After an intense exercise session, you must fuel your body to replenish the depleted glycogen stores and help your body rebuild and strengthen its muscles. Here are eight refreshing recovery drinks loaded with superfoods. The nutrient-rich foods that are especially beneficial to your health and well-being. These will give you much-needed glucose replenishment while quickly restoring your electrolyte levels to normal. Rehydration is a major part of the post-workout recovery process.
To make these drinks more refreshing, use frozen or chilled ingredients. Add ice if you wish. You can also make them before your exercise routine and keep them in the refrigerator so that they are chilled and ready anytime you want them.
1. Chocolate & Banana Smoothie
This refreshingly cool and chocolaty treat not only tastes amazing, but it’s also overflowing with health. In this recipe, bananas are blended with Greek yogurt and cocoa. Banana is considered a superfood as it’s filled with many nutrients like fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Bananas are considered the number one fruit for athletes. The tryptophan content in bananas helps to improve mood and boost memory power. You can use frozen bananas rather than fresh ones to make a thick slushy smoothie.
Greek yogurt is one of the best sources of probiotics. These are the good microorganisms that keep your digestive tract healthy while supporting the immune system. Like bananas, Greek yogurt is a good source of calcium and potassium.
Decreasing your sodium intake while improving your potassium intake is an important dietary change for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Greek yogurt is a fulfilling treat after a tiring workout. It is rich in amino acids, which are the building blocks for muscle tissue repair and regeneration. Greek yogurt is also rich in iodine, which is needed for proper thyroid functioning and, ultimately, a healthy metabolism. This drink looks appetizing when served in tall glasses, garnished with slices of fresh banana.
2. Red Velvet Smoothie
Loaded with superfoods, you’ll be surprised just how yummy this tastes. Raw red beets and strawberries are what give this drink its attractive red color while almond milk, dates, cocoa, and agave nectar add up to make this incredibly healthy. Agave nectar is said to be a healthier choice than sugar as it has a relatively low glycemic index value.
Red beets are an incredible source of vitamins and minerals: beta-carotene, beta-cyanine, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron to mention just a few. Ancient Romans used these medicinally as an aphrodisiac. The high amounts of boron in beets boost the production of human sex hormones.
Cocoa contains iron, magnesium, flavonoids, and many other antioxidants. Raw cocoa nibs are a better choice than super-refined cocoa powders if you can get them. The cacao nibs add a better texture and taste to your drink. They also say that it substantially increases saliva activation.
3. Toasted Coconut & Fig Almond Milk Smoothie
Toasted coconut and dried figs add an unusual flavor to this delicious smoothie. You can substitute with dates if you don’t have any figs. Use any brand of almond milk or make your own from soaked almonds. Almond butter, raw honey, frozen bananas, and cocoa are the other superfoods in this refreshing summer drink.
Figs contain numerous beneficial nutrients, including phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins A, B1, and B2, and minerals like calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, and manganese. Figs also contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber aids bowel movements, and the soluble fiber helps slow digestion while stabilizing and lowering blood sugar levels. Figs also help lower serum triglyceride levels.
4. Apple Banana Chia Seed Smoothie
The highlight of this refreshing summer drink is chia seeds. The superfood chia seeds are one of the best sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Powerful antioxidants are believed to slow down aging and encourage tissue regeneration.
Chia seeds are great for hydration as they are hydrophilic. This means they dissolve easily in water and do not leave a gritty feeling on the tongue like some of the other seeds can when they are blended into a drink. Chia seeds expand when they absorb liquid, so they naturally thicken any drink to which they are added. This one is a terrific choice for diabetics too as chia seeds slow down the absorption of carbohydrates in the intestine. You can grind chia seeds into a paste and store them so that you can add them to any drink easily.
Yogurt, apples, and bananas are the other superfoods blended into this drink. Apples contain a wealth of antioxidants, flavonoids, and dietary fiber that can help reduce the risk of developing many diseases like cancer and heart disease.
5. Papaya-Banana Smoothie
The superfood papaya is the key ingredient in this incredible recovery drink. Blending papaya into your drinks creates a very creamy and smooth texture. Papaya has plenty of active enzymes that aid digestion.
Flavored with vanilla and blended with Greek yogurt, this smoothie is rich in protein and calcium, both of which aid muscle and bone growth. A terrific way to enhance the health benefits of this drink is to add an additional superfood like aloe vera. This is a natural diuretic. It is better to use the thick gooey natural stuff, although you can also use aloe vera water. A little goes a long way, so use just a spoonful of the thick stuff, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.
You can substitute the bananas in the recipe with pineapple if you wish. Pineapple is a refreshing addition to any summer drink. It is an unusually high source of vitamin C ― even higher than oranges.
6. Passion Fruit Hurricane
Cool yourself down after a sweaty workout session with this exhilarating fruit cocktail that blends pink grapefruit juice and passion fruit puree with dark rum. Serve chilled, garnished with a wedge of fresh grapefruit.
A popular citrus fruit, the grapefruit is a marvelous source of nutrients like vitamins A, C, folate, fiber, choline, limonins, and lycopene. It is well-known for its antioxidant and immunity-boosting properties. It aids digestion and helps lower cholesterol.
Passion fruits have high levels of vitamin A and flavonoid antioxidants such as ß-carotene and cryptoxanthin-ß. People say that it is beneficial in alleviating arthritis as it aids in increasing the mineral density of bones. When taken in moderation, dark rum has extensive health benefits. It is well known as a great reliever for muscle pain.
7. Easy Raspberry Mango Iced Tea
Imagine sipping a cup of iced tea on a sweltering hot summer afternoon. What could be more delicious and refreshing than this raspberry mango iced tea made with mango nectar and fresh raspberries? When making this drink, add English green tea bags to hot water and allow steeping for five minutes. Add the mango nectar and honey to this after the tea has cooled and then refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with raspberries and lots of ice.
Other than vitamin C, red raspberries have powerful antioxidants like quercetin and gallic acid, which protect against cancer, heart disease, and age-related decline. The high ellagic acid content in raspberries gives it chemo-preventative properties; regular consumption of raspberries can help inhibit, delay or reverse carcinogenesis.
Green tea contains bioactive compounds that are highly beneficial for your health. Powerful antioxidants like flavonoids and catechins load it. Green tea has less caffeine than coffee, but its caffeine content works synergistically with the amino acid L-theanine to improve brain function. Studies have proven that green tea boosts metabolic rates in the short term. This property of green tea is believed to aid weight loss efforts. According to research, green tea drinkers have lower risks of cardiovascular disease.
8. Cashew Ripple Strawberry Shake
This one feels more like a dessert than a drink, as the cashew butter adds a rich, creamy taste. This healthy vegan summer drink uses superfoods like soy milk, strawberries, and watermelon. It is wiser to use an unsweetened version of soy milk for your smoothies as there will be natural sweetness in the other ingredients like the strawberries.
The fat in soy milk is mostly unsaturated with zero cholesterol. This makes it a much better choice than dairy milk which has high saturated fat and cholesterol content. Soy milk has powerful phyto antioxidants, as well as both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which protect blood vessels from lesions and hemorrhages. The phytoestrogen content in soy helps prevent the loss of bone mass in your body by accelerating calcium absorption.
Cashew butter is great for the immune system and for increasing muscle and skin tone. It contains a lot of essential amino acids. And it is loaded with phosphorus, copper, iron, and magnesium. You can also substitute the cashew butter with peanut butter or almond butter in this recipe. Remember to serve this thick chilled concoction with a spoon rather than a straw.
Rick Kaselj, MS
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