On our goat farm in Wales we have 70 goats, 10 employees, a big family and a business to run. Mornings are busy, and things have to work – fast!

A typical scene for Shann on the Chuckling Goat farm!

So, here’s what I do in the mornings, to get kefir down my sceptical husband and son. This smoothie, plus a handful of walnuts, will keep everyone going until lunchtime.

(for kids and picky-folks-who-won’t-drink-anything-that-doesn’t-taste-good)

Ingredients per person – multiply as needed

• 170ml kefir
• 1 banana
• ¼ tsp stevia
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

The banana has selenium, which is the best antioxidant to prevent or reduce aging due to oxidation, and required by the skin for healing burn injuries and other skin conditions.

Stevia is brilliant stuff – the only sweetener that I recommend to combine with kefir – or to use at all, for that matter.

It’s also great to have around the house for breakouts – mix stevia with a bit of water and apply the concentrate directly to any blemish, acne outbreak, lip or mouth sore. Stevia concentrate is also effective when used on seborrhea, dermatitis and eczema. Cuts and scratches heal more rapidly when stevia concentrate is applied.

Bananas are better to mix with the kefir than oranges or berries, as the kefir is already quite acidic. The goats milk kefir gives you the multi-strain probiotic immune boost you need to heal your gut, which is necessary to heal the skin.

Lovely side benefit of kefir: an energy boost! It also suppresses sugar cravings, gives a nice feeling of fullness and banishes anxiety and depression. I do notice the difference if I don’t have mine every single day! (And sometimes, on a bad day, I have two… shhh, don’t tell… ; )

And of course, coconut oil is brilliant for everything. When you eat coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides (healthy fats) deposit under the skin, keeping it healthy and smooth, giving an even tone and reducing the appearance of the pores.

Hardcore Good Skin Smoothie

Ingredients per person

• 170ml goats milk kefir
• 1 banana
• Handful of kale/chard/spinach
• 1 tbsp of hemp protein powder
• 1 tbsp of maca powder
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

Chia seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon, and they combat acne and wrinkles, help promote smooth skin and keep your hair, nails and metabolism in good shape.

Hemp protein powder contains the 9 essential amino acids your body needs to heal and produce glowing new skin cells. Maca powder aids in the treatment of hormone-related acne, and chard, kale and spinach have betacarotene – a powerful antioxidant that helps repair and renew your skin to give it a youthful glow.

Anyhow, does my Good Skin Smoothie taste good? Not particularly. But boy, do I skip around the kitchen with an energy buzz about ten minutes after I’ve downed it! Set me up and gets me ready for my busy day… well worth getting it down my neck!

Have a great day everyone!

Shann x

Shann Nix Jones is the author of #1 Amazon bestseller Secrets from Chuckling Goat: How a Herd of Goats Saved my Family and Started a Business that Became a Natural Health Phenomenon. Her next book, The Good Skin Guide, is due out from Hay House in 2017. Read more about the science behind kefir and natural healing for skin on Shann’s blog, thefarmerswife.wales