The Green Beastie Smoothie

Long gone are the days when green smoothies were a delicacy for the super health-conscious. Now, even burger and pizza lovers know the benefit of getting a nutrient-packed dose of blended fruits and veggies during the day, and in addition to the smoothie bars that populate nearly every corner in America, more and more people are mixing up their favorite blends right at home.

The ingredients in the Green Beastie have been specifically chosen to provide a substantial amount of important vitamins and minerals, and it also contains a considerable amount of antioxidants and polyphenols. The best part? The Green Beastie is also refreshingly delicious.

The Ingredients

• ½ cup spinach
• 1 cup mango
• 1 cup avocado
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon spirulina
• ½ cup water

How to Make the Green Beastie Smoothie

Like the best of smoothies, the Green Beastie is super easy to make. Simply add all of the ingredients to your blender of choice and process until smooth (the amount of time necessary will vary depending on the blender you use).

A couple notes: Be sure to wash the spinach before blending in order to avoid any potential contaminants. Better yet, buy organic and just give it a quick rinse to leave some of the beneficial microbes from the soil intact.

As you blend, you’ll notice that the avocado and mango give the smoothie a rich thickness and form a mousse-like texture. If you want a thinner result, feel free to add more water or swap the water for your favorite milk or milk substitute. I personally really enjoy this smoothie with coconut milk.

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Nutrition Facts

This smoothie has a total of 360 calories. The avocado provides around 18 grams of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats and is a fantastic source of fiber. This is important because fiber is an essential macronutrient that helps regulate blood sugar and keep your digestive system healthy. The majority of us do not eat enough fiber, but this smoothie will get you well on your way to meeting your daily fiber needs.

The Green Beastie is also high in vitamin K (233 percent of your RDI) and vitamin C (97 percent of your RDI). Vitamin K helps the body in numerous ways, including supporting heart health, improving bone density, improving brain function, maintaining teeth and gums and more. Meanwhile, vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues.

Additionally, this smoothie is high in the iron (41 percent of your RDI) that is vital for muscle health and the transportation of oxygen throughout the body. In fact, a deficiency of iron can cause you to become tired and fatigued.

The last highlight of this smoothie is its polyphenol and antioxidant content, courtesy of the cocoa powder and spirulina it contains. Cocoa powder has one of the highest concentrations of polyphenols of all foods, with around 3.5 grams per 100 grams. Polyphenols and antioxidants, among other things, help the body deal with oxidative stress.

Here is a full breakdown of the vitamins and minerals in The Green Beastie based on the quantity stated in the recipe. Data has been obtained from the USDA database.

• 280 micrograms vitamin K (233 percent DV)
• 87 milligrams vitamin C (97 percent DV)
• 289.3 micrograms folate (72 percent DV)
• 0.7 milligrams vitamin B6 (45 percent DV)
• 3.2 milligrams iron (41 percent DV)
• 332 micrograms vitamin A (37 percent DV)
• 6 milligrams vitamin E (37 percent DV)
• 125 milligrams magnesium (31 percent DV)
• 1,357 milligrams potassium (29 percent DV)
• 4.2 milligrams niacin (26 percent DV)
• 0.4 milligrams riboflavin (25 percent DV)
• 162 milligrams phosphorus (16 percent DV)
• 0.2 milligrams thiamin (16 percent DV)
• 1.7 milligrams zinc (12 percent DV)
• 92 milligrams calcium (9 percent DV)