I absolutely love the paleo diet. I’ve had fantastic results when following it in the past, experiencing everything from weight loss to increased levels of energy. There’s just something I love about taking healthy ingredients and combining them in creative ways to make delicious and nutritious meals. That’s exactly what I did when making this dreamy raspberry chocolate smoothie recipe. It combines a terrific mix of ingredients to make one unbelievably tasty paleo smoothie. Each of the ingredients used in this recipe brings something unique to the table as far as nutritional value goes. That means this smoothie doesn’t just taste incredible — it’s super good for you as well!

Pinch Me — This Dreamy Smoothie Is 100% Real

Back when I was following the paleo diet, almonds were a huge part of my daily diet. Not only are they perfect as a healthy snacking option, but they work spectacularly well in smoothie too. With that in mind, this recipe calls for using both unsweetened chocolate almond milk and almond butter. Both of these ingredients provide many of the same great health benefits for your heart as raw almonds, such as helping to lower the bad kind of LDL cholesterol in your body. In addition to that, almonds are also great for regulating blood pressure and reducing inflammation within the body thanks to their high fiber and monounsaturated fat content. (1)

Speaking of inflammation, this smoothie recipe uses a mix of frozen banana slices and frozen raspberries to provide a one-two punch of beneficial antioxidants. Numerous studies have been carried out that reveal how nutritional antioxidants are helpful for fighting inflammation within the body. (2) Considering that chronic inflammation is at the root of nearly every type of serious disease, it’s vital to do everything you can to keep it under control. Strawberries and banana are both excellent sources of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. On top of that, they also provide tons of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber to the smoothie, helping to seriously up its nutritional content.

Two tablespoons of raw cacao powder are added in to give the smoothie with it’s yummy chocolate flavor. It also has the benefit of adding even more nutrients into the mix — it’s a great source of fiber, healthy fats, protein, calcium, potassium, zinc, and other essential vitamins and minerals. For finishing the smoothie off, mix in some ice, pure vanilla extract and two teaspoons of honey for sweetening. Honey doesn’t just work great as a natural sweetening option — it’s also a nutritional powerhouse that may be potentially useful when it comes to preventing cancer according to some studies. (3) Feel free to use less or more honey according to your own taste preferences.