Orange Superfood Protein Shake

• Yield:1 serving
• Difficulty:Easy
• Time:10 minutes

Honestly, I had no idea to what to call this shake! There are no actual oranges in this shake at all (unless you want one), yet it tastes like orange because of the Baobab fruit powder. I also have added a few other orangey fruits to make it orange in color. Few people have probably heard ever of the Baobab tree, so I figured it’s best not to call it by that name. I’ve heard of it (yes, I’m a Geek) because it was on some of the many nature documentaries I watched when I was little, and also my mom was a horticulturist.

This exotic fruit comes from Africa, yet it’s pretty easy to find here—in fact, it found me! I was walking down the baking section in Walmart when I noticed Baobab powder sitting next to the organic cacao powder, so I grabbed a bag. It’s always so much fun to try something new! It tastes like oranges and cream in a protein shake, yet it’s hardly orange in color! I believe it tastes like that because it has three times the amount of vitamin C as an orange does. This is the first time I’ve seen it for sale, and I hope it grows in popularity because it’s a wonderfully health-promoting food that everyone would do well to eat…unless you’re a fisherman that enjoys fishing in a small boat where crocodiles live. In Africa, they believe eating the fruit attracts crocodiles, but I think I’ll be safe in Wisconsin!

Another little fun fact about this fabulous fruit is that it contains a LOT of calcium, amounts not typically found in plants. They contain so much in fact, that pregnant and lactating women in Africa eat it to replenish the calcium in their diets.

The Baobab fruit also contains saponins that enhances the growth of the good bacteria in the colon and help eliminate toxins, while boosting the immune system. It contains compounds called triterpenes which are highly anti-inflammatory. It contains lots of pectins and soluble fiber which helps make you feel full and regulate the blood sugar, potassium, and phosphorous.

While the term may seem beaten to death lately, the Baobab fruit has certainly earned the term “superfood”, at least by my standards! All of the parts of the tree are used as medicine in Africa, where many don’t have access to modern medicine. That’s not the only superfood I’ve included, I have also added goji powder and chia seeds into the mix, whose benefits I have gone over often in other Training Table posts. The other fruits I included are all low glycemic, and won’t leave you feeling hungry ten minutes after you drink the shake—but the whopping 11.6 grams of fiber in this one will help even more!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop EFX vanilla why of any kind: Pure Whey, Isolate, or Protein 6
• 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tbsp. Baobab powder
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• Ice cubes
• 1 stevia packet
• 1 small peach or nectarine
• 2 strawberries
• 10 cherries

Directions:

You may want to add the water, the powder, then the ice and fruit on top to hold the powdered ingredients down. Slap a straw in it and enjoy!

Nutrition: