Strawberry Watermelon Coconut Smoothie

This is the kind of snack or light meal to enjoy out on the patio or out at the beach as the days get hotter. Smoothies are really easy to digest so they provide fast nutrients on lazy summer days. This combination features hydrating watermelon with fragrant strawberries, rich coconut meat, creamy cashew butter and a date for extra sweetness.

Watermelon is most notably a good source of vitamin C and lycopene, an important carotenoid phytonutrient for cardiovascular and bone health. As its name alludes to, it contains a very high water content, usually around 92%. For everyone, especially people who do not drink a lot of water, consuming fresh fruits and vegetables can help with maintaining adequate hydration when hot temperatures require more than in colder times of year. Strawberries are an exceptional source of antioxidants, their content being one of the highest among all fruits. They are also very high in vitamin C, just one cup provides more than a full daily serving (vitamin C is a water soluble so it is not at all harmful to consume levels much higher than the daily recommendation, and for many people more can be highly beneficial). Dates are one of my dependencies for almost any type of smoothie, just one juicy Medjool date can add enough sweetness to greatly improve the taste and bring all the flavors together. Additionally, they supply fiber and a range of minerals, making them a better sweetener than refined sugar or syrups.

Coconut meat and cashew butter or cashews add some substance and their healthy fats and protein help slow down digestion, keeping blood sugars more stable even with the high ratio of fruit. Coconut meat can be a bit of a process to extract, requiring a machete or hammer to break the outer hard coconut shell, but it is available in many health stores in the frozen section and is nearly just as good as fresh.