Green smoothies deserve a high five for their ability to provide your daily veggies as painlessly as possible. Adding a banana can mask the taste of greens like kale and spinach. I make sure my bananas are covered with brown spots before using as they are easier to digest than unripe and even yellow bananas. This ripening process allows resistant starch to be converted to simple sugars. For PCOS this is a bit of a catch-22 because spotty bananas will cause less bloating and have greater cancer fighting properties, however they are also higher in glycemic load than yellow bananas. Having said this, a very ripe banana is still considered low on the glycemic index.
Ingredients:
- 1 very ripe banana (pre-frozen)
- 1/2 avocado
- 2 handfuls of kale or spinach, organic if possible
- 1 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 chunk of ginger
- 1 scoop plant-based protein powder
- 1/2 to 1 cup water (depending how strong your blender is)
How to:
- Throw all ingredients in blender for a quick and easy breakfast or snack.
PCOS Powers:
- ginger = anti-inflammatory, may help decrease fasting blood glucose and HbA1c
- flax seeds = contain lignans which may increase sex hormone-binding globulin therefore lower blood testosterone levels, may lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals
- spinach/kale = high in calcium which helps alkalize acidity caused by inflammation and impaired glucose tolerance, high in magnesium which helps maintain insulin and glucose levels and can relieve painful periods (more kale benefits here)
- avocado = helps lower LDL “bad” cholesterol, low on the glycemic index, high in fiber, & high in B-complex vitamins which combat stress
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