Coconut strawberry matcha brain-booster

Written by Michael Mantz, M.D.

Flavor Structure:

This recipe incorporates the sweet & sour tastes of strawberries with the creamy healthy fats of avocado and coconut. The sweetness of the strawberries and the mellowing effects of the beneficial fats balance the mildly bitter, astringent, and grassy qualities of the matcha. The coconut gives this smoothie a mild tropical accent that works well with the aromatic compounds from the strawberries.

Ingredients:

1 tsp of matcha powder

8 oz of warm unsweetened almond milk or water

1/3 avocado

1 tbsp of coconut cream powder

1 cup or 8 large strawberries (can substitute with black or red grapes/any berry/cherries)

Optional sweetness boosters: 1 tsp of raw organic honey and or low-glycemic natural sweeteners: xylitol/ stevia to taste

Optional brain booster: Caprylic acid 1-2 tsp.

Instructions: Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender for 30 seconds

Nutritional Design:

This recipe combines the benefits of matcha powder with powerful brain-boosting anthocyanins present in strawberries.

Fact: 1 cup of strawberries delivers more than 100% of the Daily Value set for vitamin C and provides 29% more vitamin C than an orange.

The avocado adds healthy mono-unsaturated fats that lubricate your gastrointestinal system and your blood vessels. Avocados contain high amounts of folate and pantothenic acid. They also provide important carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful antioxidants that are important for maintaining proper eye health.

The healthy fats in this recipe slow down the rate of gastric emptying making you feel fuller longer and gives the anthocyanins (and other powerful nutrients) from the strawberries more time to be absorbed by your body. The fats also provide slow burning energy and retard the release of caffeine from matcha powder. This creates an extended-release alerting effect that is smoother and longer lasting.

Blending the strawberries demolishes their cell walls, releasing all their nutrients into the smoothie. This allows your body to soak up the maximum nutritional benefits from them.

Tips:

-If you want to get the best flavor from smoothies, a high-powered blender is a must. They are called smoothies for a reason – they are supposed to be smooth. Flavor = mouth feel (texture and viscosity) + the 5 basic tastes + aromatic compounds.

-Blend for 30 seconds or more to maximize the smoothness of your smoothies.