Yikes, Friday the 13th. Have we all got our day started OK? No dropped coffees or unlucky disasters?

I’m not remotely superstitious but also wondering if I’m tempting fate by saying that … so does that make me superstitious after all? Probably!

As of right now, everything in our domestic life is running smoothly. I’m sitting on the porch after work, in the slightly chilly breeze (at last!) with a cup of hot herbal tea, listening to the kids run about with the dog.

With our international newsfeeds full of chaos and devastation, the clarity I have around the sheer luck of life experience through the accident of where you are born – and indeed who you are born to – is especially crystal clear.

It makes it seem odd then, to tap away about dietary improvements and I feel conscious that comparatively, it seems so frivolous.

And yet I also know that good nutrition is a fundamental that has the power to impact people’s lives in a meaningful way. We are just so lucky to be in a position to notice, prioritise and act on it.

I was invited into a school earlier this week to talk a little about my work to help them celebrate International Girls’ Day.

We were going to do some hands-on smoothie-making too, so I set about rewriting my adult guidelines for Upper Primary level.

I thought I’d share them with you here so, for those of you with kids or other young people in your lives, you can share the secrets to making sure smoothies stay a healthy option (instead of the sugar-bombs they sometimes turn out to be)!

You’ll see below that I’ve suggested adding a dash of honey if the smoothie isn’t sweet enough.

It’s not that I think honey is a healthy option, but it’s something you can easily gradually reduce as taste buds adjust.

My favourite recipe below is the Blue Bananas option. The blue is brilliantly blue, due to the Blue Majik spirulina supplement.

It’s so nice to be able to get such an intense pigment from a natural source – and most kids find the blue colour a real novelty!

It’s in stock at Miles (in the Nutrifit section) so if you’re curious, pick some up and have some fun with it this weekend.

Guidelines to healthy smoothies:

Easy on the fruit

This sounds odd, given that you are making a smoothie. Fruit is healthy and rich in antioxidants (which support your immune system) but it also contains natural sugars and it’s easy to overdo it. Try and stick to 1.5 cups of fruit per person, max.

Pair higher-sugar fruit with low-sugar fruit

If you were to make a banana, pineapple and mango smoothie you would have a big hit of natural sugars – those are some of the sweetest fruits right there! If you choose one of these, then mix it with peach or berries instead which are lower in sugar.

Note that ripeness also determines sweetness (the riper the fruit, the more sugar there is) so be careful not to use overripe fruit like brown bananas.

Add some extra fibre

A great way to steady sugar release (which means better long-lasting energy) is to add extra fibre to your smoothie. You could add ground flax seed, chia seeds, a tablespoon of oats, a big handful of greens like spinach or even some cucumber. Get creative!

Add some protein

Another brilliant ingredient for prolonging energy. If you opt for a protein powder, check the portion size as you only need about 10g – as a reference point, one egg has 6g. If you pick whey protein, always go for grass-fed whey.

If you pick plant-based protein, make sure you avoid soy and preferably choose sprouted plant-based proteins which are better absorbed. However you don’t have to use a powder, try adding a teaspoon of almond butter and/or hemp seeds instead.

Choose a good mixer

Using fruit juice as a mixer will make the sugar content skyrocket! The problem with lots of sugar is that, although it tastes nice, it can make you feel tired and irritable afterwards. If you use a milk, go for organic cow’s milk or a plant-based option such as almond milk and always choose unsweetened. If you don’t like milk, then try just using water.

Not sweet enough?

It’s important to enjoy what you make and it can take a while for your taste buds to adjust to using less fruit or juice. If you need to, gradually reduce these things so that the difference isn’t so noticeable straight away.

If you do use a protein powder, many options are sweetened with stevia, which will help to keep your smoothie tasting sweet, without increasing the actual sugar. If you make the green or berry smoothie, you may want to add a dash of honey, but see what it’s like without it first! If you do use honey, maybe split the smoothie with someone else – keeping portion sizes small is always helpful too.

Consider adding collagen

I’m a big fan of collagen as it’s so helpful for skin, hair, nails, bone density, joint health and gut health. You’ll need a hydrolysate that dissolves well.

My favourite is the unflavoured Great Lakes collagen peptides from Miles, which is really good quality and dissolves well. Note that after a while, collagen can thicken your smoothie so if you don’t want it to turn solid (like jello!) then drink it soon after making it.

Try these recipes but get creative and try your own combinations!

Green Goodness

1 cup frozen banana

½ cup frozen peach

1 handful spinach (or more!)

1 tsp almond butter or 1 scoop protein powder

Milk of your choice

Dash of honey if need be

Blue Bananas

¾ cup frozen banana

¾ cup frozen peach

1 small scoop vanilla protein (we love Garden of Life organic sport)

1 tsp hemp seeds

1 stick Blue Majik spirulina

Milk of your choice

Blueberry Bonanza

1 cup frozen banana

½ cup frozen blueberries

1 tsp almond butter

1 tsp hemp seeds

Milk of your choice

Dash of honey if need be.

• Always consult your GP with health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified clinical nutritionist. Follow Nutrifit & Natural Nutrition Bermuda on Facebook and @naturalbda on Instagram