Pineapple Mango Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Plant Power (my choice for this one, 21 gm protein) or Paleo Power protein
• ½ cup frozen pineapple
• ½ cup frozen mango
• 1 cup coconut milk yogurt (I’m using vanilla Silk Greek-style yogurt 10g protein)
• ½ cup coconut milk (add 5g protein)
• Optional, collagen protein (I choose vanilla Bulletproof or Vital Proteins)*
• Optional, Fiber Boost (4-5 g additional fiber)

Toppings:

• Kiwi slices or fresh raspberries
• Coconut flakes
• Chia seeds
• Sliced almonds

Instructions:

Combine and blend smoothie ingredients in a blender until smooth. Top with your favorite toppings.

Flip: Make this one green any time with a generous handful of greens.

Flip: Added fiber for even more satiety benefits. Try chia seeds or ground flax meal. Add extra fiber with Fiber Boost for the ultimate blood sugar and gut health support. Made from at least 5 sources, my fiber product is like having a plate of food. Your body adapts better to it than to a single source. Gradually add fiber to your diet. Start by tracking your normal daily average.

Flip: The “bowl” and toppings are a psychological support for fullness and satiety. When you sit down, have something to chew, and enjoy a visually stimulating meal you will signal your brain that you’re satisfied.

This is 40 gms of protein without counting the collagen protein. The addition of the collagen bumps the essential amino acid level of the existing protein up to either 50 or 60 depending on your serving size. Keep in mind collagen powder alone isn’t adequate stimulus (the essential amino acid levels are too low even if it contains all 9 of them, many don’t). It’s hard to make yourself a high protein meal that contains 40-60 gm of protein in a few minutes otherwise.  Leftovers are great, but sometimes a girl deserves a little tropical breakfast!

High sugar impact? Without the protein, fat (coconut), and fiber (adding is a good idea here), the fruit in this bowl is higher in sugar than berries and citrus which are great choices for low sugar, high micronutrient density. You may want to test yourself with a CGM (use Flipping50) to know how you do.

After Your Workout

This Pineapple Mango Smoothie Bowl is more than a yummy treat to look for after your weight workout! And yes, you can have it any time. The healthy fat in the coconut milk and coconut yogurt together with the protein reduce the impact of sugar from the fruit.

Even though fruit can offer high nutrient density it can also have a lot of sugar. (Berries are best for low sugar and high nutrient density). After a workout, fructose, whether in some “cheap” protein powders or in fruit, can sabotage your efforts by increasing fat storage.

What and when you eat after your workout is just as important as the workout.

What to Eat After 50

You’re looking for clean sources of protein. For many women over 50 that means avoiding dairy too since they may intolerant to it (without being lactose intolerant). The inflammatory effects of dairy, soy, and eggs, three items that supply protein, may cause weight gain or inhibit weight loss. It’s good to test to know.

When to Eat Your Smoothie Bowl (or other high quality protein) After

Have your smoothie bowl between an hour and two hours after challenging workouts to support optimal Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS). It’s key to maintaining your lean muscle or boosting it, to boost metabolism and reduce body fat. If you’re

FLIP: You’ll hear that you will burn a little more fat, especially if you exercise in a fasted state. FALSE. There is no evidence to support this. And women lose muscle quickly due to:

• hormones
• overnight fasting (no hit of protein or exercise means no muscle synthesis; necessary, yes, but prolonging isn’t)
• exercise (this is a breakdown -catabolic- event)

If you do exercise without breakfast, eat right away after to repair the damage done. However, if you can wait a short while, you’ll allow your body’s immune system to kick up for itself before adding antioxidants in food that slow that process, and you’ll hit the sweet spot for muscle protein synthesis.