The only thing better than a smoothie you drink is a smoothie you eat with a spoon. Smoothie bowls—a thick smoothie you pour in a bowl instead of a cup and eat with a spoon instead of drink—have become all the rage these days, especially when it comes to Instagram.
You’ve probably see tons of health bloggers post about their pretty nutritious bowls—bananas, spinach, strawberries, all blended up with almond milk and protein powder, poured into a bowl, and then topped with all the favorites: Shredded coconut, granola, pumpkin seeds, the list goes on and on. There’s really no wrong or right way to make a smoothie bowl—it’s just got to taste delicious and look as pretty as possible.
But one Instagram-er has recently totally upped the game on smoothie bowls. At just 17 years old, Jose, a vegan smoothie bowl connoisseur, has managed to get over a million followers just by posting his work. And boy, is it drool-worthy. His spin on the trendy breakfast, and a bunch of other desserts, has everyone drooling and pressing “like” as many times as they can. The craziest part of all? Everything is totally, 100 percent vegan!
The teen, of Lima, Peru, goes by Naturally.Jo on Instagram. Besides smoothie bowls, he also posts cakes, brownies, ice cream, and toast creations—all of which are always beautifully styled. He loves animals, and tried to tie them in as much as he can. He’s also super into unicorns, mermaids, pretty much anything that’s wonderfully colorful. He makes all of the food himself, and is truly passionate about it.
He started the account when he was just 14 years old, which is when he decided to become vegan. At the time, Jose was struggling with an eating disorder. It was then he started to research veganism and all of its benefits, and decided to try it out.
And he never looked back. Why would he? He clearly knows how to turn an otherwise sugar-laden treat into a delicious, animal product-free dessert. He uses all kinds of vegan-friendly ingredients like flax eggs, cashews, cacao powder, and nut-based milks.
“I started learning to cook as soon as I became vegan,” he said. “I tried out all kinds of recipes online and was blown away to find out how easy it was to make and how delicious some vegan desserts and snacks can be.”
Everything he makes is natural, healthy, delicious, but above all, it’s important to Jose that he presents all his creations in a way that looks artistic and beautiful.
“The things I post on my Instagram are tasty but I really try to focus on presenting it in a way that it looks aesthetically pleasing, even if it’s totally unnecessary—like galaxy ice-cream, unicorn smoothies, or mermaid bowls,” he said.
So will Jose become a food stylist or vegan chef when he grows up? Not necessarily—he actually isn’t sure quite where he wants his passions to take him just yet.
“I am very unsure about the career I am going to follow,” he said. “Art is something I have always liked, for sure, but so are math and language. Whatever it is that I choose to do, [I want to] inspire people to be healthier and spread tolerance.”
Whatever he does, we hope he never stops posting his amazing creations! To check out even more of his creations, visit his Instagram.
What do you think of Jose’s smoothie bowls and other insane food creations? Would you ever try something like this?