Mango and Pineapple Smoothie

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I rarely make smoothies without greens and I need to remember that it’s okay if they don’t all have handfuls of kale or spinach in them! I tried to sneak in just a teeny tiny bit of kale and it turned this Mango and Pineapple Smoothie green. Okay, I guess in order to keep the color a beautiful golden yellow I have to stick with fruit and that’s alright! I’ll just have extra greens with dinner!

I love sipping on these bright, refreshing smoothies on hot summer days. Today is not one of those days, though. It’s 45°F, drizzling, and the sloppy snow is having its last hoorah before it melts into mud. My motivation here was the vitamin C and fun flavors. Cheers to good health!

Is frozen fruit as good as fresh?

Absolutely! Don’t feel that you’re missing out on nutrients if your fruit is frozen rather than fresh. Frozen is just as nutritious and is fast and convenient for smoothies. Frozen might actually have a nutrient advantage because it’s picked at it’s peak ripeness and quickly frozen whereas fresh fruit is picked before it’s ripe so it has a time buffer before sitting on the shelves at the grocery store. Also, the cold fruit makes it so you don’t have to add any ice!

Do smoothies spike your blood sugar?

Yes. This is one of (many) reasons I like to add greens to smoothies, the added fiber helps blunt the blood sugar spike by slowing down digestion. But fruit is also naturally wrapped in fiber! Flaxseeds also contain fiber so that helps as well!

This is precisely why I prefer smoothies over juicing: the fiber. Juicing removes all that incredibly important fiber and your blood sugar doesn’t stand a chance!

BUT even with the fiber, you still have to be careful. Smoothies are processed into a drink that make it so much easier to consume quickly versus sitting down and chewing a plate full of all the those same ingredients. With all smoothies, you want to take your time and don’t chug it!

Mango

1 cup of mango supplies 67% of your recommended daily intake for vitamin C! Mango also packs an impressive amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. One cup (165 grams) of fresh mango provides:

Vitamin C: 67% (of the daily value)
Copper: 20%
Folate: 18%
Vitamin B6: 12%
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin E: 10%
Vitamin K: 6%
Niacin: 7%
Potassium: 6%
Riboflavin: 5%
Magnesium: 4%
Thiamine: 4%

Pineapple

Needing a vitamin C boost? Reach for a pineapple! 1 cup of pineapple provides an incredible 131% of your recommended daily intake for vitamin C! I didn’t know it was that powerful until writing this. That’s why I love to research! Pineapple is also very rich in manganese; 1 cup packs 76% of the RDI.

Pineapple is loaded with antioxidants, which helps the body fight oxidative stress.

What are hemp hearts?

Hemp hearts are shelled hemp seeds packed full of healthy fats, protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids! They have a delicate buttery and nutty flavor, making them easy to add into a wide range of dishes. Three Tbsp of hemp hearts contain an impressive 10 grams of protein as well as 3,000 mg of ALA omega-3 fatty acids, which is 162–236% of the daily recommended intake! Forget the fish, hemp hearts are a much healthier choice for omega-3s!¹

Hemp hearts may also reduce blood pressure, lower your risk of heart disease, and aid in digestion.

Flaxseed power!

Here’s another great source of omega-3 fatty acids! Flaxseeds are small but mighty, packing an impressive 1,597 mg of omega-3s, lignans, fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals. Make sure you’re consuming ground flaxseeds, whole seeds will just pass through before the body has a chance to extract the nutrients.

Flaxseeds contain lignans, which are a phytoestrogen and antioxidant. Flaxseeds contain 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods!²

Don’t get hung up on the word “estrogen” in “phytoestrogen”, it’s NOT the same as the estrogen your body produces. Eating foods with phytoestrogen won’t cause your (mammalian) estrogen to soar through the roof or increase your risk for breast cancer. It’s actually the opposite! When you consume phytoestrogens, your body produces less active forms of mammalian estrogen which reduces breast cancer risk and can also help with menopausal symptoms as well as keeping bones strong!³

The easiest way for me to get flaxseeds into my regular diet is to sneak them into smoothies! I also sprinkle them on oatmeal, cold cereal, chili, and spaghetti. Easy peasy.