Tropical Beta-C Smoothie

About

This delicious recipe came about when I was using up fruit I had in my fridge. Here in Canada, tropical fruits are a nice choice when Spring is here but our own local produce is not yet available. Early Spring often comes with snow and freezing rain so fruits like mangos, coconuts and oranges can bring the flavour of warmer climates even if our own is still cold. This smoothie makes two large servings each of which contains a decent amount of both beta-carotene and vitamin C. For those watching their carbs a half portion may be more appropriate.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients, adding coconut water to reach desired consistency.
2. Pour into glasses and garnish if desired.

Helpful Hints & Notes

1. Seedless oranges are great to use in smoothies because you don’t have to pick out the seeds. Some people blend the seeds right in but I find this creates a bitter under-taste.
2. A slice of kiwi fruit would have made a lovely garnish for this smoothie. Unfortunately I did not have any so settled for an orange slice.
3. This smoothie has about 4.5 mg of beta-carotene per serving with the mangos supplying the most (4.3 mg). The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests consuming at least 15 mg of beta-carotene daily. Your body converts the beta-carotene you consume in foods into the amount of vitamin A it needs. An essential nutrient, vitamin A helps to maintain your immune system, vision, skin and mucus membranes (Livestrong).
4. The vitamin C content is about 260 mg per serving with the oranges supplying slightly more (140 mg) than the mangos (120 mg). The US RDA for vitamin C is 75 mg for females and 90 mg for males, so this smoothie provides all that is needed plus extra!
5. Coconut water, the third tropical ingredient, is a source of essential B vitamins as well as potassium & sodium, which make it a useful beverage for hydration and for preventing electrolyte imbalance.
6. This recipe was tested with Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water. #ad
7. A mango splitter such as OXO Good Grips Mango Splitter really helps with peeling, slicing and pitting a mango. #ad I have one and really like it. See the video below for a short demonstration.

References

Livestrong – Do Mangos have Beta-Carotene

Livestrong – Fruit with Beta-Carotene

Wiki Answers – How Much Vitamin C is in an Orange

Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center