Tarty Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Nothing screams summer quite like a fruity smoothie on a hot summer day while chilling on the beach. Ok, maybe I can’t provide the beach, but we’ve already got the heat and I can give you the smoothie! So, we are nearly there! I love a smoothie as a simple snack or as part of recovery for myself and my athletes. Its a great way to pack in so many nutrients in one convenient glass. Recovery can also be tricky for many athletes in the summer because the combination of exercise and heat is a sure-fire way to kill an appetite, making eating a recovery meal or snack another big task. Thats where we turn to smoothies instead.

This particular smoothie has a not-so-secret ingredient that gives recovery an extra boost- tart cherry juice. Maybe you’ve been hearing about this little elixir from friends or on the internet and for once, they got it right. Tart cherry juice is worth the hype because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties. Here’s what we know: tart cherry juice contains the same compounds that are found in ibuprofen. But instead of taking high doses of medication, we can now get some of those benefits in a natural juice that is easily digestible, also provides carbs for energy, and is pretty darn tasty if you ask me. Still not so sure? Here are a few studies that were done to further investigate how the juicey juice works.

• Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running - Howatson - 2010 - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports - Wiley Online Library

• Tart Cherry Juice in Athletes: A Literature Review and Comme... : Current Sports Medicine Reports (lww.com)

• The Efficacy of Tart Cherry Juice in Aiding Recovery After Intermittent Exercise in: International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance Volume 15 Issue 3 (2020) (humankinetics.com)

Ok, enough of the boring science-y stuff. Lets get to the real good part!

Smoothie making isn’t exactly rocket science. But it does help if you have a few basic components. First, we want some kind of base. This could be some kind of liquid or something thicker. Most of the time I’m using a Greek yogurt to help keep it thick and add some protein. Second, is your produce. These can be fresh but frozen is usually going to blend better and produce a more smoothie-like consistency. Then you want your mixing liquid (if your base isn’t already a liquid). This will make the blending happen. From there, you can add as little or as much of other ingredients as you’d like. Some examples might be nuts, oats, or spices. If you’ve been reading along with me so far, you know I love recipes that can be adapted to be your own. So have fun with this! Change it up and try new things!

Enjoy!