Happily Healthy & Healing Smoothie

Lindsey Joy
May 7, 2021
4 min read

Living happily healthy is so much more than the Joyful Vegan motto. It is an important phrase to live by. Too often we get so caught up in wanting to lose some weight, wanting to gain muscle, or wanting to look a certain way that we sacrifice our happiness along the way. I can tell you with 100% certainty that you are never going to be completely satisfied with your lifestyle, no matter how how you look, if you cannot enjoy yourself too. It's a delicate, but crucial balance.

This smoothie PERFECTLY encompasses this lifestyle. It contains only ingredients that will positively benefit your health (body & mind), and is positively delicious, making you happy, as well!

This smoothie is a perfect addition to any part of your day. Breakfast, lunch, snack, pre-/post-workout. You name it, this smoothie is the answer.

Let's break down the wonderful ingredients that make this smoothie what it is:

Peaches: a good source of vitamins A & C. Vitamin A is important for skin health, vision, and also promotes maintenance of healthy membranes within the body. Vitamin C is important for boosting your immune system, aiding in the ability to fight off various infections. (more info here)
Mango: another fruit rich in nutrients. Mangoes are also a good source of vitamins A & C (one serving accounts for approximately 50% of your daily recommended vitamin C). Mangoes contain antioxidants and various B vitamins, as well as vitamin D - these nutrients also contribute to a healthy immune system. Finally, this delicious fruit offers digestive enzymes and fiber to aid in digestion. (more info here)
Banana: known for being an excellent source of potassium. Potassium is a crucial electrolyte in the body that aids in heart health and blood pressure maintenance. It is required to ensure heart beats are regular and strong. Potassium helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure by working with the kidneys to flush excess sodium from the body. Too much sodium in the body can put stress on blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and risk of heart disease among other things. (more info here)
Spinach: how much time do you have? The health benefits of spinach are plentiful and super important. Spinach contains pretty much all of the most important vitamins: A, C, B9, & K1. Vitamins A & C, as previously mentioned, boost your immune system. Vitamin B9 (folic acid/folate) is important for tissue growth and is especially important during pregnancy. Vitamin K1 aids in blood clotting - crucial for obvious reasons so things like a paper cut don't result in your ultimate demise. A couple more beneficial components of spinach I want to mention are iron and calcium. Iron helps to bring oxygen to various tissues in your body - allowing your muscles to work harder, longer, and aiding in prevention of muscle cramps. Calcium, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts is very important for bone health. I could go on for ages about the benefits of eating just a small handful of spinach each day. I will let you research a bit more for yourself if you're interested - click here).

Turmeric: while you may be thinking "um, what are you thinking putting this curry ingredient in my deliciously sweet smoothie?", allow me to explain. Turmeric contains curcuminoids, which are natural anti-inflammatory compounds. These compounds have been shown to benefit those with various diseases such as type II diabetes or IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome). This is an encouraged natural remedy to reduce inflammation in the body. However, curcuminoids are apparently quite unstable and therefore difficult to study, so scientists have yet to confirm the benefits of turmeric with certainty.
Protein Powder: obviously a good source of protein, which is important for many reasons in the body! Protein helps to repair and build tissues (such as muscle), is necessary for many metabolic reactions to take place, and also helps to maintain proper pH (largely through its role in the kidneys and associated renal system elements). (more detail here). I will link the protein powder I use here!
Oat Milk: the final ingredient in this delicious smoothie. While oat milk is in many ways comparable to other plant-based milks, it does contain the highest number of calories and carbohydrates per serving. I think this is a great addition to a smoothie like this to make it more satiating and hold me over until the next meal. That being said, you can absolutely substitute your preferred milk choice here!

So, there you have it. Whether you read that whole list, clicked on every link, or just skipped right to this next section of this post, rest assured you are feeding your body the good stuff when it comes to this smoothie. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Let me know what you added or changed to make it your own! Tag @joyfulvegann on Instagram or send me a private message! I love seeing how your recipes turn out!

I am confident this smoothie will leave you feeling happily healthy!

Happily Healthy & Healing Smoothie