Raspberry Banana Powerhouse Smoothie

This past weekend was spent in Berkeley at the LUNA Chix Summit where we offered nutrition consultations, advising the amazing group of LUNA Chix to ditch the diet, trust their gut and use their nutrition intuition.

In addition to debunking some diets, we also advised these hard working athletes how they can best refuel their bodies after an intense workout. The short and sweet answer:

Eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein immediately after exercise to refuel & replenish your body.

This is because carbs are important for replenishing muscle fuel (also known as glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrates in our bodies). And protein provides essential amino acids which are the building blocks for muscle repair and growth during and after training.

Ideally, you want to aim for eating your carb & protein rich snack or meal within 15-60 minutes following activity. Post exercise, your body is like a sponge, ready to absorb nutrients!

For many athletes, you may not have an appetite immediately after working out, so having a liquid meal or snack can be useful strategy to help meet your recovery needs.

You may want to try this smoothie below -- it's one of our favorites, not only because it's packed with nutrition but because it's also absolutely delicious.

Raspberry Banana Powerhouse Smoothie

Packed with antioxidants, heart healthy fat, and a major protein punch, this smoothie will start your day out strong, pick you up when you hit your mid-afternoon slump, or refuel your body for the next time you hop on the bike, hit the pavement, or jump in the water.

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

½ cup nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt (regular yogurt is good, too!)
½- 1 cup nonfat or low-fat cow’s milk or milk alternative (we prefer soy milk)
½- 1 banana
½- 1 cup frozen raspberries
Splash of orange juice
1 tablespoon ground flax seed

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Slice the strawberry down the center and place on the rim of a glass. Pour smoothie mixture into the glass and serve immediately.

Note: We encourage you to experiment with the ingredients, so you can achieve the consistency, flavor, and quantity that suits your needs and preferences best!