Mango Mint Madness Smoothie

Homemade smoothies can be healthy and nutritious, especially because you have control on what you put into the blender. They also tend to be more nutrient dense, meaning they are high in vitamins and minerals in comparison to sugar and fat.

This Mango Mint Madness Smoothie is low in sodium yet very high in potassium and vitamin C.

You'll also get a variety of different fruits and vegetables with every sip, which means you'll reap the benefits of phytochemicals, naturally occurring chemicals found in plant foods that can help in the prevention of diseases like cancer and heart disease.

When building your own smoothie, go wild with green veggies like lettuce, spinach and kale.

Herbs, such as mint, parsley, basil or cilantro, add unexpected flavor and carry unique antioxidants, vitamins and essential oil, which help ward off germs and toxins. They also boost immunity levels.

Avoid loading your smoothies with added sugar found in flavored yogurts, juice or sweeteners – the fruit you use will be sweet enough. Plus, whole fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Mango Mint Madness Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup mango

2 cups lettuce greens

5 large mint leaves

1/2 a lemon, juiced

1/2 a lime, juiced

1 banana

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk or other unsweetened milk alternative (almond milk, cashew milk, etc.)

Directions:

1. Place lettuce greens, mint leaves and coconut milk in blender and blend until smooth.

2. Add remainder of ingredients and blend until desired consistency. Enjoy immediately.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories: 135; Protein: 1.5g; Total Fat: 2.1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sugars: 19.9g; Dietary Fiber: 4.4g; Sodium: 12.5g; Potassium: 450.2mg

Published on: March 5, 2015