Charge Your Battery Up With This Blue Green Algae Coconut Super Shake!

While we all know how important it is to fuel the body properly, especially after a workout, it's definitely easy to get burnt out on the usual selection of protein bars and chalky protein shakes. Not to mention, these foods can also contain additives and ingredients that are hard on our digestive system (we've all experienced that protein bloat...). This shake, while definitely a great source of amino acids, is a truly balanced food, containing much more than just macro nutrients. It's packed full of trace minerals, most notably the critical electrolytes that help replenish and restore the body after sweating it all out during spin class. It contains carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, yet remains relatively low in sugar and contains enough healthy fats from coconut to stabilize blood sugar. It digests like a dream and really energizes the body. We also just adore the flavor combination of coconut with malty-sweet mesquite pod meal and vanilla. We just love this recipe - just look at the benefits of these ingredients!

Superfood Benefits

Young Thai Coconut Water

Coconut water is nature's sports drink. It is naturally bursting with electrolyte minerals that help your body re-hydrate after a loss of fluids. Young coconut water contains a higher concentration of critical nutrients. It contain 5 very crucial electrolytes which are naturally present in the human body: calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and sodium. The electrolyte content in fresh young coconut water is so perfectly balanced for our bodies that it has even been used in emergency situations as IV fluid to prevent dehydration (fun fact: it is sterile when inside of the coconut!). Maintaining optimal electrolyte levels does more than just replenish the body after a workout, it can help reduce fatigue, stress, and help prevent muscles from cramping.

Young Thai Coconut Meat

Coconut meat is one of the best sources of heart-healthy medium chain fatty acids. These fats, unlike long chain fatty acids, burn quickly as energy, aren't easily stored in the body as fat, and don't contribute to elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Coconut meat is also a good source of trace minerals manganese, potassium and copper. Young coconut meat is also much softer and less fibrous than mature coconut, and blends into a creamy, dreamy consistency perfect for shakes.

Veggimins Amazing Algae

Our Amazing Algae is nature's perfect multi-vitamin. This trifecta of organic spirulina, chlorella, and E3 Live is packed full of just about every nutrient known to man, in a highly absorbable state. Spirulina offers a great source of antioxidants and vitamins such as beta carotene, vitamins K1, K2, B12 and minerals iron, manganese and chromium. It contains 60-70% protein by weight, which is pretty unheard of for a plant-based food. The protein is also easily digestible (no protein bloat here!). Chlorella, while also being rich in nutrients, is an incredible detoxifyer, most well known for its ability to help the body detox from heavy metals such as arsenic. E3 Live, also known as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae blue-green algae (AFA for short), is another nutrient-packed superstar, and according to many health authorities is one of the planet's top superfoods for overall health. It is even richer in chlorophyll than both spirulina and chlorella, which is a natural detoxifier, and has profound benefits in terms of our blood's ability to oxygenate our tissues. (chlorophyll's molecular structure is almost the same as that of human hemoglobin).

Mesquite Pod Meal

This malty-sweet powder is definitely one of our favorite whole food sweetener options, but we also love it for the unique flavor it lends to recipes. A bit like a cross between carob, cacao, maple syrup, caramel, and chocolate malt with hints of wood smoke and nuts (if you can imagine that...). Mesquite is a legume native to arid regions of North America, South America, Africa and Southern Asia, and is a superfood in its own right awash with protein (it's a legume after-all!) as well as good quantities of minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc. While sweet in taste, it is also low on the glycemic index clocking in at a GI of around 25. It is also a good source of dietary fiber.

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt is definitely our go-to salt for all recipes, because it is such a great source for trace minerals. Because it is unrefined and comes directly from ancient salt reserves in the Himalayan mountain range, it contains pretty much every known element here on the earth, even very trace amounts of metals like silver and gold. Mineral salts are critical for our bodies detoxification processes, help our body maintain optimal pH levels, improve hydration, reduce muscle cramping and tightness after exercise, help balance blood sugar levels, and are critical in terms of our stomach's ability to secrete optimal levels of hydrochloric acid (we need enough chloride in order to make stomach acids which digest our food).

The Recipe

Replenishing Blue Green Algae Coconut Super Shake

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 young Thai coconut - both meat and water

1 heaped tsp Veggimins Amazing Algae

1 Tbs mesquite pod meal (you could also use carob)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or several pinches vanilla bean powder

2 drops organic vanilla creme stevia (optional for added sweetness)

Pinch Himalayan crystal salt

Garnish: a sprinkle of nutmeg (optional but delish)

Instructions

1. Crack open your coconut (carefully!) with a large chef knife. Click HERE for a Youtube tutorial on how to do this safely and quickly. Drain the water into your blender, and scrape out the meat. You should have about 12-16 oz water and 3/4 cup to 1 cup coconut meat. You can also use less for a lighter shake. You can also add a little pure water to thin it out and make it less sweet. You do you!

2. Blend all ingredients together until smooth, pour into a glass, drink, and charge up!