Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Mango and strawberry is one of those combinations that never disappoints. Add in some lime juice, coconut water, vanilla protein powder and an avocado and it becomes a tropical tasting, rich, sweet and creamy smoothie good enough to satisfy dessert cravings. This is the perfect kind of thing to eat before or to take along when heading to a beach, pool or anywhere else you want to feel energetic, lean and comfortable. Bloating and feeling heavy and lethargic after eating can often be a result of eating food that is hard to digest, has lots of sodium as found in processed foods or that you have an intolerance or allergy to. A smoothie with clean, simple ingredients is easy to digest and it doesn’t have anything that isn’t beneficial like excess sodium and other additives and chemicals. There is lots of fiber, protein and healthy fats to keep you feeling full and the coconut water helps keep you hydrated. For the protein powder, simple is better, it is technically a processed food but there are lots of good companies out there that use only whole foods in the processing of their powder. The best options are plant based or 100 % whey. Personally I like the ones that have a blend of different sprouted grains, seeds and legumes with some super foods thrown in, I find them easy to digest and they taste good (Vega, Garden of Life and Sun Warrior are my current favorite brands). It can be fun and part of the experience to have some cocktails poolside or hit up the fast food stand for some fish and chips at the beach but starting the day well or having some healthy snacks ensures that you won’t get too hungry and tempted by too much of the less healthy stuff around.