About two weeks ago I was diagnosed with a chronic parasitic infection and a tapeworm, and while I was glad to have something treatable to blame my continuing GI symptoms on, I knew that the only way to efficiently rid myself of my unwelcome house guests was to go on medications.

I go to a wonderful functional medicine doctor and she agreed that with longstanding infections like these, medication was best. I was put on a week long dose of tinidazole and a short course of albenza. I braced myself for the side effects, but in the first few days nothing really happened. I got a weird metallic taste in my mouth from the tinidazole, but outside of that I felt mostly normal. Then, right when I let my guard down… WHAM, it hit me like a ton of bricks. My stomach became so bloated that my skin hurt, I experienced every digestive ailment imaginable and I was exhausted. I also got the worst case of brain fog I have ever experienced. The only thing I can compare it to is getting a concussion, my brain simply wasn’t processing information.

This all lasted about three days. Finally, about two days after I had finished the medication the brain fog started to lift, but my stomach was still a disaster. That is where this smoothie came into play. I have never been a huge fan of smoothies, I always say that I prefer not to drink my meals. I like the act of cooking and chewing and swallowing, the process is as satisfying to me as the food itself. However, after days of non stop digestive agony, solid food was no longer my friend. I needed to go as easy on my stomach as possible, while still actively healing my gut and giving my body adequate nutrition.

I needed healthy fat and protein to fill me up, probiotics and glycine to help me heal, greens for nutrients, and carbs for energy and I needed to be able to drink it. I started to just throw things in my food processor, and low and behold the result was actually quite delicious and very filling. I would still recommend pairing this smoothie with some breakfast sausage and some veggies for a larger and even more well balanced breakfast, but I do have to say that the smoothie alone was surprisingly filling. It has now been about a week since I finished the medication, and I am on the mend, I am sure I will have positive things to report in another post soon! In the meantime I hope you enjoy this nutrient dense smoothie!

AIP Breakfast Smoothie:

Ingredients: 

1 Banana

4-5 Whole Fresh Strawberries

1/3 Cup of Blueberries

1/3 Cup of Fresh Spinach

½ Cup of Kombucha (whatever flavor you choose, I like berry flavors or ginger)

½ Avocado

½ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Powdered Ginger

1 TBS Grass Fed Gelatin (red or green can)

Directions: 

Combine all of your ingredients, except the gelatin, in your blender or food processor and blend until liquid. With the blender or food processor still running, slowly sprinkle your gelatin into your smoothie completely. Serve and enjoy.