Dragon Fruit Smoothie

This Dragon Fruit Smoothie is a great pre workout smoothie. Made with 1/2 banana, dragon fruit, a few strawberries, peanut butter, and milk, it’s antioxidant rich, and will help you on those hot summer days stay fueled and hydrated!

Summer in Miami and all I want to do is drink and eat hydrating foods! Nothing tastes or sounds better to me than a cold and refreshing smoothie! For many years as a dietitian and diabetes educator a smoothie would be the last thing you’d hear me recommend. However, smoothies have been around for some time and if I’m being honest are overused. There I said it. We are not all athletes that need replenishment after a game nor should we be using a smoothie for a meal replacement. Food is functional (and so much more) and why smoothies can have a place in our diet. Enter this Dragon Fruit Smoothie I created with my nephew in mind.

A couple weeks back I was visiting San Diego and spent some time with my family out there. My 13-year old (soon to be 14-year old) nephew plays baseball, basketball, and football. And while I was out there had double header basketball games one day, double header baseball games one day, and then was starting daily football practices. Not to mention it was actually ‘hot’, 84°, in San Diego terms. Even as a spectator I couldn’t stay hydrated and I wasn’t the one playing back-to-back games. In between games my nephew had an actual meal to replenish before his next baseball game. However, with all these sports, an idea for a a pre-workout, mid-workout smoothie combination started brewing!

4 Reasons This is a great Pre-workout Smoothie

• Dragon has the potential to help you ‘fuel up’ for a workout and/or ‘fuel up’ between double header games!
• Additionally, dragon fruit is packed with antioxidants and flavonoids, as well as magnesium and vitamin C. It’s sometimes why dragon fruit can be referred to as a ‘superfood’, they’re packed with SO much goodness. Dragon fruit has been shown to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer and are also anti-inflammatory. Dragon fruit, while exotic, has become more available in frozen form, so it might be one to consider incorporating into your diet!
• I used cow’s milk as it not only provides carbohydrates from the natural sugar, lactose, but also provides protein. If you are using an alternative milk in this recipe, make sure it’s one that does have carbs (as many do not) and protein (many do not). And that’s why not all smoothies are created equal.
• General recommendations pre-workout are to consume about 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight one hour before working, and 2 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight if 2 hours before exercise (Dunford & Doyle 2008).
• Additionally, the general recommendation is anything consumed less than 1 hour before an event or workout be blended or liquid to allow for rapid stomach emptying. Keep in mind this is all individualized as our bodies perform/handle differently. One more reason why you should experiment (before actual game days) to see what will work best for you! Experiment with the size (amount consumed), timing, and composition of pre-activity/game meals to see what’s best tolerated. And, consult with a registered dietitian nutritionist!

Ingredients: Dragon Fruit Smoothie

• Dragon Fruit: While not commonplace, this fruit can be found in your frozen food section these days thanks to how *popular* smoothies are. If you were to substitute acai, it does not have as many carbohydrates as does dragon fruit, which makes the dragon fruit better for a pre-workout smoothie ingredient.
• Strawberries: Actually not necessary, but I did add in a few to help marry the flavor with the banana and create sweetness. These were fresh and not frozen to ensure they were super sweet! (natural sugar/energy!)
• Banana: Frozen bananas provide some of the help with creaminess/texture of the smoothie, but also provide that natural sweetness. Understood if you don’t love bananas and think it’ll imbibe a banana taste. However, even days after this was made it still tasted okay!
• Peanut Butter: Make sure to use just 1 level tablespoon of peanut butter, otherwise the peanut butter can over power the taste in the smoothie. Almond butter and/or cashew butter could be substituted here as well.
• Milk: I used cow’s milk as it not only provides carbohydrates from the natural sugar, lactose, but also provides protein. If you are using an alternative milk in this recipe, make sure it’s one that does have carbs (as many do not) and protein (many do not). And that’s why not all smoothies are created equal. Soy milk and/or a nut-based milk using pea protein.

How To Make a Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Simply throw all the ingredients into the blender. Start first with the liquid. I used a just a 1/2 cup of milk, but feel free to add a little more at a time if you need to loosen the smoothie up and not be as thick. I used both frozen dragon fruit and a frozen banana as they add just the right amount of thickness level with the amount of liquid I added. Again, adjusting and adding more milk to make it thinner will adjust the carb/protein ratio and that’s okay. Blend. Serve and enjoy. That’s it!

Other Hydrating Dishes

• Summer Fruit Salad
• Gazpacho
• Iceberg Wedge Salad
• Heirloom Tomato Salad

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