The Ultimate Endurance Athlete Smoothie

My husband and I have been on a mammoth training exercise for 4 months now in preparation for Australia’s toughest endurance event – The Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge. We’ve been madly researching extraordinarily healthy ways to get oodles of carbs, protein and energy into us for the 96 km-in-under-39-hours walk (or run for the truly committed athletes out there) that’s on this weekend (EGAD!!!). We’ve been looking into carbohydrate loading, the magic of coconut water for rehydration, superfoods, energy shots and more BUT we want to do this WITHOUT refined sugar and caffeine (most sports drinks and energy gels are loaded with both). One solution we’ve come across that gets a big tick in all our boxes are smoothies – quick fuel, easy to digest, full of simple carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and LOTS of other excellent nutrients.  Awesome pre, post and during our extended periods of training!

Ingredients

• 1 banana (Boosts haemoglobin in the blood!)
• 1/2 avocado (Mmmm…. yum… It may be a bit strange to put avocado in a smoothie but it gives a beautiful smooth and rich texture – creamy even. The good fat.)
• 1 tbsp maca powder (Maca is the highest growing crop on earth and increases blood oxygen – who needs blood doping when you’ve got maca???)
• 1 tbsp cacao powder (Oh! Raw chocolate! Let me count the ways in which I love you!)
• 1 tsp bee pollen (best known to increase strength, energy, speed, stamina and endurance. The Swedish and Russian Olympic teams have been taking it for ages!)
• 1 tbsp goji berries (strengthens the immune system, adrenals, stamina and energy. The Chinese have loved the Goji berries for thousands of years and they recommend it for longevity too!)
• 1 .5 cups water
• 1 tbsp honey or to taste (you can use any sweetener here – agave, maple syrup, you can even substitute fresh juice for water and discover you don’t need sweetener at all!)

Method
Chuck it all in a blender and press go. I like to blend my smoothies for quite a while (there’s nothing worse than chunky bits!). You can add some ice if you like your smoothies cold or even make them based on yoghurt or milk if you prefer. I like to keep things simple and find that water is an excellent base for all smoothies. Another step you can add is it to pre-soak in water the goji berries and the bee pollen – this makes them softer and easier to blend and digest for our tummies. You can also add any fruit you like or make changes to the amounts – fresh strawberries are magnificent this time of year! Smoothie making is an alchemical process of self-discovery – experiment, have fun and most of all, enjoy!

Important note: When beginning to take bee pollen, always start with a tiny amount and slowly work your way up. It’s a very potent nutritional food that can cause allergic reactions in some people. To test if this is the case with you, put a few granules in your mouth and wait for about 15 minutes. Any reaction to bee pollen most often includes anxiety, a mucousy feeling in the throat and mouth, heart beating fast and a sense of swelling of the tongue with some difficulty swallowing.