Kale & Lime Shake
48 grams of protein in a glass that takes five minutes to make. Frozen kale, a squeezed orange, two squeezes of lime, milk, and yogurt blended smooth.
The interesting part is what the milk does. Kale carries more lutein per gram than almost any other vegetable, but lutein is fat-soluble. It needs help getting released from the leaf and into a form your body can absorb. Researchers tested fourteen different liquids in green smoothies to find out which ones actually make a difference. Only four out of fourteen improved lutein release. Medium-fat cow's milk, like the 2% in this shake, increased release by 30%.
Soymilk went the other direction, reducing lutein release by up to 61%.
The yogurt in this glass? That's delivering your protein. The milk? That's handling the lutein.
48 grams of protein in a glass that takes five minutes to make. Frozen kale, a squeezed orange, two squeezes of lime, milk, and yogurt blended smooth.
The interesting part is what the milk does. Kale carries more lutein per gram than almost any other vegetable, but lutein is fat-soluble. It needs help getting released from the leaf and into a form your body can absorb. Researchers tested fourteen different liquids in green smoothies to find out which ones actually make a difference. Only four out of fourteen improved lutein release. Medium-fat cow's milk, like the 2% in this shake, increased release by 30%.
Soymilk went the other direction, reducing lutein release by up to 61%.
The yogurt in this glass? That's delivering your protein. The milk? That's handling the lutein.
Ingredients
- orange 1
- lime juice 10 ml
- milk, 2% reduced fat 178 ml
- yogurt, nonfat 356 ml
- kale (frozen) 126 g
Method
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Squeeze the orange.
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Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth to make this creamy kale and lime shake.
Pour the milk and yogurt into the blender first, then add the frozen kale. Liquid underneath helps the blades create a vortex that breaks down the kale evenly into a smooth texture. If the shake comes out thicker than you'd like, add a little more milk.
Cow's milk contains natural fat globules that act as carriers during digestion, helping dissolve fat-soluble nutrients like lutein. When researchers compared fourteen liquids in green smoothies, medium-fat milk was one of only four that improved lutein release. Yogurt didn't help despite being dairy: fermentation clumps the fat globules together, reducing their carrying power.
Neelissen et al. 2023 — Nutrients · DOIBehind this recipe
Can I use a different milk in this shake?
The research behind this recipe tested fourteen different liquids in green smoothies. Only four out of fourteen improved lutein release from the greens: high-fat cow's milk, medium-fat cow's milk, and two types of coconut milk. Oat milk and almond milk had no significant effect. Soymilk reduced lutein release by 40–61%. If you're choosing a substitute, coconut milk is the strongest plant-based alternative. The fat content in cow's milk matters: medium-fat (2%) showed the highest efficiency per gram of fat.
Is 48g of protein from one shake too much for my body to use?
No. The idea that your body can only use 30g of protein per meal was based on studies that measured muscle protein synthesis for only 3–5 hours after eating, which was too short to capture the full response from larger protein doses. More recent research shows your body continues processing protein well beyond that window. The 48g in this shake from milk and yogurt is well within what the evidence supports in a single sitting.
Read the full evidence reviewDoes it matter that the kale is frozen?
For this recipe's nutritional story, frozen works perfectly. Lutein is stable through freezing, so frozen kale delivers the same lutein content as fresh. Frozen kale also blends into a smoother, creamier shake and doesn't require washing or de-stemming.
