My Three Most Favorite Smoothie Ingredients
Today I want to share with you a bit about my favorite, go-to smoothies. I drink a smoothie every single day. Why? Because like most of you, I’m busy and can’t spend a lot of time cooking, yet I want to make sure I’m eating as healthy as I can.
Not all smoothies are healthy, but I make sure that mine provide as much nutrition as I can pack into a single serving. My family drinks them too!
Green smoothies have become popular for some very good reasons!
They are a convenient and delicious way to pack in nutritious vegetables and fruits.
They provide hydration that we all need.
They provide tons of fiber to help aid in digestion throughout the day.
While the components of my smoothies vary from day to day, there are three ingredients I never leave out.
#1 Leafy greens.
These can be a combo of spinach, kale, and mixed greens. Really it’s whatever I have in the house, but leafy greens provide the base for my smoothies. The more the better!
Leafy greens are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with so many nutrients our bodies need including:
Potassium -- a very significant body mineral, important to both cellular and electrical function.
Beta-carotene -- which gives our skin that healthy glow.
Folate -- which helps your body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
Magnesium -- to help support vascular health.
Calcium and Vitamin K -- for optimal bone health.
Antioxidants and polyphenols -- to fight inflammation and support your immune system.
Chlorophyll -- helps cleanse your liver for a natural body detox.
#2 Chia Seeds.
Do you add chia seeds to your own smoothies? If not, why not? Chia seeds provide a massive amount of nutrients with very little calories.
A one-ounce serving of chia seeds is high in antioxidants and contains:
Fiber: 11 grams.
Protein: 4 grams.
Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s).
Calcium: 18% of the RDI.
Manganese: 30% of the RDI.
Magnesium: 30% of the RDI.
Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI.
They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2
#3 Mixed Berries.
As with the leafy greens, whatever I have on hand goes into my smoothies but I always add a handful of these nutritious powerhouse fruits.
In addition to being an excellent source of antioxidants, fiber and folate, berries also provide:
Anthocyanins -- preventative and therapeutic properties, such as the ability to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Polyphenols -- can improve or help treat digestion issues, weight management difficulties, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular diseases. They help clean out the built up toxins in the brain that are a contributing factor in Alzheimer’s disease. Studies show that eating at least two servings of berries per week can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease by up to 25%.
Blueberries are especially great because they can be frozen and still retain all of their nutritional benefits.
So pull out your blender and drink up! Healthy green smoothies are a great way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake and add some superfoods to your diet.
Cheers!