Follow This Simple Formula To Create Fertility Smoothies

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I love smoothies. They're easy to make, portable, and tasty as all get out. You can really pack in the nutrients with very little prep or time.  And each of those nutrients plays a role in improving your health and optimizing your fertility. Smoothies have the potential to be a very powerful food ally in your quest to boost and protect your fertility.

After a headlong dive into fertility smoothie recipes on Pinterest and YouTube, I decided I needed to write this post. One recipe in particular really inspired me to write this. It's one of the most popular fertility smoothie pins I could find and a very popular video on YouTube. It's a great recipe. It really is, but that thing is way too complicated.

It has 13 ingredients. 13! Most of which were powders, medicinal herbs, and supplements. Now you know I'm pro herbs and pro supplements. But food works too! And in my opinion should be the first thing you turn to. Food's easier to find and tends to be less expensive. Plus food has all the beneficial compounds science and the food industry haven’t isolated yet.

The formula I'm sharing below is a food-based fool-proof way to create a smoothie that supports your overall wellness and reproductive health. It focuses on simple, whole food ingredients that:

1. Enhance circulation

2. Deliver key fertility nutrients

3. Support hormone harmony

4. Protect against oxidative stress, promoting egg health

5. Can be tailored to your personal preferences

All you need to do to create a fertility supporting smoothie is blend:

Veggies + Slow Carbs + Healthy Fats + Protein + Herbs and Spices + Liquid

Six ingredients. Endless combinations.

And in some cases, one of your ingredients will provide you with both healthy fat and protein or serve as your veggie and give your body some slow carbs. Who doesn’t love a good twofer?

Veggies

Think root vegetables and leafy greens.  I often refer to these guys as flow nourishers. They increase and improve blood flow, plus they're full of iron, folate, and fiber. 

Iron and folate from plant sources are important for optimal fertility and a healthy pregnancy. Having a daily smoothie with vegetables rich in both is one way to flood your body with those much-needed nutrients.

Beets and other vegetables cause blood vessels to relax so blood can flow more freely to your organs, including your uterus and ovaries. Traditionally, healers would focus on improving blood flow to and from a woman's uterus if she was having trouble getting pregnant or was thinking of getting pregnant. You can easily support proper circulation by eating leafy greens, beets, and nuts, AND by staying physically active. More on that in a future post.

Slow Carbs

Slow carbs can be starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes or high fiber fruit like berries. They add flavor, sweetness, and antioxidants.

Carbs can sometimes get a bad rap in the healthy eating world. Unfairly so. Carbs aren't bad for your health. We need them, but the quality of the carbohydrate source matters. Slow carbs, carbs from high fiber, nutrient rich sources are the way to go for fertility and wellness.

I wrote an entire post on slow carbs and fertility you can read here.

Some of my favorite slow carbs to use in smoothies are:

• blueberries

• blackberries

• pears

• apples

• sweet potatoes

• pumpkin

Fats

Fats help you absorb some of the nutrients in the other ingredients, make your smoothie more filling, and provide the backbone for a lot of the hormones your body needs for reproductive health.

Some of the best healthy fats you can add to your smoothies are:

• flax seeds

• chia seeds

• nuts and nut butters

• avocado

Protein

Protein-rich foods are super important in smoothie recipes. They make them more satisfying, keeping you fuller longer and help to keep your blood sugar steady.

To get protein into your smoothies you can add:

• hempseed

• nuts

• flax, chia, or other seeds

• nut and seed butter

• spirulina

• full-fat Greek yogurt

• milk: non-dairy and whole-fat dairy

• beans

• protein powder

You can also omit them from your smoothie and eat a protein source along with it. I usually don't focus on including a protein in my smoothies. Instead, I just eat scrambled eggs or sausage while I sip my smoothie.

Herbs and spices

While many people focus on exotic (read: expensive, hard to find, and hard to pronounce) herbs when it comes to fertility, the herbs and spices in your kitchen are just as powerful and just as beneficial. Kitchen herbs like ginger, cayenne, and cinnamon are loaded with antioxidants, support blood sugar balance, and enhance circulation. 

Some common herbs you can include in your smoothies are:

• cinnamon

• ginger

• turmeric

• cardamom

• cayenne

• mint

Liquids

When choosing a liquid base for your smoothie, it's smart to opt for low-sugar options. If your liquid also provides protein or vitamins and minerals, great! But it certainly isn't necessary.  

Some of my favorite liquids to use are:

• water

• coconut water

• nut or seed-based milk

• green tea, white tea, or herbal teas (fertility-safe/pregnancy-safe herbal teas, that is.)

• juice

Fertility Smoothie Combinations

Like I said before, the combinations you can create are endless and you definitely don't need recipes. But, if you'd like some suggestions to give a try or get your juices flowing, I've got a few combos here for you.

Spinach + Blueberries + Avocado + Chia Seeds + Cinnamon

Kale + Strawberries + Flaxseed + Full-fat greek yogurt + Ginger

Collard Greens + Peach + Avocado oil + Vanilla Protein Powder + Cayenne pepper

Spinach + Green Apple + Avocado + Spirulina + Parsley

Beets + Pears + Hempseeds + Cardamom

Carrots + Sweet Potatoes + Cashews + Turmeric

See, you don't need powder and juices to create a fertility smoothie. You just need nutritious food and a blender.