This green smoothie is packed with protein, greens, healthy fats and probiotics all while remaining not-too-sweet. The perfect concoction for supporting your gut health and skin.

I’ve been on a morning smoothie kick the past couple of weeks. Does that ever happen to you? When a certain kind of breakfast or snack becomes a daily obsession for a little while? Yeah, that’s this smoothie for me.

I created this smoothie out of the desire for something with lots of greens but not too sweet. But I also decided I wanted to highlight ingredients for nourishing the gut (world’s biggest gut health fan over here) and also skin. A couple months ago I experienced a horrible breakout — which has since cleared right up — but I’ve really been amping up my skin health game as a result. And what’s one of the keys to happy, healthy, clear skin? A happy, healthy gut.

Our digestive system is the foundation for whole body health and you bet the state of our skin is closely linked to what’s goin’ on inside of us. I’ll share more details soon about what exactly caused my skin to go haywire (hint: it’s food related), but for now, let’s dive into this smoothie and why its ingredients are so powerful for our gut and skin.

Green Smoothie Benefits for Gut & Skin Health

• Avocado: a fantastic source of monounsaturated fats for blood sugar balance and cellular health
• Flax seeds: great source of gut-healthy fibre to keep things running smoothly and essential anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids
• Hemp seeds: rich in fibre, omega-3 fats, and plant-based protein. All three combined help to regulate our appetite.
• Collagen peptides: rich in protein (amino acids) and collagen to support skin, joints, bones, and gut lining
• Coconut (non-dairy) yogurt: a great source of friendly probiotic bacteria for digestive support
• Leafy greens: rich in essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium

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How to Make this Green Smoothie

Coconut yogurt (plain and unsweetened) can usually be found in the regular milk/yogurt section of your grocery store, or in a health food aisle, depending on which store you go to. I like the brands President’s choice, Maison Riviera and Silk, or make it homemade. I highly recommend using non-dairy yogurt for this recipe instead of Greek or other cow’s milk-based yogurts. If you’ve been experiencing any digestive woes or acne, reducing or eliminating dairy is wise.

Note: you can also pop open a probiotic capsule and add it to this smoothie as an alternative to using coconut yogurt.

Collagen peptides are a great protein-rich addition to this smoothie, adding a lovely creaminess but no particular flavour. However, it’s optional if you’d rather omit. Collagen is sourced from bovine or other animal hides and can be purchased in powder form. I like the brands Vital Proteins and Great Lakes.

Note: Alternatively (or additionally), you can use a vanilla or unflavoured plant-based protein powder. I recommend Pure Lean, Vega One, or Hemp Yeah by Manitoba Harvest. Vanilla protein powder adds a really nice flavour to this smoothie.

The base for this smoothie is an unsweetened non-dairy milk. I usually have a carton of almond or coconut milk in my fridge if I’ve not made a homemade batch. You can also use cashew or hemp milk or another of your choice, fresh or store-bought.

All you need to make this smoothie is a blender. Hopefully one that blends really well! I personally use the Vitamix as I enjoy smoothies (and other recipes) that are blended as “smoothly” as possible without chunks or grit. Add all ingredients to your blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds.

Leave me a comment below or tag me @meghanlivingstone on Instagram to share your smoothie creations!