It looks like a real frothy cappuccino, coffee-and-milk colored, but in reality it is a smoothie made with plant milk, almonds and cucumbers. The latter, thanks to their very high water content (95%), are able to drain excess fluids from our body, thus greatly combating water retention and the orange-peel effect, therefore cellulite (of course effects are noticeable with consistent daily consumption). Besides this, the cucumber smoothie is also suitable as an energizing snack, thanks to the valuable and satiating almond butter (a product that can be purchased ready-made, or you can make it at home in a few minutes; alternatively you can use whole raw almonds). In any case you will obtain a very tasty drink rich in healthy omega-3 fats, antioxidant, anti-aging at the cellular level, able to help control cholesterol, heart disease and blood sugar.
Detox cucumber and almond smoothie: calories 139 | carbohydrates 5 g | protein 5.9 g | good fats 10.3 g. Suitable as breakfast or mid-afternoon snack, low in calories, low in carbohydrates (low carb), average protein content and higher-than-average fat content; for this reason the smoothie is also suitable for a keto diet.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 144.45 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.12 (g) of which sugars 6.48 (g)
- Proteins 5.62 (g)
- Fat 9.99 (g) of which saturated 0.03 (g)of which unsaturated 0.03 (g)
- Fibers 0.70 (g)
- Sodium 92.80 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 398 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 1 serving
- 3 oz cucumber (weight with skin and without seeds)
- 1 tbsp almond butter (or the same weight of blended almonds)
- 1 teaspoon Matcha green tea (about 3 grams)
- 2/3 cup almond beverage (unsweetened)
- 5 fl oz water (good quality drinking water)
Tools
Preparation of the smoothie
Wash a not-too-large cucumber thoroughly. Without peeling it, cut it lengthwise and remove the central part (the one with the seeds). Place 3 oz of the cucumber in the jar of a blender, add 2/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk + 1 teaspoon of matcha green tea powder (if you don’t have this product you can omit it). Run the motor for a few moments until everything is well blended and frothy. Transfer the smoothie into a large smoothie glass, then add 5 fl oz of cold or iced water (according to your preference).
Trivia
Did you know that cucumbers have an anthelmintic effect?
Indeed, consuming cucumbers can also help expel parasites from inside our body.
Did you know that cucumbers contain tartaric acid?
This is a very valuable acid because it prevents part of the carbohydrates consumed in the same meal from being converted into fat. Thanks to this acid they are simply expelled in the form of carbohydrates.
Did you know that the cucumber and almond smoothie can be turned into a low-calorie recipe by removing just one ingredient?
To prepare the same smoothie in a balanced (low-calorie) version, simply remove the almond butter; this way the fats would drop a lot (from 10.3 g down to 1.7 g) and calories would go from 139 down to 40. Therefore everyone can decide whether to prepare a smoothie for a balanced low-calorie diet or for a ketogenic diet.
Did you know that almonds with their skin have more properties?
Exactly: the brown skin of almonds is a fibrous coating that provides benefits to our body and should never be removed. Therefore, when buying almonds it is good to choose a product with the skin and strictly not roasted.
