Smoothie bowls have been all the rave lately ‚ filling your social media feeds with vibrant rainbow colors and beautiful backdrops. After all, what‚s not to love about a smoothie you can eat with a spoon? And while they‚re certainly pretty, we love them most for their nutrition: they‚re filling, plant-based and packed with antioxidants. Win, win, win!

 

You‚ll likely find smoothie bowls on the menu at your local juice and smoothie bar, but if you‚re on a budget or looking to have some fun in the kitchen, we recommend making your own. This week on the Vibrant Health blog, we‚re sharing a step-by-step guide on how to craft your own antioxidant-rich smoothie bowl at home as well as some recipes to get you started.

 

Smoothie Bowl Health Benefits & Importance of Antioxidants

 

One of the many reasons we‚re smitten for smoothie bowls is because they‚re loaded with nutrition, making them a perfect late-summer breakfast or post-workout fuel.

 

And since they typically include a hefty dose of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables, they‚re packed with antioxidants ‚ which can help the body fight oxidative stress and minimize free radical damage! This is crucial, as free radicals in the body have been linked to a number of diseases from cancer to heart disease.

 

The good news is you can get your fair share of antioxidants from the food you put in your body. Whole fruits and vegetables are a great source of antioxidants, with plant-based supplements being a wonderful way to squeeze them into your diet as well.

 

Here at Vibrant Health, our Spectrum Vibrance powder is the ‚King of antioxidants,‚ with a whopping 4 servings of fruits and veggies in a single scoop! It provides powerful antioxidant support ‚ with 143,590 total ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) units per serving for added protection from free radical damage.

 

 

 

 

Green Vibrance is another wonderful full spectrum option ‚ blending probiotics with 14 powerful antioxidants in one delicious powder.

 

 

 

 

DIY Smoothie Bowl: Step-by-Step Guide on How to Make Your Own Bowl

 

Now that your belly is growling from all the food talk, it‚s time to make your own bowl! Here‚s a simple six-step guide for you to craft your own smoothie bowl at home.

 

Step 1: Choose Your Base

 

Step 2: Load Up the Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and Vegetables

 

Step 3: Enhance with a Plant-Based Superfood Powder

 

Step 4: Blend & Pour

 

Step 5: Top Off with Your Favorite Healthy Fixin‚s

 

Step 6: Pretty it Up & Enjoy

 

Step 1: Choose Your Base

 

First things first, you‚ll want to choose your base! In your blender, add about cup liquid of choice. (Start small as you don‚t want your bowl to get too watery!)

 

A plant-based milk like coconut or almond milk is a great option, but you can choose any kind of milk you like or even coconut water for a hydrating alternative. If you‚re looking for a creamier consistency, you may want to incorporate avocado or greek yogurt too!

 

Step 2: Load Up the Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and Veggies

 

Now that you‚ve got your base squared away, it‚s time to load up on those antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies! We love incorporating a variety of produce into our bowls like spinach, kale, pineapple, mango, banana, cherries and berries (like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries). The more color, the better!

 

While it‚s great to include fresh fruit and veggies especially when they‚re in season, when you can opt for frozen fruit or veggies (think: frozen cauliflower), as it‚ll keep the texture thick enough to enjoy with a spoon.

 

Step 3: Enhance with a Plant-based Superfood Powder   

While you‚re at it, why not ‚superfood‚ your smoothie bowl? Here at Vibrant Health, we‚re always adding an extra scoop of plant-based superfood powder to our recipes for good measure. Green Vibrance and Spectrum Vibrance are our top picks for an antioxidant boost!

 

Step 4: Blend & Pour

 

Once you‚re happy with your smoothie bowl contents, blend away in a high-speed blender! Process until smooth, adding more liquid, frozen fruit and/or ice until you get your desired consistency. Once blended, pour the mixture into your favorite bowl!

 

Step 5: Top Off with Your Favorite Healthy Fixin‚s

 

Now it‚s time to have a little fun and choose your toppings! Just like an ice cream bar (but much healthier), you can garnish your smoothie bowl with all your favorite healthy fixin‚s ‚ from fresh fruit to crunchy granola.

 

Here are some suggestions to top your bowl with:

 

• Chia seeds
• Extra fresh berries
• Goji berries
• Sliced banana or kiwi
• Granola
• Cacao nibs or cacao powder
• Chopped nuts & seeds
• Shredded unsweetened coconut
• Natural nut butter
• Cinnamon
• A drizzle of honey

 

Step 6: Pretty It Up & Enjoy

 

Feel free to get as creative as you‚d like with your smoothie bowl ‚decorations.‚ Browse Pinteest or instagram for some colorful inspiration, and be sure to snap a pic before you dive in! You can tag us on social @VibrantHealth with a photo of your final masterpiece.

 

20 Tried & True Vibrant Health Smoothie Bowl Recipes

 

While we encourage you to get creative with your smoothie bowls and come up with your own custom blends, it‚s always nice to have some healthy inspo. Here are 20 delicious Vibrant Health recipes to help you get started!

1. Summer Smoothie Bowl
2. Pomegranate Smoothie Bowl
3. Women‚s Day Smoothie Bowl
4. Berry and Bright Smoothie Bowl
5. Get Your Greens Smoothie Bowl
6. Pineapple Smoothie Bowls
7. Minty Blueberry Smoothie Bowl
8. Papaya Smoothie Bowls
9. Chocolate Acai Smoothie Bowl
10. Beet of Your Heart
11. Apple Celery Smoothie Bowl
12. Post-Workout Smoothie Bowl with MAX Benefits
13. Banana Bread Smoothie Bowl
14. Avocado Spinach Banana Bowl
15. Tie-Dye Smoothie Bowl
16. Chocolate Coconut Smoothie Bowl
17. Very Berry Smoothie Bowls
18. Delightful Green Smoothie Bowl
19. Vibrant Health Super Smoothie Bowl
20. Gratitude Smoothie Bowl

 

Tag us on social media @VibrantHealth to share your smoothie bowl creations!

 

DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended as a substitute for advice provided by a competent health care professional. You should not use this information in diagnosing or treating a health problem. No claim or opinion in this blog is intended to be, nor should be construed to be, medical advice. If you are now taking any drugs, prescribed or not, or have a medical condition, please consult a competent physician who is aware of herb/drug interactions before taking any herbal supplements. The information presented herein has not been evaluated by the FDA or the Department of Health and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, cure, mitigate or treat any disease or illness.