Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

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This Chocolate Cherry Smoothie is like a creamy chocolate dessert but with the added benefits of antioxidants, fiber, and protein! This smoothie is rich and decadent, but one you’ll feel good about indulging in!

Tips for success

Don’t add too much banana. I always start with ½ of one with this particular smoothie because it can be overpowering. It’s cherry and chocolate on the spotlight, not banana.
Add garnish! I know it seems silly, but garnishes make food taste better! We eat with our eyes and when food is visually appealing, we enjoy ourselves more when eating.
Want a thicker smoothie? I love the thinner, creamy consistency but if you want a thicker mouthfeel, add ½ cup more cherries and half of an avocado.
Don’t add a can of coconut milk. I see this in a lot in recipes, even as just an option, and I’m here to say DON’T DO IT. This smoothie is perfectly creamy and incredibly healthy and doesn’t need the added “cream” or richness of coconut milk. Adding it literally turns this immediately into junk food with the amount of fat and especially saturated fat, and is no better than adding a bunch of lard. That’s right, I said it, but it’s true. Coconut milk turns any and all dishes into junk food.

Cherries

This ruby red stone fruit is as rich in color as it is in nutrients! The general rule of thumb with fruits and veggies is: the darker the color, the richer in antioxidants (cauliflower being a unique exception). Have you ever taken a nibble of a cherry and then observed how vibrant the flesh is? Hello, antioxidants! The kid in me still loves to do that and it makes the cherry seem so much sweeter after seeing the brilliant color!

Cherries are packed with vitamin C and polyphenols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Cherries are particularly rich in anthocyanins, which give cherries that lovely red pigment and provides numerous health benefits such as reduced risk of arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as improve cognitive function and recovery from strenuous exercise. Cherries have also been found to improve sleep due to melatonin content.¹

Spinach

Popeye was downing cans of spinach for good reason—this leafy green is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K1, folic acid, iron, as well as some calcium.

Spinach may reduce oxidative stress, promote eye health, fight cancer, and regulate blood pressure.

But, there are some people who should limit their intake! Spinach is high in calcium and oxalates, so people that are prone to kidney stones may want to avoid spinach. And because it’s very high in vitamin K1, this can be a problem for people on blood thinners.² An easy swap is kale instead of spinach, and although it has a stronger taste it packs even more nutrients than spinach! Just make sure you remove the stems before adding to the blender.

What’s the difference between Cocoa and Cacao?

Cocoa and Cacao come from the same place—the Theobroma Tree. Its seeds, the cocoa beans, are used to make chocolate. What’s the difference? The process it goes through after it’s harvested!

Cacao is cold processed, which preserves the healthy enzymes but has more of a bitter profile.
Cocoa is hot processed, which improves the flavor but loses antioxidant power.

What makes cacao a superfood?

Polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants! Cacao is considered a superfood with its high flavonoid content, a family of polyphenol compounds.

But what about cocoa powder, is that still a superfood? Unfortunately, up to 90% of flavonoid content is lost during the processing.³ I know that’s unfortunate news, but hey—if you’re trading out a sugary chocolate bar for unsweetened cocoa powder, that is a major healthy swap!

Polyphenols are found in plant foods. These antioxidants are thought to improve brain health, digestion, protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers. A few places aside from cacao powder where you can find polyphenols:

Berries
Beans (especially black beans!)
Nuts
Soy
Vegetables (artichokes, red onions, spinach)
Black and Green Tea

Flaxseed power!

Flaxseeds are small but mighty, packing an impressive amount of omega-3s fatty acids (Bob’s Red Mill boasts 2,430 mg in 2 Tbsp!), lignans, fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. Make sure you’re consuming ground flaxseeds (flaxseed meal) because whole seeds will just pass through before the body has a chance to extract the nutrients.

Lignans are powerful phytoestrogen and antioxidants, and flaxseeds contain 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods!⁴ Eating foods with phytoestrogen won’t cause your (mammalian) estrogen to soar through the roof and it certainly won’t increase risk for hormonal cancer, such as breast cancer. Actually, the opposite is true! When you consume phytoestrogens, your body produces less active forms of mammalian estrogen—this reduces breast cancer risk and can also help with menopausal symptoms!⁵ Lignans have been found to help suppress breast cancer growth.⁶https://www.oncologynutrition.org/erfc/healthy-nutrition-now/foods/flaxseeds-and-breast-cancer⁷ For this reason, I sneak flaxseed meal into my diet every day! I always add them to smoothies and sprinkle them on oatmeal, cold cereal, chili, and spaghetti. Easy peasy.