BEANS!

What? Yes! Cooked beans along with the “aqua fava” aka the water the beans were cooked in, give you not just incredible protein but also fiber to keep your blood sugar stable. Remember, fiber also helps with cravings, willpower and better elimination (pooping!) There are SO MANY reasons to make fiber your friend. 😉

I’ll be honest, I was super skeptical in the beginning. It just seemed WRONG! Turns out, I was wrong! The beans not only thicken the shake but also add an incredible creaminess. I’d like to take credit for this but I owe the idea to Dr. Alan Christianson who wrote “The Thyroid Reset Diet.” It’s a groundbreaking, research backed approach to thyroid health I discovered when trying to help my daughter manage her Hashimoto’s in hopes of healing her thyroid.
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What kind of beans work?

So far, I have used soft white beans like Great Northern or cannellini beans with much success. You can use canned beans (without salt) or dried ones cooked. Personally, I love to cook dried beans in the Instant Pot. I may venture into trying black beans for my chocolate protein shakes to see how that works out. I don’t see why it wouldn’t since I have made a delicious brownie recipe using black beans instead of flour. No one can tell some of the dark chocolate color is from black beans! They have great flavor and consistency too. 

I add beans to my favorite vegan protein mix, Juice Plus Complete which I drink nearly every morning for sustained energy. Not only is the Complete loaded with fiber (even without the beans) but they are delicious and add even more plants into my diet. Order your own here! Complete