This tropical digestive smoothie is good for your gut! A blend of papaya, kiwi, ginger, chia seeds, and spinach, it supports digestion, tastes incredible, and feels like a tropical treat.
Why You’ll Love My Tropical Smoothie
- It supports healthy digestion. I selected every ingredient in this recipe specifically for gut health and motility. Some ingredients are fiber-rich while others are hydrating or contain enzymes. But all have natural digestion-supporting properties.
- It’s creamy without yogurt or banana. A little avocado creates a deliciously smooth texture and keeps this smoothie dairy-free.
- It tastes like a tropical dream! This smoothie is my way of enjoying sunshine in a cup, especially when papayas or kiwis are in season.
Testing smoothie recipes is always a fun science experiment for me. Many recipes on this site I’ve created for delicious, seasonal flavor, while others I’ve created for a specific purpose. Case in point—I developed my cilantro smoothie to help with a lingering skin rash, and I developed this tropical digestive smoothie to help with gut motility. As someone who’s celiac, it seems many of my recipes always come back to the gut!
This tropical smoothie is almost a blend of my green smoothie and kiwi smoothie, but with extra ginger and papaya to aid your digestion. I’ve also left out the banana and really focused on hydrating and high-fiber ingredients to get those bowel movements going.
Also, many tropical smoothies rely on lots of mango or fruit juice (aka they’re higher in sugar). This one is more balanced and perfect for breakfast or a mid-morning pick-me-up. Think of it as a clean, functional smoothie rather than a dessert smoothie. Yes, this smoothie is goal driven, lol!
How Each Ingredient Supports Digestion
- Digestive enzymes: Both papaya and kiwis contain enzymes (like bromelain and papain) that can help break down proteins and speed motility.
- Fiber: Spinach, avocado, and chia seeds give this smoothie a gentle fiber boost. Plus, they’ll keep you nicely full!
- Hydration: Coconut water has natural electrolytes, while the lime juice stimulates digestive juices and adds a punch of bright flavor.
- Anti-inflammatory: Not only is fresh ginger great for soothing your digestive system and reducing bloating, but it’s also one of my favorite overall anti-inflammatory ingredients. That’s why you’ll see it pop up in numerous recipes, from my ginger tea to my ginger shots. I even snack on pickled ginger just to keep my gut happy throughout the week!
Lisa’s probiotic tip: Keep in mind that probiotics can sometimes cause bloating, which is why I left them out. But depending on your goals, you can always add a few tablespoons of coconut kefir (to keep it light and dairy-free) or a splash of kombucha (just don’t overdo it).
How To Make A Digestive Smoothie
Blend the coconut water, papaya, kiwifruit, spinach, avocado, chia seeds, lime juice, and ginger in a high-powered blender until smooth. Then pour it into a glass and enjoy!
Lisa’s chia seed tip: If you want to avoid any little chia seeds sticking to the inside of your blender, you can also stir them in at the very end. If you follow me on social media, you see me do this all the time with my brown smoothie!
More Healthy Smoothie Recipes
- Blueberry Smoothie: Full of antioxidants!
- Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie: The perfect turmeric boost.
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie: A classic flavor combo.
- Or give these other smoothie recipes a try!
If you try this tropical digestive smoothie recipe, let me know how they turn out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut water or almond milk
- 1 cup diced papaya
- 2 kiwifruit, peeled
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ¼ avocado, peeled
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ lime, juiced (about 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Instructions
- Blend until smooth. Add the coconut water, papaya, kiwifruit, spinach, avocado, chia seeds, lime juice, and ginger to a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth.
- Serve. Pour the smoothie into a glass and enjoy!
Nutrition
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The Inspiration Behind This Smoothie
As someone with very sensitive digestion, it’s quite common for me to alternate between good gut weeks and bad gut weeks. And it was during one of those bad weeks that I found myself Googling something along the lines of “foods that increase motility.”
Now, like many things in life, there’s often more than one cause to sluggish digestion and I’ll be the first to say that sleep, stress and hormones all affect the gut as well (oh, the mena!).
But then I thought, why not still introduce a new smoothie with healthy, digestion-supporting ingredients? In my opinion, it’s always best to have many tools in your toolbox. 😊
