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Peace be upon you. My name is Mustafa Seale, I am 25-year-old sushi chef, and over the past few years have been working in the restaurant industry while attending college in northern California. As a result of my experiences, I have developed a smoothie recipe to promote sustained health. This smoothie can also be for those who wish to regain weight or nutrients lost during a long period of fasting, such as Ramadan, or after a juice cleanse, in a way that is easy on the body’s digestive system.

During this past month of Ramadan, I was reminded of a passage from the Quran which states, “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you so that you may learn self-restraint.”

Being aware of what we ingest is a great way of exercising self restraint which is essential in living a healthy life. This particular recipe is one that is vegan, low calorie, local, organic, gluten-free, delicious and nutrient-dense. It can be beneficial for those who are in the practice of being mindful of what they consume on a daily basis, be it from the experience of Ramadan or for those who practice this level of mindfulness as a lifelong commitment.

Clean Eating During Ramadan – The Kojo Nnamdi Show

The way these smoothies work is based on a principle I learned while studying nutrition: they save the body energy by breaking down blended ingredients before they are ingested. By using a blender to skip this step we then have surplus calories from the last meal for more energy. Once the ingredients of the smoothie are blended and broken down, the nutrients are made more absorbable into the blood stream! It gives the digestive system a small break. This is the secret of blending. Now, the only challenge is incorporating ingredients that are helpful and nutritious. Here are two sets of smoothie ingredients:

The Chia Fruit Smoothie

Blend:
1 peach
1 pear
1 peeled apple
2 peeled bananas
2 oz of chia seeds
18 oz coconut water
6 oz almond milk
1 handful mixed nuts (try walnuts, cashews and almonds)
3 tbs of organic peanut butter
6 pitted dates
3 tbs of agave or local honey

The Chia Fruit Smoothie (Ironman/Ironwoman Edition)

Follow the recipe above but add…

6 leaves kale
12 leaves spinach
1-2 tbs spirulina powder
12 oz Acai juice
1 lemon
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
2-3 pieces of dried fruits (try Turkish apricot, mango, apple, peach or pear)
Peeled ginger to taste

For blenders, I recomment Ninja or Nutri-bullet. Contact me at noustafa89@gmail.com for more information or follow me on Twitter at @smoothiekhalifa.