Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl
Dragon fruit (also known as Pitaya) is a beautiful fruit that comes in red or white colors. While its striking appearance is what brings it popularity, its taste is what keeps people coming back for more.
The dragon fruit is native to Central American but is now grown all over the world. It has a slightly sweet, delicate taste that some compare to a pear mixed with a kiwi. The dragon fruit goes great with other tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango, and guava.
This crazy fruit also packs some serious nutrition, boasting an impressive amount of prebiotic fiber and antioxidants (1). Dragon fruit may even help improve fasting blood glucose (sugar) levels! A few studies have shown that dragon fruit consumption helped reduce fasting blood glucose (sugar) in individuals with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes (2). Though the effects were more significant in individuals with pre-diabetes (2).
Fresh dragon fruit is often difficult to find but most grocery stores carry frozen dragon fruit. For this recipe, I chose a frozen blend of dragon fruit, mangoes, strawberries, and peaches but feel free to get creative and mix in other fruit!
Diabetic Breakfast Smoothie Bowl
What makes this smoothie bowl diabetes friendly?
As we just learned, fruit has a ton of benefits for our body! It is great to include them into your diet, but the concern is they may increase blood sugar levels too quickly.
So, how do you avoid a huge blood sugar rush? With fiber and fat! The added fat from the avocado and yogurt will help slow the absorption of carbohydrates from the fruit. The fiber in the fruit; spinach, and avocado also help slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the smoothie.
Frozen Pitaya Smoothie Bowl
Pro-tips:
Add sweetener if needed! I found the fruit was enough to sweeten the bowl, but if you like you can add a sweetener to taste.
Toppings: Get creative! I like adding a bit of a crunch, so almonds were perfect! Any nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, or granola would also be a great addition
Put the spinach into the blender first, this will make blending the smoothie a bit easier!
If you want a drinkable smoothie - add some liquid. You can go for your favorite milk or add a juice like pomegranate.
Need more protein? Add in your favorite protein powder or collagen peptides!
Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl
ingredients:
- 3/4 cup frozen fruit (we used dragon fruit, mangoes, strawberries, and peaches)
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Avocado
instructions:
How to cook Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl
- Add ingredients to blender or food processor.
- Blend on high until smooth. As needed, pause and scrape the edges with a spoon or spatula to incorporate all ingredients.
- Enjoy! Bonus toppings: Add fresh fruit and nuts to add texture and flavor to your bowl.
Calories
275Carbs (grams)
29Fiber (grams)
8Net carbs
21Protein (grams)
15