Beet and Mixed Berry Smoothie Recipe

The blender bike was kept busy this summer whipping up this delicious smoothie recipe. We so enjoyed all the red "smoothie mustaches" thanks to the secret ingredient (okay, not so secret if you know the name of the smoothie)... beets! You can only imagine how many exclamations of surprise we got when it was revealed that our smoothie featured beets as a main ingredient. Beets have been the subject of much research lately as their nitrate content has been shown to improve sports performance through enhanced oxygen delivery via the nitric oxide pathways. I recommend roasting the beets to bring out their sweet flavor. This smoothie can be consumed as a snack or as recovery from sport (for maximum benefit, consume within the first 30 minutes after exercise lasting 60 minutes or more). 

The fruit, fruit juice, and honey help to replenish glycogen stores in muscle and provide antioxidants to reduce muscle pain and inflammation. The yogurt provides proteins for building and repairing muscle tissue. Smoothies are also a great way to help restore lost fluids. 

Time to get blending!

Mixed Berry and Beet Smoothie

½ cup orange juice

1 cup mixed frozen berries

½ cup diced beet, raw or roasted

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon honey

2 or 3 ice cubes

Combine ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Recovery Tip: To recover fast, consume fluid. To optimally rehydrate you need about 1.5x more than what you lost during training. For example, if you lose 2 lbs you need to consume 3 lbs of fluid. Each pound of fluid equals 16 ounces, thus, you need to drink 48 ounces over ~3-4 hours. Drink sport drink or water with a salty snack to aid rehydration and replace lost electrolytes.