were something I shied away from for a long time, probably because I was sick of buying fresh smoothies in cafes and shops and they would be full of yoghurt and ice-cream. If you’d like to do this to start off with, to add variety or build up your strength, go for it, but I prefer non-diary smoothies. Just stick everything in a blender and pour it into a glass! Oooh, I love smoothies!
Top Ingredients for Smoothies
Homemade almond milk (rice/oat/quinoa milk work well too), goji berries, blueberries, raw cacao powder, maca powder, chia seeds (I think I have a slight chia seed addiction) and coconut water
(If any of these ingredients sound a bit weird and wonderful, I’ll be writing a post about them soon!)
Both juices and smoothies (especially smoothies!) can be quite filling, so I always have them between meals as they will be more readily absorbed on an empty stomach.
More Recipes
With juices and smoothies, I general don’t follow recipe or guidelines, I just throw things in! I’m not especially creative in the kitchen, so I tend to get inspiration from other people. Jess Ainscough (The Wellness Warrior) has really helped me in getting going with green juices and smoothies- she is truly inspiration, and I heartily recommend that you visit her website. Best of all, if you sign up for email updates, you get a free e-book with 80 smoothie recipes in it! Jess is not only full of knowledge, but generous to a fault!
The Equipment
I bought this juicer two years ago- it’s not the best on the market, but is definitely up there. It’s incredibly reliable, easy to clean (dishwasher friendly) and stands pride-of-place on my kitchen worktop. As far as smoothies go, I don’t have a special gadget, I just use a regular food processor. Mine is years old and still does the job.
So, give it a go! Trust me, you will not regret it. Juices and smoothies are part of my daily diet and I absolutely love making them. I truly believe that they help me maintain my health and boost my immune system.
Let me know if you have any of your own recipes you’d like to share!
Love and smoothies,
Katie xx
(Click here for my official CFS Smoothie recipe- Strawberry Cheesecake!)
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