We have entered the toy-car-flinging phase and, boy, is it wild. I regularly have to duck for cover as I try and explain that it’s OK to throw balls but it’s not OK to throw cars. This became especially urgent on our flight home from Ireland. No one wants a toy car in the face as they crack open their airline wine. Atticus also spent a long time taking wild animal figures out of their plastic tube and lining them up next to the emergency exit. This was not popular with the air stewards, so he also decided to hide them in other people’s bags. I think I rescued most, but someone on the BA159 went home with a plastic hippo. You’re welcome.

How was Ireland? Well, it was beautiful. Impossibly green. Delightfully cold. Very wet! We ate a lot of potatoes. A lot! I went on cooking strike and we ordered take out every night. It was reasonably healthy, but we were low on the veggies and so we’ve been making up for it ever since. And adding a veggie to our morning smoothie is one of my favourite ways to up the ante.

It’s easy to throw a handful of spinach into a smoothie, and — if you pair it with yellow fruit only — the colour is fantastic. I often add avocado and cucumber, too — the former for good fats and satiety, the latter for a dose of hydrating fibre. Recently though, we have been adding beets as they are heart healthy and handy for boosting exercise performance. They are rich in dietary nitrates — the good kind — which the body converts into nitric oxide. This relaxes and widens blood vessels, enhancing stamina, increasing endurance and reducing workout fatigue.

I actually popped a Berry & Beet smoothie on the Nutrifit smoothie menu at Miles a few months ago. It has totally divided opinion with some people refusing to try and others absolutely loving it. There’s no disguising the earthy taste of beets, but they do well with berries, I promise! We call this one the “Morning After” because of the detox support (beets, berries) and the electrolytes (coconut water.) It’s so delicious and makes you feel squeaky clean from the inside out. Plus the collagen adds an amazing gut-loving, beauty-boosting punch too.

If you’d like to give it a try, pop along to Miles or see the recipe below. As always, smoothie recipes are incredibly flexible, just make sure you always add a source of protein (eg, collagen, protein powder or nut butter) to steady sugar release. Enjoy!

Berry & Beet Morning After Smoothie (makes one)

Ingredients:

1 cup mixed frozen berries

½ small, steam-cooked beet (try the vac-packs from Miles)

1 scoop Great Lakes grass-fed Collagen (Miles)

1 tsp agave

6oz unsweetened coconut water

¾ cup water

Method:

Blend and serve.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda.