Here’s an unexpected and delicious way to sneak more vegetables into your daily diet. Use your kitchen blender to make a delicious, refreshing, and fruity tropical smoothie. All you’ll taste is the fruit – but you’ll still receive the fiber, alkalinizing, and nutritional benefits of the vegetable ingredients.
Zingy & Zesty: Longevity Recipe for a Tropical Green Smoothie
Eating more vegetables can be vital to your health and physique.
The easiest way to increase your dietary intake of vegetables is probably to have a daily green smoothie.
This tropical smoothie recipe will help. It’s delicious, refreshing, and loaded with raw vegetables to help your body thrive. A video is included below.
Bolster Longevity with Raw Veggies for Health
The term longevity refers to a long lifespan.
However, longevity also refers to your quality of life and your ability to maintain good health and independence as you age.
Vegetables contribute to your longevity.
For your physical health, longevity means having a healthy body and maintaining physical function as you age:
- This includes maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, and avoiding chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- In addition, it involves maintaining good organ function, such as a robust heart, lungs, and brain, and avoiding degenerative conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
For your mental health, longevity means:
- Maintaining cognitive function and emotional well-being.
- This includes maintaining good memory and cognitive ability, feeling fulfilled and having moments of joy, and having adequate social connections.
The following tropical smoothie recipe will help bolster your physical and mental health.
Here’s how.
Vegetables offer a range of benefits for your body and brain, especially when it comes to promoting longevity.
Firstly, raw vegetables are typically high in nutrients – such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants – which can help to reduce inflammation and protect against chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Raw vegetables are also often high in fiber, which can help to promote healthy digestion, lower cholesterol levels, and regulate blood sugar levels.
In addition, cooking can sometimes destroy or degrade some of the nutrients in vegetables, particularly if they’re boiled or overcooked.
For example, vitamin C, which is abundant in many raw vegetables, can be destroyed by heat. Cooking can also reduce the availability of certain minerals in vegetables, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Of course, some vegetables can be more nutritious when cooked. Cooking can break down the cell walls of vegetables, helping nutrients become more available for absorption by the body (for example, cooking tomatoes can increase the availability of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers and heart disease).
Overall, consuming various raw and cooked vegetables daily is essential to ensure you get a range of nutrients.
Make This Tropical Smoothie Recipe a Wise Addition to Your Weekly Menu
A green smoothie is a blended drink made with various leafy greens, such as spinach or kale, along with other ingredients like frozen fruits and unsweetened nut milk. Combining these ingredients creates a nutrient-dense drink that can provide health benefits.
This tropical smoothie recipe provides a concentrated source of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all in one shake.
Plus, it supports your healthy digestion: the fiber in fruits and vegetables regular bowel movements.
The Science Behind the Tropical Green Smoothie
Diets high in fiber have been shown to reduce cancer risk.
A meta-analysis published in the journal The Lancet Oncology analyzed data from 40 observational studies involving over 4 million participants and found that a high dietary fiber intake was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.
The analysis found that for every 10 grams per day increase in fiber intake, there was a 10% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer.
While this study focused specifically on colorectal cancer, other studies have also found an association between high fiber intake and a reduced risk of other types of cancer.
Tropical Green Smoothie
This tropical smoothie recipe is a delicious and healthy addition to anyone's diet. If you happen to follow an anti-inflammatory protocol, this green smoothie will help you more easily reach your goal of having up to 9 loose cups of multi-colored vegetables daily.
It's zesty, refreshing, and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened plant protein powder
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened whey protein isolate
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 cup (approximately) frozen broccoli
- 2 large stalks celery, chopped
- 100 grams of fresh, loose spinach (about half a bag or bunch)
- .35 grams of fresh kale (about a quarter of a bag or bunch)
- 3/4 cup frozen mango (or pineapple)
- small chunk of frozen banana (about 1/3 of a banana), peeled
- 4 ice cubes
Instructions
- Wash produce as needed.
- Add your liquids and powders to the blender.
- Add your vegetables.
- Blend, starting at low speed. Stop and "burp" your carafe as needed.
- Add your fruit and ice.
- Blend again, for a full 2 minutes.
- Serve in 4 tall glasses or mason jars.
Notes
If you're into advanced nutrition, use less fruit. If you're new to smoothies, add a little more.
Will keep in the refrigerator in sealed glasses for 2 days, easily.
This tropical smoothie recipe can also boost your energy and reduce inflammation. Many ingredients commonly used in green smoothies, such as leafy greens and fruits, are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Scientific research is establishing that these nutrients can help to reduce inflammation in the body and may contribute to increased energy levels.
