BE WELL SMOOTHIE RECIPE

Lately, I cannot get enough of smoothies. I want them for breakfast, dinner, as afternoon snacks, etc. Blame it on the LA heat but nothing has been quite as satisfying as a fresh, cold smoothie these past few weeks. While smoothies are such a great, healthy option sometimes we can end up doing more damage than good by adding in cups and cups of sugary fruit.

Recently, I discovered health and wellness coach, Kelly Leveque of Be Well by Kelly, who is known to coach A-list celebs such as Molly Sims, Chelsea Handler, and Jessica Alba. But her biggest claim to fame? Her fab 4 smoothie recipe. She sticks to a simple smoothie formula that covers the basics: fiber, fat, greens, and protein (+ 1/4 cup fruit, super foods, liquid).

Ever have a smoothie for breakfast and by the time you get to work you're already hungry? You may be missing some major components that fail to turn off your hunger hormones. If you fill your smoothie with almond butter, milk, a full banana, and then some strawberries, you're missing some key nutrients. Where's the fat? The protein? Without those two factors, its no wonder you're hungry 20 minutes later. To effectively turn off your hunger hormones and feel satisfied, your smoothie needs to bumped up a notch.

While I tend to be mindful of the amount of fruit I put in my smoothies (I often sub cauliflower for a frozen banana), I definitely was failing to add enough fats and fiber into my smoothies. Once I started to do so, I noticed a huge difference in my level of satisfaction. I wasn't grabbing for the almonds two hours later. I felt nourished right up until lunch time.

Not sure what foods to choose for each category? I've got you covered!

Fiber: Chia seeds, flax seeds, oats

Fat: coconut butter, coconut oil, avocado, hemp seeds, chia seeds, nuts and seeds

Greens: kale, spinach, celery, basil, cilantro, cucumber, collard greens, spirulina

Protein: nut butter, protein powder (vanilla, chocolate, etc), hemp seeds

**Extras**

-1/4 any fruit

-Bee pollen

-Unsweetened coconut shreds

-Unsweetened coconut or almond milk

-Cocoa nibs

-Collagen

#FOOD