The Benefits of Drinking Smoothies

Prepared the right way, smoothies can be considered a superfood because they make it easy to pack vitamins, fiber, protein loaded with macro and micro nutrients into a single meal.

When smoothies are made with raw fruits and vegetables that are low on 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.

The action of blending smoothie ingredients helps break the fiber casing on the fruits and veggies to create more bioavailable nutrients.

So, how to create a smoothie? To start, use a good base such as filtered water or a plant milk like hemp, almond, or coconut milk. Next, add in a high quality vegetarian protein powder such pea, legume or hemp depending on your food allergies. Make sure your protein powder is low in sugar.

I am a fan of Juice Plus Complete Complete Protein powder as a very good option that also tastes great!  One serving is 13 grams of protein and is a combination of plant proteins that include legumes, seeds, amaranth, quinoa and water extracted soy.

Next, add in probiotics in the form of yogurt, kefir, or probiotic supplement to help boost your immune system and GI health.

Finally, add in superfoods like spirulina, wheat grass or maca and include 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds. If you like your smoothies a little sweeter, try adding a small amount of maple syrup, coconut water, or raw honey.

For those watching their blood sugar, the protein and fiber in the smoothie will help your body regulate the sugar intake from the fruit. Blueberries are an excellent fruit 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.                                                                                               Gaby, Alan. 2011. Nutritional medicine. Concord, N.H: Fritz Perlberg Publishing.
Pizzorno, Joseph E., and Michael T. Murray. 1999. Textbook of natural medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.