Green tea and red raspberry smoothie
Is it just me or are there any smoothies that taste especially good after a workout?! I'm sure it's because I'm a little dehydrated, so any kind of liquid sounds good, but the thought of refreshing fruit and creamy yogurt, all combined with a cold drink, really gets me excited after I sweat! Despite the winter, I still love refreshing smoothies like this one.
One of my New Year's resolutions, if you can call it that, is to drink more tea. I don't know what it is, but I just can't bring myself to like this thing called "tea." I have no problem drinking my coffee in the morning, but whenever I make a cup of tea, I have about two sips and then decide I don't like it anymore. In particular, I really want to like green tea because of all its great health benefits.
If you are unfamiliar with some of the benefits of green tea, let me fill you in on some of the knowledge gaps. Green tea is the best source of a group called catechins. These catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E at stopping oxidative damage to cells. So why don’t we want oxidative damage to our cells? Quite simply, oxidative damage contributes to cancer development, anything that helps stop cancer growth is all my business! The best way to get these catechins into your body is through fresh tea. Bottled, decaffeinated tea or other similar beverages have less of these powerful compounds. To me, this is one of the most important benefits, but I’m sure many of you are wondering about the metabolic or fat-burning qualities of green tea.
There are mixed opinions on whether green tea actually increases our metabolism. Some studies have found that it does, while others show no change. My thoughts are that the fact that it contains caffeine will give us a small energy boost that can help prolong and increase exercise performance, and therefore burn more calories. When training for marathons, I often need some caffeine to give me a boost during long runs. While the extra energy that caffeine gives doesn't last long, I find that it gives the kick I need for 30-45 minutes.
As with any food or drink that claims to have health benefits, take it with a grain of salt. There will always be pros and cons.
In my opinion, though, adding green tea to my diet can’t hurt and hopefully only do good. So, back to how I get myself to enjoy a cup of tea… by dunking it in a refreshing smoothie, cold of course! Instead of using milk or juice in this smoothie, I substituted green tea. I added one of my favorite berries, red raspberries, frozen banana, Greek yogurt for protein, and honey for sweetness. Not only did I drink my cup of tea, but I also enjoyed the health benefits of the red raspberries and banana! Until I find a brand of tea I fall in love with, I’ll remedy that by making myself a delicious red raspberry green tea smoothie like this!
Components:
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1 cup green tea, chilled
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1/3 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
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1 cup frozen red raspberries
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1 frozen banana in pieces
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1 tablespoon honey
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup ice