I’m elated to share another spectacular superfood smoothie courtesy of fellow smoothie master, Ana.
As a creature of habit who will often make the same smoothie give or take an ingredient for weeks, I wholeheartedly welcome new recipes and ingredient ideas.
This recipe contains many of my favorite ingredients such as cacao, blueberries, avocado, and spirulina as well as a nutritious new comer that I’d never considered blending.
If you’re looking for a nutritious and delicious green smoothie designed to support your body’s natural detoxification efforts, look no further.
This smoothie contains several of the usual detox suspects along with two potent green superfoods: spirulina and chlorella. This combination of ingredients results in what is perhaps the most potent detox smoothie I’ve posted to date.
What’s so special about spirulina and chlorella and how do they help you detox?
Spirulina is a superfood unlike any other. It is a type of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria. Blue-green algae are an ancient type of life form. They are bacteria, but also sometimes classified as plants. This type of algae gets its energy from the sun, just like plants, and uses photosynthesis to convert sunlight into food. There are many different types of algae under the blue-green classification, some of which produce toxins that can kill people and animals, and a few that are very nutritious and have healing properties.
In the latter category is spirulina. Two species of cyanobacteria, Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima, are called spirulina. At one time, these two species were put in the genus Spirulina, and although they now belong in Arthrospira, the name stuck. Spirulina cyanobacteria grow in subtropical and tropical lakes that have high acidity and high levels of the minerals carbonate and bicarbonate.
This smoothie combines two of my favorite nutrient dense superfoods, cacao and spirulina. Add in some fresh fruit and a few other ingredients and you’ve got a delicious and highly nutritious superfood smoothie.
I’ve been adding cacao and spirulina to most of my smoothies lately. They compliment each other nicely and seem to have some sort of superfood synergy going on :)
Cacao is one of my all-time favorite superfoods. Who doesn’t love chocolate? It’s rich in magnesium, iron, chromium, vitamin C, and a good source of zinc, copper, and manganese. It also contains essential omega-6 fatty acids and the amino acid tryptophan, which your body uses to make serotonin, the feel good chemical.
Something that green must be good for you :)
One of the most potent and nutrient dense foods on earth, spirulina is perhaps best consumed in a smoothie.
When I first came across spirulina and began researching why it was considered a superfood, what stood out was the fact that it’s 65-70% pure protein by dry weight. Because of that I usually refer to it as the green protein queen or green gold.
Protein content aside, what’s so special about spirulina and why should you add it into your smoothies?
Oh how I love my superfoods : )
This has become my go-to smoothie recipe of late, give or take an ingredient or two.
It’s perfect for breakfast of after a grueling workout.
For anyone looking to get more protein into their diet in a form that’s easy for the body to assimilate and absorb, this smoothie is for you.
I tagged this smoothie with the “superfood” label because it calls for spirulina. A single-celled, blue-green spiral algae that gets its green color from chlorophyll, spirulina is best known in health circles for its protein content. At around 65-70% pure protein by dry weight, it’s a legitimate protein powerhouse. Protein that’s easy for the body to assimilate and use, mind you.
