Smoothies are one of the best beverages to drink after a yoga session because of their nutrient-dense ingredients. Doing so allows you to get a hefty dose of vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fats all from one drink! Besides being very nutritious, smoothies taste great and are also very easy to prepare.
To make your basic smoothie, all you need is a cup of fruits, a cup of vegetables and a liquid to help mix everything up. You can also throw in some nuts and seeds for added flavour. Try this lovely berry, banana and mango smoothie:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries – these tiny berries have long been known to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They are a rich source of antioxidants – substances that help reduce oxidation in our bodies – thereby fighting off diseases such as cancer. Using frozen fruit helps to thicken up smoothies, giving them a nice milkshake-like consistency.
- 1/4 cup of frozen strawberries – strawberries are one of the best fruit sources of vitamin C there is. In fact, when compared weight for weight, they have more vitamin C than oranges do! Vitamin C is needed for a myriad of bodily functions including wound healing, iron absorption and fighting off infection.
- 1/2 a frozen banana – bananas are one of the most popular smoothie ingredients, and for good reason. They are a wonderful source of natural sugars, which helps make smoothies much more palatable. Bananas are also high in dietary fibre, which promotes digestive health.
- 1/4 cup of frozen mango – orange coloured foods are fantastic sources of vitamin A and mangoes are no different; a one-cup serving provides you with 25% of your daily requirement. Vitamin A promotes eye, skin and hair health.
- 1 cup of spinach – if you showed a friend this smoothie, they would be surprised to learn that there’s a whole cup of spinach in it! The colours and aromas from the fruits disguises it completely. Spinach is one of the best sources of vitamin K and one cup provides you with much more than what you need in a day.
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds – chia seeds work well in smoothies because they swell up when introduced into liquid and blend in well. Chia seeds are rich in protein, fibre, calcium and manganese.
- 1 cup of coconut water – finally, you need a liquid to help make your smoothie drinkable. Coconut water looks just like plain water; however, it contains potassium and magnesium, both of which are essential for heart health. Use chilled coconut water to ensure that the smoothie is nice and cold when you drink it.
Method
To make this smoothie, pour the coconut water into a blender and then add in the rest of the ingredients. Process well, until you have a uniform mixture. Enjoy!
About the author:
Veronica Shah writes for Healthsomeness.com, a website dedicated to providing information on nutrition, exercise and wellbeing. When she isn’t practising yoga, you can find her sipping a large smoothie!
