Antioxidant Punch

I'm just so excited about today's smoothie! It's something I've never tried before, and never even thought of, except that I was reading an article on green tea, and bam... it hit me... (because ever since starting this blog my whole world revolves around smoothies) put it into a smoothie! This has sparked lots of ideas for the next few smoothies I make. I was also requested by Emily in a comment on Zingy Speckle a couple of weeks ago to include some banana replacement options, so here goes:

1 ripe avocado
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 handful pineapple chunks
1 handful honeydew melon chunks
1 handful strawberries
1 handful cantaloupe chunks
1 acai blueberry yoghurt Astro Biobest smoothie
1 1/2 cups green tea, cool

I can't describe to you how refreshing and tasty this smoothie is. I will by trying it with a banana in the future, but for the banana averse amongst us, the avocado does a great job at adding thickness and smoothness to this concoction. It also gives that nice nuttiness as an added bonus. The subtle bitterness of green tea is not an issue in this drink, it just gives the whole thing a really great flavour, and of course the benefits of all those antioxidants.

There are tons and tons of websites extolling the virtues of green tea, but in a nutshell because there is very little oxidation in the processing of green tea, it is widely considered the healthiest of teas. It's rich in antioxidants, particularly catechin polyphenols which have been shown to slow the aging process. Handy for weight loss because of its ability to enhance fat oxidation and increase the body's metabolic rate, it also has documented uses in all kinds of areas of health and well-being, including reproductive health, digestive health, etc.

One thing I was surprised to read was that green tea is actually a great source of vitamins and minerals, containing vitamin C in comparable amounts to a lemon, and tons of different types of B vitamins which are water soluble and so readily available in a tea. In summary, 5-6 cups of green tea a day, and you have a lot of your body's mineral requirements covered, and this smoothie helps you get there.

Have any of you tried a green tea smoothie before? Tell me all about it in the comments below. Smoothie on!