Post Workout Green Smoothie Nutrition to Keep You Going and Going!

- by Tami Groth

This morning after my workout I knew I would need something to keep me going for awhile without stopping to eat, so in addition to lots of good carbs to help my muscle recovery I wanted to add some protein and healthy fats. In the process I came up with a recipe that is not only versatile and nutritious, but also yummy.

The green smoothie recipe, with optional ingredients included, is a powerhouse of nutrition as well. I have been working on ways to get more nuts and seeds into my family’s diet due to all of the nutritional advantages of them — from healthy brains to healthy hearts! However, my family does not actually enjoy eating nuts the way I do so blending them into sauces and smoothies is a great way to add them to their diet.

Using walnuts adds a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids to the smoothie. Just a quarter cup of walnuts includes 2.27 grams of omega 3 fatty acids which is nearly 95% of the recommended daily allowance! Since Omega 3 fatty acids are important for brain function, cardiovascular health, and anti-inflammatory functions to reduce asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, it is really important to get enough of this healthy fat. Additionally, walnuts have been proven to have anticancer and immune enhancing properties in addition to the minerals such as manganese and copper that they provide.

You could also alter the nutrition by using a variety of other nuts or seeds to replace the raw walnuts. Another one of my favorites are Hemp seeds, and you can see a great smoothie recipe and hear about the high-iron content and healthy fats in hemp seeds in a past edition of Health in High Heels!

The optional coconut oil is another healthy fat that I try to include in my diet nearly every day. Coconut oil supplies medium-chain fatty acids and in addition to the other health benefits, it helps us absorb those healthy omega 3 fatty acids that are in the walnuts. Nearly 50% of the fatty acid in natural coconut oil is lauric acid which has important immunity building properties.

After a workout it is always important to get a good daily dose of the important minerals potassium, magnesium, and healthy sodium, so I wanted to be sure to add ingredients that would give me a boost in this area so I added some celery and bananas in addition to those healthy greens!

And while I have to admit I added the figs purely for their wonderful sweet taste, I could write an entire post about how healthy figs are. Thankfully Tracy already did that awhile back when she wrote about the holiday smoothie that has also become one of my favorites! And if you read it you’ll notice that the figs add even more health fatty acids to our energizing smoothie!

As I was blending I realized that depending on the amount of water or ice that is added to this recipe it could be a sauce or thick cream to pour over granola and fruit or even a dessert, a wonderful thick creamy nut mylk smoothie, or an icy shake! So, below is the basic recipe and you can decide how you want to alter it for your needs or cravings at the moment.

The Workout Wonder Green Smoothie

• scant handful walnuts, soaked is best but optional
• 4 figs, fresh or dried figs that have been soaked (use the soak water as the smoothie water)
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 cup chard or other mild greens or to taste
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash cinnamon or to taste
• dash ginger or to taste
• 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
• water and/or ice to desired consistency

Basic nutritional profile when made as above, making over one quart of green smoothie:

• 745 calories;
• 29.5 grams fat, 11 grams protein, 121.1 grams carbs
• 19.2 grams of fiber
• 151 mcg vitamin A
• 1.7 mg Vitamin B6
• 45.2 mg Vitamin C
• 1.7 mg Vitamin E
• 184.5 mg Calcium
• .98 mg Copper
• 3.4 mg Iron
• 210.7 mg Magnesium
• 2.4 mg Manganese
• 3.8 mg Niacin
• 242.1 mg Phosphorous
• 2,155.4 mg Potasium
• .47 mg Riboflavin
• 5.7 mcg Selenium
• 146.9 mg Sodium
• .38 mg Thiamin
• 2.0 mg Zinc

~ Tami Groth

P.S. I hope you’ve already read about International Green Smoothie Day!!!! We will be posting many recipes, inspiring stories and more as we approach August 15th — and beyond! What is your story?