Banana and Mango Smoothie

As we move into spring and the weather starts to get slightly warmer, a mango smoothie is one of my favorite drinks to make. It feels exotic and tropical, but I find mango to be relatively easy to digest, personally.

I will add a little ginger and turmeric, which I know can help my digestion, and blend with bananas and dairy-free milk. The sweetness of the mango means it also disguises healthier ingredients, so if my belly can handle it, I might also add some leafy greens or another type of vegetable.

Ingredients for my banana and mango smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1/2 mango peeled and chopped
• 1 cup of almond milk
• A small piece of ginger; peeled and finely chopped

Optional extras if your Crohn's or UC allows it:

The bananas and mango make a nice base which means you can add all sorts of things to this smoothie if you'd like. Why not try...

• Some ground flaxseeds
• A sprinkle of turmeric
• A handful of leafy greens like spinach
• A teaspoon of chia seeds
• wapping your almond milk to coconut milk for an even more tropical taste

How to make my banana and mango smoothie

1. Peel and chop mango and banana
2. Add to blender and pour in  almond milk
3. Peel ginger and finely chop into small pieces (or grate it if easier)
4. Add any optional extras
5. Blend until smooth and serve

A question you might ask is: what about the other half of the mango? I personally don't really batch make my smoothies. I make them and drink straight away. This is because I've read about nutrients potentially depleting if they're left out and also they can often turn strange colors in the fridge.

However, what I'll often do in the warmer months is to make a batch and freeze the leftovers into ice lolly/popsicle molds! This works particularly well with coconut milk and makes a cheap and tasty iced treat!

A note on the nutrition facts: this recipe calculator would not recognize almond milk, so I've substituted it for soy milk to provide this nutritional information. If you are using coconut milk, the fat content would obviously be much higher.

Crohn's and ulcerative colitis recipes

When it comes to cooking with IBD, we're all working from a different set of ingredients. Food sensitivities and dietary restrictions vary greatly from person to person, and there is no one diet recommended for Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Check out our full list of recipes for more ideas – all from people who cook, eat, and live with IBD!