Blueberry-Cucumber Smoothie

I have smoothies everyday, but with a pea protein for my first breakfast at 7a.m. Is Pea protein ok for the Elimination Diet? If so at what phase? I am in week 1 of the diet.

Hi Ali,
I have two questions:

First, how much of this is a "serving"? I made some up last night to have in fridge for breakfast this morning. It filled two 500ml Mason jars. My husband & I each took one with us when we left the house this morning. I was wondering if the (almost) 500ml is a good serving size, or whether it should only be half of that (i.e. the recipe makes four servings).

Second, I notice you don't include nutritional information (calories, grams of sugar, etc.) with your recipes. I see from reading some of the other recipes that your husband is a nutritionist. Could he add that information? I'm especially curious for this recipe.

Thanks!

How did I miss this before? It goes on the list.

I notice that your recipes do not contain a serving size.. Are the recipes written as single-servings??

Thanks!
Lori

Sarah - Thanks for your comment and concerns. The Elimination Diet is to help people uncover trigger foods that are causing persistent, and otherwise untreatable, health issues. This is not a weight loss diet (though many people do indeed lose weight while on the diet). Sometimes these health issues have been going on for years in many people and they have not been able to figure out the cause even after years of medical care. It could be a persistent rash, chronic constipation, headaches, mood swings, depression, arthritis, painful digestion, etc. Sometimes the culprits are cashews, bananas, or sesame and often the cause can be more well-known like gluten or dairy. These foods are not bad, they just cause a reaction in some people that may not even last their entire lifetime. The diet is a way to become more connected to the food we eat and how we feel afterwards. This way we are more inclined to make choices that support our own health and well-being on a daily basis.

This diet certainly isn't for everyone. We would never recommend it for someone with an eating disorder. I agree with you that a balance of fats, carbohydrates (including grains for many people), fruits, vegetables, proteins, and natural sugars keeps us healthy and strong. If you look through the recipes on my blog you'll see that I support this notion.

Also, the information about the Elimination Diet presented here on our blog is only to support the detailed diet in our book. All of the pertinent information regarding the diet, including the length of each phase, and the recipes, are all in the book. This post explains it all in the first few paragraphs: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/01/elimination-and-detoxification-diet-its.html

Hope this clarifies it for you. -Ali :)

Hi, I was looking over your elimination diet, and it seems a little off to me. When you talk about when a person stops eating everything but the green smoothies,that will cause uncomfort, and symtoms that you describe that come with reintroducing certain foods. I know for a fact that stopping eating cold turkey (except smoothies) will lead to headaches. I reazile that some people really are allergic to gluten, soy, etc, but for the most part, people most people aren't, and discomfort comes from over eating, or eating too much "junk" food. I heard about this site, and diet, from a friend, and it really bothered me. I've had an eating disorder (I'm 19), and I have been getting a lot of help from doctors and a psycologist, and I have tried eating in a similar way to your diet (eating mostly vegetables, and fresh fruit, cutting out grains, and excess sugars and meats). I am seeing an eating disorder specialist, and she has been gradually introducing me to these foods again. As long as I am cutting out entire food groups, etc I am being monitored. It has been hard and scary, but as I have been eating more, I have been feeling much better, and been able to do so much more physically and mentally. What I'm getting at is that I think it is misleading to present diets like this to people that cut out certain foods etc. I think that girls like myself can be led to believe that certain foods are bad, and that we need to stop eating them, which can lead to a very restrictive diet, that can become smaller and smaller as time progresses, and in this world of skinny models, actresses etc, an eating disorder can develop. I don't believe you give enough information about this diet, or address its nutritional value in depth at all on your website. You do not give a complete diet for someone to base all thier food consumption on, which I believe is necessary if you are going to claim that you have a diet for people to base thiet eating habits off of. I've been learning that there is a place for all different foods in the human body, and that most are needed to be healthy. Carbs, protein, fats, (sugars, fruits, vegetables, grains etc). Eveything I say might not be right, or something that you believe, but I hope you will take this into consideration because I know there are many other girls out there like myself, and sometimes diets, and health information can be misconstrued.
Thanks, Sarah

This was GREAT!! We tried it tonight and the whole family loved it! At first we just did the recipe with the water and it was good, but the cucumber flavor was strong. I didn't have any apple juice (and did not want to take the time to juice any apples! :-) so I just put it back on the VitaMix and added two apples (sliced but not peeled). It was delicious!!!

~Stephani

I made it a few days ago (though with a little less apple juice, as I like a thicker smoothie). Delicious! I have already bought more blueberries and cucumber for the next one!

I was also wondering about peeling the cucumber, because you talked about the nutrients so much in your book. I'm going to try this smoothie without peeling it...

Thanks Ali -

I used green grapes and water instead of apple juice and it turned out very refreshing.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Cindysue - Yes, a small amount of dates are ok, however, if you are looking to sweeten up the smoothies, try adding an extra ripe peach or pear.

Elise - I thought the peel might create to much "bitterness" but certainly by leaving it on you increase the nutrients in the smoothie tremendously! :) Let me know how it turns out.

I love the variations some of you created, mmmm, yummy! :)

I wouldn't have thought of this combination together but it sounds great. thanks!

This was simple and delish both as a smoothie and as a popsicle!

We also tried it again, this time adding a few things my 5 yr old came across - watermelon, apricot, and kale. ~ also good, though I think I love the just blue and cuke one a bit better!

Looks wonderful. My favorite smoothies have blueberries in them!! I will make this one for sure.
Peace and Raw Health,
E

Oh this sounds so refreshing right now!! What a great flavor combination with cucumbers and blueberries together....yum!!

Now this is weird. The husband and I are planning on starting the elimination diet in a couple weeks so I've been thinking about smoothie combos. And just last night I was pondering what a blueberry cucumber smoothie would taste like. Now I'll defnitely have to give it a try. :)

Wow, Ali, it looks fantastic! I love the three ingredients idea. :-) Such gorgeous photos of your girls ... they are growing up so!

Hope you're having a wonderful, wonderful summer!

Hugs,
Shirley

Hi Ali,

I stumbled upon your site recently and have really enjoyed looking at your recipes! This smoothie looks really refreshing and yummy - I was wondering if it is necessary to peel the cucumber, and if it would be beneficial to just leave it unpeeled? I have just started experimenting with green smoothies and like to try to leave skin on if possible for added good vegetable fiber.

Thanks so much! -Elise

Yum! I will make this for a treat today. Thanks for the inspiration.
xo

Could we add dates to our green smoothies during the elimination diet?

that does sound good actually! I might give it a try :)
The picture of Lilly is AMAZING! You are making big improvements with your photography!