It’s summertime, and there are so many ripe and delicious fruits available! This tasty beauty smoothie takes advantage of the seasonal bounty to boost your intake of vitamin C with strawberries, papaya, grapefruit and leafy greens.
Key Beauty Ingredient: Vitamin C
This tropical superfruit smoothie is loaded with delicious sources of the powerhouse antioxidant vitamin C. Blend up chunks of grapefruit, strawberries and papaya for a sweet and sour treat, add plenty of ice in the warmer months to hydrate and cool down. Or, vacuum seal these fresh fruits in your freezer to make a frozen smoothie anytime of year.
Foods high in vitamin C can boost your immune health and help fight the common cold, and they can also do wonders for the skin. As we age, our bodies lose the ability to produce collagen at the same rate as when we were young, and vitamin C is necessary for our bodies to build it.
However, our bodies don’t produce vitamin C so it’s important to get plenty into your diet! It is a water soluble vitamin, which means that it doesn’t get stored in your body so you need to consume it regularly for optimal benefits.
The concentration of vitamin C diminishes as food gets old so is best acquired from the very freshest fruits and veggies. The amount of vitamin C declines after the produce has been picked or cooked. Eat raw, locally grown veggies and fruit for the highest amounts of natural vitamin C.
Strawberries and papaya are some of the most vitamin C-rich foods. One cup of papaya delivers 97% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, which is 90 mg. One cup of strawberries gives you 99% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C along with other beneficial antioxidants.
And don’t forget your greens! Kale is another potent vitamin C source so you can substitute it for the spinach. We like adding spinach to smoothies for the daily iron boost.
And guess what? Vitamin C actually enhances iron absorption. Eating your greens with foods rich in vitamin C will do wonders for the amount iron you’re body is able to utilize.
In addition to eating your daily dose, you can apply vitamin C topically for even more anti-aging benefits. Topical vitamin C application results in an increased ability to protect skin from UV and environmental damage and helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. A combination of both internal and external vitamin C is ideal for optimal skin benefits.
Tropical Superfruit Beauty Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk or coconut water*
- 1/3 cup of grapefruit or grapefruit juice
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/3 cup frozen papaya
- handful of spinach
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ground organic orange peel
Instructions
This recipe serves one smoothie equaling about 2 cups.
Add coconut milk or coconut water, grapefruit or grapefruit juice, frozen strawberries, and frozen papaya into the blender. Toss a handful of spinach into the mixture. Scoop in the fresh ground orange peel. Blend until smooth and enjoy.
*When selecting coconut water choose products with zero added sugar! Sugar comes in sneaky forms on ingredient lists (i.e high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, lactose, maltose, sucrose, agave nectar…) Coconut water should have only one ingredient if it is the good stuff!
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Tropical Superfruit Beauty Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk or coconut water*
- 1/3 cup grapefruit or grapefruit juice
- 1/3 cup strawberries frozen
- 1/3 cup papaya frozen
- Handful of spinach
- 1 teaspoon organic orange peel freshly ground
Instructions
- Add coconut milk or coconut water, grapefruit or grapefruit juice, frozen strawberries, and frozen papaya into the blender. Toss a handful of spinach into the mixture. Scoop in the fresh ground orange peel.
- Blend until smooth and enjoy.
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