Don't knock it until you've tried it! Avocado may sound like something only fit for guacamole and anything on a menu with the word "California" in it, but the avocado really makes this smoothie great. If you can look past the fact that the main component of the best chip dip ever is in this smoothie, and the blackberry seeds, it makes an amazing, delicious, and healthy breakfast! Like all other berries, blackberries are full of cancer fighting antioxidants. The pineapple and lemon juice are chock full of Vitamin C and citrus actually helps burn fat better than most other foods. Even though avocado has received a bad reputation for being a high fat food, these fats are actually good for you. The fats in avocado have been shown to help fight inflammation, particularly with arthritis. Not to mention, avocado is high in Vitamin A.
Recently I've been reading a lot of different books, articles, and blogs about vegan nutrition. There's the meat lovers, who think it's extreme and impossible to be healthy. And on the other extreme, there are the vegans who believe you should not have any oil, sugar, salt, any processed foods of any kind and that includes vegan ones. It's been really disheartening to think that when I have a quarter of an avocado on my sandwich that that may be the reason the weight isn't falling off easily any more. And that's when I realized that this journey is my journey. I have all the tools to know what is good for my body and what isn't. The reality is that while it may work for another vegan to exclude avocados from their diet completely, that is never going to work for me. Early this week my boyfriend said something I think I need to include in the way I think about my health.
"What's the point, if you can't enjoy it?"
He's absolutely right. If I want to eat avocado, I'm going to. (Besides, it's good for you.) But I do know, that everything in moderation. I'm still learning what works for my body. And if being SOS (sugar oil salt) free works for you, that's fantastic. But it doesn't work for me. I'm getting healthier every day and learning more and more about myself along the way.
Now that I'm done ranting, on to that smoothie you all came to see ;)
Blackberry Avocado Smoothie
Ingredients
1 Cup of Blackberries
1/2 Small Avocado
1/2 Cup of unsweetened Pineapple Juice
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla
Directions
1. Add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until ridiculously creamy and delicious. Enjoy!
P.S. The avocado adds little flavor to this smoothie. It just makes it ultimately creamy ;)
Vegan cheese is a bit of a struggle for me. Homemade cashew cheeses and cauliflower dip cheeses can be low fat and relatively healthy. But the store bought vegan cheeses like Daiya are high in fat and really not that better than actual cheese, except no animals were harmed in its making. The benefit to vegan cheese like Daiya is that it has the texture of regular cheese. So I allow myself to have it in small quantities every once in awhile. At least until I find a better alternative..JPG)
Don't knock it until you've tried it! Avocado may sound like something only fit for guacamole and anything on a menu with the word "California" in it, but the avocado really makes this smoothie great. If you can look past the fact that the main component of the best chip dip ever is in this smoothie, and the blackberry seeds, it makes an amazing, delicious, and healthy breakfast! Like all other berries, blackberries are full of cancer fighting antioxidants. The pineapple and lemon juice are chock full of Vitamin C and citrus actually helps burn fat better than most other foods. Even though avocado has received a bad reputation for being a high fat food, these fats are actually good for you. The fats in avocado have been shown to help fight inflammation, particularly with arthritis. Not to mention, avocado is high in Vitamin A. 
