Candy Cane & Mint Chocolate Shake Recipe

Cool and refreshing, sweet and rich, loaded with nutrients yet light on calories—oh, and a candy cane. This mint chocolate shake is perfect for a seasonal breakfast pick-me-up or getting cozy by the fireplace. Cool peppermint and decadent chocolate flavors come together beside healthy ingredients like banana, spinach, and almond milk that your diet and taste buds will fall in love with. 

It’s also the only mint chocolate shake recipe I know of that comes with the added gift of youthful vitality and appearance, thanks to its sweet secret ingredient—premium collagen peptides. 

I’ll even show you how to transform it into a mint chocolate protein shake. 

But first…

Why Should You Add Collagen To Your Smoothies?

Do you like knee pain, saggy arm skin, or thinning hair? How about leaky gut? Popping joints?

Didn’t think so. 

Those are just a few of the aging signs that can be helped by adding a scoop or two of collagen peptides to your mint chocolate shake (and other daily delights). 

As a little refresher, collagen is the most abundant protein throughout the animal kingdom—people included—and supports the network of tissues that allow our body to function properly and maintain a youthful appearance. 

So, why add collagen to your chocolate mint shake if it’s naturally occurring? Because between your late 20s and early 30s, your body dramatically reduces production of it. So when you say, “Oh, I feel myself getting old,” what you’re likely complaining about are the physical effects of less collagen. 

Here’s why I recommend adding a scoop or two of Super Youth Chocolate Cake collagen to your chocolate mint shake, instead of any other brand:

• Five types of collagen—Super Youth is a multi-collagen blend with five active collagen types working to help keep you young. (Almost all other brands have just one; sometimes two.)
• Thicker hair—Thanks to Type I collagen, Super Youth helps increase your hair’s volume and health. [1] 
• Smooth wrinkles—Type III collagen, found plentifully in Super Youth, improves skin elasticity, helping you get rid of wrinkles and keep your skin firm. 
• Stronger bones & joints—It’s also got Type II collagen, which helps improve joint pain and mobility. [2, 3] Remember this when we talk about mint chocolate protein shake benefits later. 
• Better digestion—Collagen contains two amino acids (glutamine and glycine) that help improve digestive health. [4]
• Amazing chocolate flavor, barely any calories—Super Youth’s rich, balanced chocolate flavor makes you feel like you’re failing your diet, when in reality you’re winning it. You can totally replace sugary, fatty, high-cal chocolate without removing any of the chocolate flavor!

Is Peppermint Good For You?

In candy form? Well… no, not really. (Though, I have to admit, adding serving a candy cane with this mint chocolate shake is delightfully seasonal.) But peppermint has been used for centuries in traditional medicines. And no wonder: it seems traditional cultures understood long ago what scientists are only just now substantiating: that peppermint has a surprisingly healthy little herb. [5] 

Here’s why peppermint helps make this mint chocolate shake so healthy:

• Peppermint is a mighty antimicrobial and antiviral agent. Meaning, peppermint helps your body kill off, or stunt the growth of, harmful microorganisms. Essentially, it works the same way against microorganisms as antibacterials work against bacteria, or antifungals against fungi. 
• Peppermint is a powerful antioxidant. When exposed to oxidative stress, such as from obesity, poor diets, pollution, or other toxins, it can eventually lead to cell damage. And when that happens, it opens up a Pandora’s box of potential health issues. Antioxidants help prevent, or at least delay, certain types of cell damage. [6]
• Peppermint has antitumor properties. Which means this mint chocolate shake, to some degree can help prevent or attack certain tumors.
• Peppermint helps fight certain allergies. When they strike, my allergies are pretty hardcore, and I isolate myself to the couch with three family-sized boxes of tissues. (Not kidding.) But like many, I find relief in peppermint. Along with mint essential oil, I always make this chocolate mint shake to subdue my sneezing and runny nose.
• Peppermint helps soothe gastrointestinal issues. Whether it’s an upset stomach or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the same study cited above explains that peppermint can help reduce many GI issues.

Make It A Mint Chocolate Protein Shake

The great thing about this chocolate mint shake is that it’s just as much a mint chocolate protein shake. The protein mostly comes from the Super Youth, mentioned above. Each scoop contains seven grams of protein, equivalent to 14% percent of your recommended daily intake. You can double the amount of protein (and chocolate flavor) with a second scoop, or use Unflavored Super Youth for a protein punch without any traceable taste. 

Going for a mint chocolate protein shake with Super Youth earns you twice the benefits at once: protein to build and repair muscle; collagen to keep muscles and joints in good health.