Try this refreshing Ginger Strawberry Smoothie for a flavorful and healthy twist on a traditional strawberry smoothie.
Strawberries scream summer — they’re sweet, in season, and rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant we know helps our bodies reduce inflammation, improve immune function, and boosts collagen production — hello beauty food!
Busy mornings are no excuse to skip breakfast, especially when you have such a simple recipe that takes under 5 minutes to make and clean up since you only dirty one dish, two if you’re counting the cup you’re drinking from. All in all, try this quick and energizing breakfast the next time you have fresh or organic frozen strawberries on hand.
Why Should We Eat Red Fruits and Vegetables?
Whole foods (i.e. fruits and vegetables) that are naturally red in color are loaded with antioxidants, but most notably lycopene (a carotenoid) and anthocyanins. Lycopene is most famously associated with tomatoes, but did you know it’s present in the following red whole foods too? Lycopene has been studied and shown to help fight a variety of cancers (1), help to improve circulation, decrease high blood pressure (2), reduce cholesterol (3), reduce cardiovascular risk (4), and reduction in metabolism syndrome (5). But why are antioxidants important?
Think of antioxidants as being the protectors our bodies need an added bonus, they’re abundant in the whole foods we eat. Our bodies need antioxidants to fight off free radicals. Free radicals can damage our healthy cells causing oxidative stress, which may cause harm to our hormones, blood vessels, proteins, lipids, and genetic code; causing cancer, inflammation, pain, degenerative diseases, heart disease, and aging itself.
Smoothies are such a great way to get a nutrient-dense meal packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, but the key is to make sure they’re well-balanced so you feel full and energized.
A Foundational Five Nourish Meal is any meal that contains all 5 elements within our Foundational Five system: non-starchy carbohydrates, starchy carbohydrates, healthy fat, protein, and the Flavor Factor. By including at least 3 of the 5 elements in any of the smoothies you make, you’ll feel well-digestion, energized, and satiated.
If you’re not familiar with my Foundational Five system yet, you can download my free guide where I share more about it!
Here’s are the Foundational Five elements in this Strawberry Ginger Smoothie:
1 • Non-starchy Carbohydrate
- Spirulina, optional
2 • Starchy or Sugary Carbohydrate
- Strawberries
3 • Healthy Fat
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Cashew Butter
- Chia or flax seed
4 • Protein
- Plant-based protein powder
5 • Flavor Factor
- Ginger
- Lemon
Fiber
With 1 cup of fresh strawberries in this Strawberry Ginger Smoothie, you’ll get about 3g of fiber, which isn’t much compared to how much you need in a day, but for a smoothie, that’s a great start! To boost the fiber, you can add half of a zucchini, which will also add a creamy texture!
Vitamin C (and more antioxidants!)
Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, in just 1 cup of fresh strawberries there’s about 149% DV of vitamin C- which is important in our overall health from fighting inflammation, collagen production.
Including phytonutrients like anthocyanins, tannins, anthocyanins, flavonols, resveratrol, ellagic acid, catechins from the strawberries alone.