Smoothies
Smoothies
Prepared the right way, smoothies can be considered a superfood because they make it easy to pack vitamins, fiber, protein and macro and micro nutrients into a single meal. When smoothies are made with raw fruits and vegetables that are low in sugar and high in nutrition, they are especially healthy. Raw foods are abundant in vitamins and minerals because they haven’t been exposed to heat. Another reason smoothies are good for you is that the act of blending the ingredients helps break the fiber casing on the fruits and veggies to create more bioavailable nutrients. To start, use a good base such as filtered water, or hemp, almond, or coconut milk. Next, add in a high quality protein powder such as rice, whey, pea, or hemp (depending on your food allergies). Make sure your protein powder is low in sugar and does not have artificial sweeteners. Next, add in probiotics in the form of yogurt, kefir, or probiotic supplement to help boost your immune system and GI health. Finally, top it off with some superfoods like spirulina, wheat grass, bananas, blueberries, acai or goji berries, maca, cinnamon, flax or chia seeds. If you like your smoothies a little sweeter, try adding stevia, coconut water, or raw honey. For those watching their blood sugar, the protein and fiber in the smoothie will help your body regulate the extra sugar intake as you as long as you use high-sugar fruits sparingly or not at all. Blueberries are an excellent choice because they have a positive effect on blood sugar.
References
Packer, Lester, and Carol Colman. The Antioxidant Miracle: Your Complete Plan for Total Health and Healing. New York: Wiley, 1999. Print.
Prepared the right way, smoothies can be considered a superfood because they make it easy to pack vitamins, fiber, protein and macro and micro nutrients into a single meal. When smoothies are made with raw fruits and vegetables that are low in sugar and high in nutrition, they are especially healthy. Raw foods are abundant in vitamins and minerals because they haven’t been exposed to heat. Another reason smoothies are good for you is that the act of blending the ingredients helps break the fiber casing on the fruits and veggies to create more bioavailable nutrients. To start, use a good base such as filtered water, or hemp, almond, or coconut milk. Next, add in a high quality protein powder such as rice, whey, pea, or hemp (depending on your food allergies). Make sure your protein powder is low in sugar and does not have artificial sweeteners. Next, add in probiotics in the form of yogurt, kefir, or probiotic supplement to help boost your immune system and GI health. Finally, top it off with some superfoods like spirulina, wheat grass, bananas, blueberries, acai or goji berries, maca, cinnamon, flax or chia seeds. If you like your smoothies a little sweeter, try adding stevia, coconut water, or raw honey. For those watching their blood sugar, the protein and fiber in the smoothie will help your body regulate the extra sugar intake as you as long as you use high-sugar fruits sparingly or not at all. Blueberries are an excellent choice because they have a positive effect on blood sugar.
References
Packer, Lester, and Carol Colman. The Antioxidant Miracle: Your Complete Plan for Total Health and Healing. New York: Wiley, 1999. Print.