Recipe of the Week – Mixed Berry Smoothie

Smoothies are not only delicious and healthy, but they are also a great choice for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

Smoothies are an excellent way to nourish your body with essential nutrients. The best way to know the exact ingredients in your smoothie and how fresh the ingredients are is to make them yourself. All you need is a blender, fruit, Greek yogurt and milk of your choice.

Making your own smoothies can help prevent fruit from going to waste while providing benefits that will keep you on the right track towards a good ongoing health regime.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond milk, skimmed milk or coconut milk
1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed berries
3/4 cup of Greek vanilla yogurt

Instructions

Place the liquid, berries and yogurt in a blender; blend until smooth. If the smoothie seems too thick, add a little more liquid until you find the consistency that you prefer. Feel free to sweeten as necessary.

Health benefits of strawberries

Strawberries protect your heart, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your blood pressure and help to protect against cancer.

They are packed with vitamins, fibre and antioxidants known as polyphenols, strawberries are also sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free and low-calorie. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are a good source of potassium & manganese. Did you know that 1 serving of 8 strawberries, provides more vitamin C than an orange?

Try to buy medium-sized berries that are firm, plump and deep red.

Health benefits of raspberries

Raspberries contain Vitamin C, quercetin and gallic acid that help to fight against cancer, heart and circulatory disease and age-related decline. They are very high in ellagic acid that has shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Health benefits of blueberries

Blueberries are sweet, nutritious and wildly popular.

Blueberries are believed to have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all common fruits and vegetables are a commonly know superfood.

The antioxidants in them are strongly linked to reduced levels of oxidized LDL. This makes blueberries very good for your heart according to an NCBI research here.

A daily 2-ounce (50-gram) serving of blueberries lowered LDL oxidation by 27% over eight weeks in obese people who were obese in a study here.

Health benefits of blackberries

Blackberries are packed with vitamin C which is integral to collagen formation in bones, connective tissue and blood vessels.

They are high in fibre. A low-fibre diet has been linked to digestive problems and according to a 2013 study here; not getting enough fibre may increase your risk of heart disease.

Blackberries are a source of vitamin K which helps your blood clot. A vitamin K deficiency may lead to bone thinning and bone fractures. It can also cause easy bruising, heavy menstrual bleeding and blood in the stool or in the urine.

They are also high in manganese, they can boost brain health according to a study here and in a 2013 study here, blackberries also were proven to help to support oral health.

Health benefits of coconut milk

Coconut milk contains MCTs, which researchers have linked with weight loss. A 2015 study here found that overweight men consuming MCTs at breakfast led to reduced food intake throughout the rest of the day.

It is also considered to be heart-healthy. A recent study here found that coconut oil increased the levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL).

Coconut milk boosts the immune system as it includes lauric acid. Research here found that lauric acid triggers cell death in cancer cells.

Health benefits of skimmed milk

Skimmed milk provides a very rich source of protein, offering 8 grams of protein per cup. Your body requires protein for its amino acids.

It also provides a great source of calcium. By drinking a cup of skimmed milk daily it increases your calcium by 299 milligrams, providing 30% of your daily calcium requirements, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

Skimmed milk naturally contains the fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Buy fortified skimmed milk allows because you get vitamins A and D without the saturated fat found in higher-fat dairy products.

Health benefits of almond milk

Almond milk is dairy-free, low in calories, naturally rich in several essentials vitamins and minerals and doesn’t raise blood sugar.

But the main advantage is that may reduce the risk of heart disease. A study here proved that the regular consumption of almonds is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. This is mainly because Almonds are high in vitamin E and contain healthy fats.

Health benefits of Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt contains vitamin B12, iodine, calcium, sodium and protein. Plus it is also a great workout recovery food an excellent source of probiotics.

Conclusion

This is our first “Recipe of the Week” feature and smoothies are clearly a great healthy way of getting vital nutrients into your body. By just adding 1 scoop of Heart Essentials, Joint Essentials or Cholesterol Essentials into your smoothie is a very healthy and nutritious way to take your supplements.

We will have another smoothie recipe for you next week. Let us know below what your favourite smoothie is?

Super Health Essentials

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