Written by Lisa Baker, Nutra Organics' Nutritionist

A post workout smoothie can be a powerful tool for helping you achieve your fitness goals. Whilst being undeniably good for you, exercise can put a lot of strain on your body in the forms of dehydration, muscle damage, inflammation and depletion of glycogen and minerals.

One epic smoothie can be a total game changer for recovery after a workout, to quickly replenish lost energy, rehydrate and recover - ready to do it all again tomorrow! Below are the ingredients for (what we believe to be) the perfect post workout smoothie.

• Coconut Water
• Half a Banana (fresh or frozen)
• Half a cup of berries (strawberries and blueberries are best)
• A few baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon of soaked Chia Seeds
• A few walnuts
• 1 serve Clean Protein Vanilla Cookie Dough
• 1 serve Collagen Build

This simple but powerful combination of ingredients addresses all your nutritional needs post workout, plus it's deliciously good!

Coconut water gives an extra hydrating base. It naturally contain electrolytes, and is particularly high in potassium - which we can sometimes lose during a workout.

Bananas are also a good source of potassium and are a great way to replenish glycogen stores. For anyone who is wanting to avoid carbs after a workout, we would advise against it. It's important to replenish glycogen stores after a workout to ensure your body is happy to switch into an anabolic state. An anabolic state is when your body invests energy into building and repairing, which is very important for recovery after a workout. If your glycogen stores are low, the body is being told that there isn't enough energy available and anabolic processes will be reduced.

Berries are naturally high in antioxidants and contain anti-inflammatory anthocyanins. Chia Seeds also contain high levels of antioxidants and walnuts are a good source of magnesium, iron and vitamin B6.

Spinach is a great ingredient for post workout foods, as it contains magnesium, potassium and calcium, making it a naturally alkalising food which helps to buffer the extra acidity caused from exercise.

But the MVPs of this incredible smoothie is of course our Clean Protein and Collagen Build. Clean Protein is an easily digestible complete protein which contains Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin B3 and BCAAs. It provides all the amino acids necessary for tissue repair.

Collagen Build contains Bioactive Collagen Peptides Bodybalance®, which specifically targets muscle tissue. Combined together, both these protein sources mean you are getting just over 36g of protein in this smoothie - which is equivalent of about 6 eggs.

If you are looking for a post workout recipe to try that is going to enhance your recovery, give this one a go. We are confident you (and your body) will love it as much as we do! You can find the recipe here.