The idea of eating salad every day bores the life out of me, but I know that leafy greens are among the world’s healthiest foods, so I find creative ways to make them interesting.  The strong tropical fruit flavors in this smoothie hide any bitterness that might come from the greens, but you’ll still be getting significant doses of vitamins A, K and C, B-vitamins, and necessary trace minerals like manganese, iron and copper.

Over a third of humans have an MTHFR genetic variant that inhibits their ability to process and use folic acid, a synthetic but common form of folate that is added to fortified cereals, bread and other processed foods.  Because the human body needs folate to make DNA, a deficiency in the nutrient can cause health problems.  Fortunately, spinach contains natural folate that can more readily be used by people with this gene variant.

While my brain knows spinach is great for all the reasons I mentioned, my mouth would still prefer a tropical cocktail.  So I eat my greens in a way that makes me feel like I’m on the beach: paired with tangy pineapple, sweet banana, and tropical coconut.  Hope you like my easy, tropical green smoothie.

TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen spinach

• 1 cup frozen pineapple

• ½ banana

• 1 scoop Vanilla Vega Protein & Greens

• ¾ cup coconut water

• 8 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

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