Calcium Packed Smoothies

I love a good smoothie as a workout recovery as well as a healthy sweet alternative.  Typically I will use almond milk as the base.  But with all of the information out there I am sure there are more people confused about dairy consumption.  Should we continue with dairy from a cow or switch to non-dairy alternatives? There are many strong arguments naturally, for dairy consumption to acquire our daily calcium requirements.  On the contrary, there are many strong arguments against dairy for which it is recommended that we get our calcium requirements in plant form.  The bottom line: we need calcium! Calcium helps to:

• build strong bones and teeth
• promote muscle and nerve function
• clot blood
• activate enzymes needed to convert food into energy

So what are my thoughts on whether we should consume dairy products derived from a cow or a non-dairy alternative and other plant sources? My thoughts tend to sway depending on what I am reading and what experts are influencing my recommendations that day.  One thing is for sure, I stick with the organic sources of dairy.

My daughter is not much of a dairy girl, unless it’s ice cream.  My son on the other hand, loves his milk and tends to love my almond milk the best.  My husband grew up in Puerto Rico and often drank goats milk.  His views are a bit different from mine and I am not the food police, towards anyone in my life.  So, to make it easy for me, I make my family calcium packed smoothies.  I use Juice Plus+ Complete smoothie mix because it is a plant-based drink mix and is the only mix that will agree to my GI tract.  Here is one of our favorite recipes:

 

Calcium Smoothie:

1 scoop vanilla JuicePlus+ Complete

1 cup vanilla almond milk, unsweetened

1 T honey

Blend, then add:

1 handful of raw, organic kale

1 handful of raw, organic baby spinach

Blend, then add:

1 frozen banana

4-5 chunks of frozen mango

Blend, then add: crushed ice to consistency

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!