Nikki Yelton is an Integrative & Functional Medicine Registered Dietitian Nutritionist serving clients worldwide. She offers a personalized functional medicine approach to helping women with GI distress and autoimmune conditions to get to the root cause of the symptoms holding them back so that they can start living the extraordinary life they dream of with more energy, purpose, and joy!
I’ve been excited for St. Patty’s Day this year because I’ve perfected a delicious gut healthy Shamrock Shake recipe that I’m so excited for you to try!
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I’ve been excited for St. Patty’s Day this year because I’ve perfected a delicious gut healthy Shamrock Shake recipe that I’m so excited for you to try!
Of all the fun green food items we enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day, the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is a staple. It’s thick, minty, green, and absolutely delicious! The thing is, this green sweet treat is packed with ingredients that wreak havoc on our gut and our health in general.
A medium size shake has 560 calories which is typically the amount of an average meal… yikes. And aside from calories (because calories are not what determine whether a food is healthy), the famous McDonald’s Shamrock Shake has—
… 72 grams of sugar (which is about double a can of coca-cola)
… 10 grams of saturated fat (which is 48% of our daily value)
… Tons of high fructose corn syrup
… And preservatives such a sodium benzoate
As I’m sure you’re aware, this isn’t great for your health if you’re struggling with gut issues or an autoimmune condition.
High fructose corn syrup and toxins such as preservatives ravage our gut bacteria. According to recent studies, high concentrations of fructose actually alters the gut bacteria and is a major cause of dysbiosis.
Your gut is full of anti-inflammatory AND pro-inflammatory microbes. It’s been proven that fructose is a significant trigger that promotes intestinal leakage (AKA leaky gut), an increase in pro-inflammatory gut bacteria, suppression of anti-inflammatory gut bacteria, and reduction of their overall diversity.
This creates a major gut imbalance and triggers symptoms of autoimmunity.
But don’t let this get you down! If you enjoy sipping on that sweet minty green shake, this tasty gut-healthy & autoimmune-friendly Shamrock Shake will satisfy the famous St. Patty’s craving AND your gut will thank you.
My favorite Shamrock Shake recipe includes:
Green vegetables
Fiber
Healthy fats
And quality protein
It’s naturally sweet due to the raw honey and banana and has a kick of minty flavor! And don’t worry… it still has that beautiful green color to keep with the St. Patty’s spirit.
This delicious Shamrock Shake recipe calls for vanilla protein powder. My absolute FAVORITE protein for this one is this Equip Prime Protein. It contains 21g of bioavailable protein from grass fed beef. It has such simple ingredients with no added chemicals, fillers, binding agents or artificial coloring or sweeteners. You can grab 15% off using code nikkiyeltonrd at checkout. Hope you love it as much as I do!
As you know, what you put in your body fuels your gut. But just because you’re working toward a healthy, symptom-free life, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun!
I love that you can enjoy this treat as a meal because we balance it with the right amount of protein, fat, and carbs! No judgment if this Shamrock Shake is on repeat for breakfast over the next few weeks.
No honey: Use maple syrup, dates, or extra bananas to sweeten instead
Like it creamy: Add another 1/4 avocado for extra creaminess
Toppings: Add coconut whip with cacao nibs and a fresh mint leaf
Keywords: green smoothie, smoothie, shamrock shake, green shake
I always love to experiment and share health centered alternatives to classic treats so you can feel at ease knowing you’re taking part in the celebration WHILE boosting your nutrients. If you try this one, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
"When it comes to balancing our body, healing the gut, reversing autoimmunity, and achieving optimal health—we are a lot like a car that won’t run right. In order to fix the problem once and for all instead of relying on jumper cables, we must get underneath the hood, run the diagnostics, and replace the battery so that it runs good as new."
-Nikki Yelton, RD
a note from nikki:
If you are ready to stop wasting precious time, get off the never-ending hamster wheel, and finally surrender trying to figure things out on your own—this is your moment.
You don’t have to settle for just getting by and hoping tomorrow is a better day. We both know you are a woman who deserves better and are made for so. much. more.
are you ready?
Ready to resolve your GI distress, reverse autoimmunity, and live your extraordinary life?
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