Rich kefir smoothie

This rich kefir smoothie combines the benefits of a probiotic with the phytonutrients in greens; a super-smorgasbord of flavours.

There is a general resistance from the public to the taste of kefir; it is quite sour. There are two solutions; immediately it curdles after a few hours put it into the fridge and secondly use raw-milk.

Or just make a smoothie; the banana and honey smother the sourness. Turn it into a complete breakfast without using various protein powders and shakes.

Kefir

There is a massive amount of research coming out on the importance of what is known as the microbiome. Those profoundly friendly bacteria, viruses and protozoans that live in the intestine; and many different yeast cells too. In fact the colon is being called the second-brain.

Along with a nucleus in the brain the microbiome produces dopamine, the "happy hormone."

If you can scramble eggs then you can learn how to make kefir; it takes just five minutes each morning. Actually once the normal-flora have been reestablished you need to have it only twice a week; or even less.

These microorganisms produce a wide array of neurotransmitters for both the body and the brain; for example, more than half of the dopamine that is so important to keep us from getting Parkinson's disease.

This community of friendly bugs is seriously affected by our modern foods, antibiotics and especially artificial-sweeteners.

So it behooves us to regularly take a natural probiotic that can be prepared very simply at home. It is quite sour so we make it rather more palatable in this rich kefir smoothie.

If you still find it too sour, replace half the kefir with almond or oats-milk, for example. Never be locked into a recipe; be creative and make it your own.

Read more about the profound kefir benefits that are enjoyed by those who will regularly make five-minutes to improve the wellness of their intestines. On a personal note it cured in just one week, fifteen years of severe stomach pain from a Helicobacter infection that would not respond to antibiotics.

Kefir can be made without milk if you have an aversion to dairy but then you have to use a lot of sugar; I wouldn't. Raw honey would probably work.

Kefir incidentally is one of the richest sources of calcium for stronger bones. Never take the mineral in tablet form by the way unless you are very active; it just ends up in the inner lining of the arteries, raising the prevalence of heart disease and dementia^[1].

Coconut cream

Coconut cream is a slightly controversial food; it is high in cholesterol but from a vegetable source. As long as you are having a well-rounded diet with plenty of coloured foods you need have no fear of it in my opinion; others think differently. Have you blood tested if you are unsure.

I have some virtually every day, mostly in our butternut soup or one of these rich kefir smoothies. And my cholesterol is actually on the low side; but that is only an anecdote and of no scientific-value.

Scientists actually are finding that the amount of cholesterol-rich food you eat has little influence on your blood profile. It's the refined carbs that are the devil.

Dark-green leafy vegetables

Just google the power of dark green leafy vegetables and you will realise why they are so important; but really they are rather tasteless and here we dicky them up in this rich kefir smoothie. In the photo above you can see spinach, kale and beet tops; and the herb bloody-sorrel. There are many to choose from obviously.

I de-vein them if old but really there is no need to do that if you can use the extra fibre for you know what; and they contain more nitrate which is good for blood pressure.

I have been fascinated by the Blue Zone people who regularly live to vibrant old-age, so I strongly advocate growing your own veggies. These were picked half an hour ago; the difference is amazing but you will never know that until you test out your green thumb.

Seeds or nuts

We will often add different nuts or seeds, freshly-ground, to our smoothies. Sometimes I might even use a little tahini, made from sesame; too much and you will overpower the other more subtle flavours. They are on most nutritionists' top functional foods lists. 

Natural honey

I am passionate on the subject of how the food industry ruins good nutrition and flavour; it affects natural honey as compared with that bought from the supermarket too. It is a heat-labile product that is spoiled by warming and filtration, or being irradiated.

As you open a bottle of natural honey to add to your rich kefir smoothie you will be stunned by the fragrance of literally millions of flowers that greets you. To get it you will either have to start beekeeping, my best hobby, or find a person in your neighbourhood who does not ruin it.

Rich kefir smoothie

Rich kefir smoothie makes for a happy tum by helping to maintain the myriad of swarming-bugs in the intestine, and giving them plenty of fibre to feed on. Here we enjoy it for breakfast with Eggs Hilton.

Long Covid

The definition of "long Covid" remains contradictory largely perhaps because current tests are so unreliable with many false negatives. It would seem that after three weeks only roughly one-third of those infected have returned to their previous level of wellness;

And after ninety days 10% of people are still suffering from prolonged illness characterised by fatigue and breathlessness^[2].

A smaller group have "thromboembolic complications;" a clot forming, often in the lungs, causing more severe breathlessness.

Breathlessness is a common symptom of those infected with C-19, especially in those with raised blood-glucose; the obese and diabetics. Fat cells release a highly inflammatory chemical called a cytokine that effects the capillaries of the lungs especially, but all tissues in the body. That is why they suffer from so much more pain in their muscles and joints than those whose weight is within normal limits.

This cytokine storm is what causes the thrombo-embolic complications of the virus so frequently experienced by the obese, killing many of them.

The good news is that those with a normal microbiome are far less likely to suffer from Long Covid^[3]. Enjoy a rich kefir smoothie regularly.

Autoimmune diseases

Researchers from the much trusted National Institutes have found that levels of a pernicious type of antibody in the blood called an ANA that attacks our normal cells have nearly tripled in the last 24-years in teenagers in particular^[5].

Normal antibodies are proteins that the body makes to defend itself against invading viruses and bacteria; ANAs attack your own tissues instead of protecting them, causing what is known as an autoimmune disease like lupus or multiple-sclerosis.

Gut-derived dopamine has a decisive role to play, regulating the immune response of our cells. Enjoy this rich kefir smoothie daily.

Dopamine

Dopamine has this critical role to play in our immune response to both invading viruses and the ANA antibody that attacks our own tissues. It is produced in a group of cells in the brain called the Substantia Nigra and peripherally by the epithelium of the gut. A deficiency of this neurotransmitter also causes Parkinson's disease. 

Over and above this rich kefir smoothie a person can also enjoy Eggs Parkinson's Disease daily; broad beans are one of the few sources of pharmaceutical amounts of L-dopa, the precursor of this vitally important neurotransmitter.

It is well known that improperly digested proteins that have not been completely broken up into individual amino-acids can then enter the blood stream; they are one of the causes of these very serious diseases.

Blue Zone people eat only sourdough bread; the protein in gluten is predigested even before putting a slice in one's mouth.

Probiotics like this rich kefir smoothie greatly enhance the well-being of the gut, improving digestion and reducing inflammatory bowel-disease.

Fusobacterium

Studies have shown that people with colorectal cancer were five times more likely to have the nasty bug fusobacterium in their stool compared to healthy folk. Red meat daily, food low in fiber and artificial sweeteners have all been fingered.

Flooding the gut regularly with friendly bacteria such as found in a rich kefir smoothie should be the first line of defense.

The rate of CRC in young people has doubled in the last 25 years; one in five cases are in those under the age of 55. Alerting signs are constipation, rectal bleeding or sudden change in bowel movements.

• How to get more fiber
  

More smoothies

• Nutritious berry smoothies
• Perfect butternut smoothie
• Carrot smoothie
  

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