Green Smoothie: Vanilla Mango Spirulina

Smoothies have become a ritual for me. Once I started drinking them regularly, I gradually added in other healthy habits. They help me start my day off on the right foot, and I tend to make better food decisions throughout the day. I have received so many questions about wanting the exact amounts of what I put in a smoothie, so I am finally sharing! This green smoothie has vanilla, mango, and spirulina, but you could easily change it up to fit your tastes!

One thing that was convicting for me with smoothies was when I started reading Body Love by Kelly Leveque. If you haven’t read her book, I highly recommend it. I do not strictly follow her eating plan, but I do use her concepts with smoothies. She says to always have protein, fiber, fat, and greens. This smoothie has all of those, plus some added nutritional benefits!

This is a meal for me. When I have a green smoothie, I rarely eat anything else until several hours later. It is filling, and packed with nutrient-dense ingredients. I do also drink a lot of water and some coffee, but otherwise it is just a smoothie for me in the mornings.

I swear by my Vitamix. We bought a refurbished one and it has never given us any problems! I’ve used it almost daily for over a year and a half.

If you’re wondering about the maca, chia seeds, and the spirulina, I wanted to share some of the benefits of those additions:

Supplements I add to my smoothies

• Maca is an adaptogen. An adaptogen is something that naturally helps the body adjust to stressors. It comes from a vegetable that looks similar to a turnip. Maca is a powerful antioxidant, it helps boost mood, helps our body react better to illness, increases energy and focus, it can balance estrogen in women and improve libido, and it can help with male fertility. (We are not trying to get pregnant, fyi).
  • Make sure to buy organic maca powder.
  • Ask your doctor before taking it if pregnant, nursing, have thyroid problems, or high blood pressure.
  • In other cultures, children do consume maca. I put only 1 tsp in my smoothies, and some say to take much more during a day. Ridge does share my smoothie, but the amount he is ingesting is safe.
• Chia seeds are an Omega-3 protein. They are a good source of healthy fat, fiber, protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants. They help skin and heart health, help digestive health, promote oral health, give an energy boost, help you feel full longer, help bone health, help balance blood sugar, and more.
  • These are great to incorporate during pregnancy and nursing.
• Spirulina is a blue-green algae and source of chlorophyll. Try and buy the Hawaiian variety. Spirulina is known as potentially the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. It helps our body detox from heavy metals, helps boost memory, reduces sinus issues, reduces cholesterol, helps prevent cancer, can lower blood pressure, and promotes the growth of healthy flora in our intestines which doesn’t allow candida to grow (helping heal leaky gut).
  • This comes in tablet or powder form. The tablets were hard for me to swallow, so I just started adding them to my smoothie and they blended well.
  • If you are predisposed to an autoimmune disease, ask your doctor before taking algae.
  • If you are pregnant or nursing, ask your doctor or midwife before adding in any new supplement.
  • Always buy from a good source! This comes from the sea, so make sure you are buying one that is sourced properly. I used to always buy one from Hawaii.
• Collagen Protein Powder. I always use collagen as my protein source in smoothies. The one I use is dairy free and from a good source. It also has MCT oil included, which is a good source of healthy fat that helps sports performance, mental function, gut health, and weight management.
  • Bulletproof is my go-to brand, and I like the vanilla flavor. I either buy it at Whole Foods or from the Bulletproof website.
  • Vital Proteins is also a great source of collagen protein.

If you’re looking for more information about natural medicine and things like the information above, try Dr. Axe’s website.