As a general rule of thumb, the darker or more vibrant the color of a whole food, the more nutrition it contains. That is definitely the case with beets, and also part of the reason I find a way to incorporate these into my meal plans at least once a week. Since getting a solid dose of vegetables can some days be a challenge, I make it a point to start off my day with a vegetable at every breakfast. My Go-To Green Smoothie is loaded with anti-inflammatory carotenoids and phytonutrients, but this beet smoothie gets its deep red pigment from Betalain, a potent antioxidant and anti-fungal constituent. Many people can not break down Betalain, and its deep red hue can show up in urine or stool. It’s nothing to cause alarm, if anything it’s a great indicator of GI transit time! (note: ideal transit time is 18-24 hours).
In addition to the unspoken vegetables that should sneak into every smoothie, you may also be familiar with my holy trinity of smoothie ingredients:
1) Fiber
2) Fat
3) Protein
Fiber, fat, and protein will slow the digestion and absorption of nutrition. Without these, your blood sugar wouldn’t react much differently than if you were drinking a milkshake. This smoothie is one of my simpler ones, so to make sure this checks all the boxes of my holy trinity, we’ll get our fiber from frozen raspberries, fat from coconut oil, and protein from a scoop of collagen and protein powder. Check, check, and check.
My son and I share a high-fat, high-protein breakfast together every morning, and although our smoothies are pretty great, watching the school bus go by is definitely the highlight.
Behind the scenes of a food photography set with a toddler under the same roof. With an entire house to play in, he chooses to be in the three square feet of space I need, naturally!
I use coconut water as the liquid base for most of my smoothies. I usually wake up feeling dehydrated, and although I start my morning with pure water, the potassium in coconut water helps dilute some puff and energize my day. Raspberries also contain Ellagic Acid which has been used as a holistic remedy for PMS symptoms.
Rasp-Beet Smoothie
Ingredients
Rasp-Beet Smoothie
- 1 16.9 fl oz mango coconut water (I like this Vita Coco brand)
- 2 cups roasted red beets (see time-saving tip below!)*
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 scoop of Vega Bodacious Berry protein powder
- 1 scoop of Ancient Nutrition Multi-Protein Collagen
- 1 10oz bag of frozen organic raspberries
*Time Saving Tip: During dinner prep the night before you plan to have this smoothie, wash and cut beets into small 1″ slices or cubes. Preheat oven to 350. Fill a 9×13 pan with cut beets and cover with 1/2″ water. Roast for 40 minutes until tender. Once cooled, transfer to a glass storage container and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use in the morning.
A note about protein powder: you could do without the protein powder if that’s not your thing, however I find this a great way to add loads of nutrition that I can’t get from anywhere else. If you forgo the collagen or protein powder, I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of a neutral nut butter like cashew butter to maintain a dose of protein. I like the protein powders because of the depth of flavor and sweetness, but there is enough sweetness in the flavored coconut water and raspberries that you could also do without the flavored protein powder.
Directions
Add all ingredients in the order given and blend!
Refrigerate left overs in sealed glass jars for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3-6 months.
Photos and Content Copyright © Jaclyn Beaty Nutrition, 2019
Jaclyn Beaty Nutrition 