Vegetables and fruits contain various bioactive compounds like phytochemicals, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and organic acids, which play a crucial role in modulating oxidative and inflammatory stress in the body. This modulation is essential for preventing diet-related diseases such as cardiovascular issues, neurodegenerative conditions, and cancer.
A research study highlighted in a special issue of the journal Foods discussed the emerging concept of “functional foods” and how they relate to health benefits achieved through regular consumption. The focus was on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles of fruits, vegetables, and culinary herbs, emphasizing their potential in disease prevention and health promotion.
Another review explored the integrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of a wide array of phytochemicals found in plant-based foods. It stressed the importance of identifying food sources and extracts that can efficiently modulate oxidative and inflammatory stress, thereby aiding in the prevention of diet-related diseases.
These findings underscore the importance of incorporating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs into the diet to leverage their health-promoting properties, particularly their ability to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, which are key factors in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases.
This green shake can also aid in weight management because this tropical smoothie recipe is high in fiber, which can help you feel full and satisfied without consuming a lot of calories. In the long run, this can improve both your physical health and your appearance.
Overall, adding a green smoothie to your daily menu can be a great way to boost your nutrient intake and support your overall well-being.
Why This Tropical Smoothie Recipe Can Help You Look and Feel Better
Dr. Terry Wahls is a physician and researcher known for her work in the field of functional medicine, particularly in relation to autoimmune diseases. She herself reversed her symptoms of multiple sclerosis using a protocol that emphasizes a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet.
In her protocol, Dr. Wahls recommends consuming up to 9 cups of vegetables per day, specifically focusing on a variety of colorful, non-starchy vegetables. The reasoning behind this recommendation is based on several key principles:
- Nutrient Density: Vegetables, especially colorful ones, are rich in a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Consuming a wide range of vegetables ensures that your body receives a diverse array of these beneficial compounds, supporting overall health and immune function.
- Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Many vegetables have anti-inflammatory properties, which can be beneficial for individuals dealing with autoimmune conditions or other inflammatory disorders. The high fiber content in vegetables can also contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in modulating inflammation.
- Mitochondrial Support: Dr. Wahls’ protocol places a strong emphasis on supporting mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the energy-producing organelles within cells. Vegetables, particularly those rich in antioxidants and certain nutrients, are believed to support mitochondrial health.
- Diverse Nutrient Profiles: Different vegetables provide different nutrients. By including a variety of vegetables in your diet, you are more likely to meet your nutritional needs across the spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and other essential compounds.
- Balancing Macronutrients: While the protocol emphasizes vegetables, it also includes other nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, and healthy fats. This balanced approach aims to provide a broad range of nutrients to support overall health.
It’s important to note that individual dietary needs can vary, and it’s advisable to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have specific health conditions or concerns. But the larger point here is that most of us are not eating as many vegetables each day as we should for optimal health.
There is probably no easier way to infuse more vegetables into your daily diet than with a green smoothie.
Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org notes that while the blending process can impact the absorption of nutrients differently than eating whole fruits, certain smoothies, especially those with berries and greens, can maximize nutrient absorption without causing rapid sugar absorption, which is beneficial for blood sugar control.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a family physician and nutrition expert, explains that adding nuts or seeds to green smoothies can enhance the absorption of carotenoids from leafy greens due to the presence of healthful fats. He also mentions that green smoothies and juices can be a potent way to increase your intake of beneficial phytochemicals.
Moreover, Dr. Brooke Goldner, known for her work with autoimmune diseases, advocates for the use of green smoothies in her Hyper-Nourishment Protocol, emphasizing their role in improving cellular function and immune response.
Green smoothies are nearly perfect for getting your raw veggies. Interestingly, smoothies are also more social. It’s easier to share a smoothie and chat with a friend than it is to sit down together with giant salads. I don’t bother ordering salad at a restaurant with friends because I like to chew my salads carefully and enjoy them, and it’s difficult to do that in the middle of a lively conversation.
Try this tropical smoothie recipe and see if you agree that it’s a healthy and delicious way to get your veggies.
Additional Resources for Smoothie Recipes and Green Shakes:
Benjamin A. R. Canfell, Marie M. Cantwell, Rachel Davey, et al., “Dietary fibre intake and colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” The Lancet Oncology 19, no. 8 (2018).
Higher Vegetable Intake Often Corresponds with Lower Disease Risk – Vuong, Q.V., Golding, J.B., Stathopoulos, C.E. et al. “Effect of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities” Food Chemistry 218 (2017).