Beverages| Nutrition| Recipes| Vegan
| By: Whitney E. RD
This tasty “micronutrient smoothie” is packed with about 50% of your daily needs of most of the essentials vitamins and minerals and bursting with phytochemicals.
Today I’m going to show you how to make an insanely delicious and nutrient-dense smoothie!
This smoothie was inspired by one of my favorite health YouTubers, Dr. Rhonda Patrick of Found My Fitness.
The idea is to pack in as many micronutrients – that’s vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals— as you can into one tasty, filling beverage.
Get almost 50% of your DV of vitamins + minerals in with this Ultimate Micronutrient Smoothie from @whitneyeRDN
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Now don’t get me wrong – I love to eat my fruits and vegetables. And studies do show that consuming them whole as opposed to in smoothie form does provide more satiety, aka fullness.
However, there are those days when you just can’t get in your five to seven servings with meals. With a smoothie like this, you can pack in way more micronutrients than you ever could by trying to eat them one by one like a rabbit.
So let me give you the stellar stats on this concoction.
This smoothie contains almost 15 grams of fiber. That’s over two-thirds of the daily value and more than the average American eats on a daily basis.
If you remember from my Super Seed Oatmeal video, fiber has widespread benefits including aiding in digestion and cancer-prevention.
VITAMINS
Thanks to the leafy greens and seeds, this smoothie has over half of your needs of folate, a B-vitamin important for normal red blood cell production, making DNA, and preventing birth defects in pregnancy.
Carrots and sweet potato contribute to its content of more than seven times the daily value of vitamin A. This comes mainly in the form of beta-carotene, an antioxidant, phytochemical important for healthy skin and eye function and for scavenging free radicals.
Flavorful fruit like orange, mango, and strawberries provide more than double your daily dose of vitamin C – another important antioxidant that helps with immunity and collagen synthesis.
This smoothie also contains over three times the daily value of vitamin K thanks to the kale and spinach. Vitamin K is an important micronutrient for bone health.
MINERALS
This thing is packing your full daily dose of magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper,and selenium. The hefty dose of selenium is due solely to the one brazil nut in the mix, which is important for making antioxidant enzymes and regulating metabolism.
Meanwhile, you’re getting about half of your needs of zinc and potassium and a hefty serving of iron and calcium.
MACRONUTRIENTS
Thanks to the fatty acid-rich hemp seeds, this super smoothie also has about three times the recommended intake of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. Additionally, it contains about 10 grams of other essential polyunsaturated fats from avocado and brazil nut.
Finally, this 100% plant-based beverage also has 16 grams of protein without the need for any processed ingredients or powders.
Ultimate Micronutrient Smoothie
This tasty "micronutrient smoothie" is packed with about 50% of your daily needs of most of the essentials vitamins and minerals and bursting with phytochemicals.
Author: Whitney English
Recipe type: Smoothie, Vegan
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 medium carrot
- ¼ of a red beet, raw
- ½ a medium tomato
- ½ a medium orange
- ⅓ cup blueberries*
- ½ cup strawberries*
- ½ cup mango*
- ½ cup cooked sweet potato
- ¼ of an avocado
- 1 brazil nut
- 2 cups cold filtered water
- ice*
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender.
Notes
*Option to use frozen fruit or add ice for a thicker smoothie.
*Make sure to wash all of your fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially if you’re pregnant!
Ok, so I know what you’re thinking, “This thing probably has a ton of calories.” You’re right – this is not a low-cal smoothie. It has about 460 calories total and it’s meant to be consumed in place of a meal.
It’s not supposed to be low-cal.
A healthy diet is not a low-calorie diet. It’s a nutrient-rich diet.
And although this is meant to replace one meal, it actually covers about 50% of your daily nutrient needs in total.
Soak that in for a second.
Alright, so your second reaction may be, “This sounds really weird.”
Well, it’s not a sugar-laden Jamba Juice. But I promise you guys, it’s actually quite tasty. Most importantly though, it’s really really good for you!
So the next time you don’t feel like roasting veggies or making a salad, but you want to ensure you’re getting in your micronutrients for the day, whip up this tasty smoothie and knock out your needs in a fraction of the time.
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Weigh in: Do you use smoothies as a way to get in your fruit and veggies for the day? Will you try this micronutrient smoothie?
- Whitney
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