This morning I thought I’d better make good on my promise of making some #chocolateweek smoothie recipes for you.

Over the last day or so, I’ve been thinking about this subject a lot! What exactly needs to be added to a really good bone and inflammation-fighting smoothie, and what are the most valuable takeaways I can add to your knowledge?

So, this morning I decided to go off from my usual smoothie recipe and launch into creative mode. I really wanted to focus on bone-building here because the other #chocolateweek smoothies I’m going to be making focus on inflammation and oxidation.
I’m glad I made the effort because the results were stunning.

Here is my Chocolate, fig, and blueberry bone and muscle building smoothie.

Recipe

What will I need?

1 cup of blueberries (washed of course)
2 tablespoons of raw cacao
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
2 raw egg yolks
I scoop unflavoured protein powder
½ inch piece of ginger
2 figs
2 cups of frozen bananas
1 turmeric root or half teaspoon of turmeric powder
5 black peppercorns
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Spoon of honey to taste…depending on the strength and bitterness of your cacao
Water to cover

How do I make a bone-building choc smoothie?

Wash the produce.
Cut the figs in half and scoop out the yummy contents with a spoon. Any size will do. 😉
Peel the turmeric root
Peel the ginger
Add all of the ingredients to the blender.
Cover the ingredients with water and blend to suit.

How does the bone and muscle building smoothie taste?

Simply bone and arthrotastic!

But I don’t like ginger!

You may have looked at me using ginger and thought….”I’ll swerve that one” Please don’t!
The ginger makes this thing so amazing and isn’t overpowering like it sometimes can be.
You may not have much love for ginger but ginger sure does love you and is an inflammation and pain killer!
Use it as often as you can and you won’t regret it.

How does this bone-building smoothie taste?

I found that the plain protein powder gave the chocolate a really mellow creamy flavour and complimented it amazingly. To my great joy, the ginger lengthened the flavour out incredibly.
There was no zingyness and the taste left me thinking of citrus tones and marvelling at the breadth of flavours. The dark earthy chocolate and herbs complemented it perfectly on the bottom end and the tastes finished with pure fruity lemon overtones.

The taste was so interesting because of the natural sugars lifted the middle and allowed the two opposites to hit you at different points. This is a great tasting smoothie and it looks pretty too!

What health benefits might this smoothie give me?

Antioxidant and anabolic capabilities

The combination of blueberries, cacao, and turmeric make this an antioxidant powerhouse, but the real good stuff is in the mix of nutrients provided by the eggs combined with the bone and muscle building properties contained in the protein powder.

Protein powders have been shown to increase muscle growth and fight degeneration, but they also fight bone loss.
Whey protein even improves some aspects of immune function! One trial showed that whey protein increased blood glutathione levels.

I know some of you are going to be a little turned off by my use of whey because of its obvious links to dairy and casein. I get that and understand it!
There are other protein sources out there but they don’t have the flavour or texture we are seeking for this purpose.

So let’s be real and eat for our condition. Not because the web moans about not drinking milk. Fact is we need the benefits now and should be willing to compromise in the short term for the long-term future good…… I don’t drink milk by the way or consume dairy.

Whey is a tool I use to leverage health benefits and not a whey of life. 😉 It isn’t perfect but it is very very valuable in certain situations and from experience I have to say it does a lot of good.

If we use these substances mindfully, and in combination with other foods that promote health, we can do much more good than just dismissing whole foods groups because the info on healthy individuals points in one direction.
We are not always in the control group and should use all of the resources at our disposal ..where and when appropriate.

For example, there is no point moaning about the dairy aspect of whey if you’re deeply engaged with the deleterious processes of rheumatoid cachexia. You have bigger fish to fry my friends. 😉

The same goes for the use of raw egg yolks!

Eggs contain just about every vitamin and mineral going! To illustrate that point I think it’s worth knowing that there isn’t a mineral you won’t find in bone!
Bones are mineral storehouses, so we should always be mindful to keep them topped up over and above the daily nutritional needs of the body.
Eating organic, clean, fresh eggs is a vital component to getting massive nutrition and a whole range of beneficial compounds we can’t easily get in other foods.

Did you know for example that egg albumin has been shown to help repair DNA? You might want to consider that, and the fact that I’ve been eating raw eggs for over a decade and not once had an issue.

The golden rule when buying and eating raw eggs is to make sure they are super fresh and from a good source. Open them up and have a good look at the yolk. If you see anything that doesn’t look beautiful, bright and yellowy-orange let that one go down the sink and move on to the next.

I will make a video on this because it’s so important, but look fook for the lion brand if you are in the UK.

No one seems to mind a lil raw egg yolk when they’re tasting the cake mix?

Anti-inflammatory bone builder

Turmeric has massive anti-inflammatory properties and when combined with pepper it goes turbo!
The piperine alkaloid in black pepper has a synergistic effect on the disease-fighting oils in the turmeric and brings huge health benefits in many areas. Cancer and inflammation-fighting are just two areas that thousands of real studies have illuminated for us.

Protein and proteases

This smoothie has a mix of proteins from natural and supplement sources. This ensures you get a great spread of bioavailable proteins and amino acids. What’s even better is that the proteases contained in the figs break down the sometimes difficult to digest proteins into smaller chains and make them easier for the body to assimilate.

Now that’s how to do protein shakes!

A note on spoons

For the following reasons I now call a large eating spoon, or dessert spoon, a tablespoon?

Something rather odd has happened in the world of spoons. The advent of the internet has seen the world come together for good, but it has also muddled the naming of spoons. Classically, I guess a tablespoon was a large serving spoon, but that’s not the case in all countries.
So, for sake of clarity, I’d like to point that out that I intend you to use a large heaped eating spoon to measure your cacao.
In the UK we usually call these dessert spoons, they typically have twice the capacity of a teaspoon.

Who knew spoonies would have such problems with everyday eating utensils?