One of the main reasons people go out and buy a blender and start making smoothies is for the health benefits. Buying a smoothie maker is just half the battle. To create healthy smoothies one must understand the ingredients and how they work together. Anyone can take some strawberries, bananas, ice and make a good tasting smoothie. But not everyone knows which ingredients offer best health benefits and taste good at same time. We will take some time to focus on the immune system and how simple and delicious ingredients can help support the well being of it.
Top Immune System Boosting Smoothie Ingredients.
Blueberries – Contain the highest amount of antioxidants of any fresh fruit. Rich in vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, selenium, zinc and iron. Blueberries are known to neutralize free radicals that can cause diseases and aging of the body. Help promote healthy urinary tract. Helps to preserve vision. Excellent for promoting a healthy heart with its ability to dissolve bad cholesterol.
Carrots – Packed with vitamin A, which is very important for eye, skin and immune system health. The vitamin A aids the liver in flushing toxins out of the body. Research shows that carrots can reduce the risks of lung, breast and colon cancers.
Spinach – Like carrots, spinach is rich in vitamin A that helps to protect and straighten entries into our bodies, such as mucuous membranes, intestinal tracts, urinary and respiratory system. Spinach has been shows to lower blood pressure. And just like carrots, responsible for maintaning skin, bones and vision health. When blended with ingredients of any fruit smoothie, the taste of spinach gets lost. So even the pickiest kid won’t notice he’s getting amazing health benefits out of his drink, he will only compliment the taste of the fruits.
Blackberries – Packed with polyphenols that help prevent cancer and heart diseases. Help with memory retention and are known to reduce the risk of hypertension. Blackberries are a good source of zinc which has amazing properties for boosting immune system.
Probiotics – By bringing in friendly type of bacteria into your intestines creates an unwelcome environment for any harmful bacteria or viruses that intrude. There are many sources of probiotics, most common used in smoothies would be yogurt that contains live bacteria cultures. But there are other options such as kefir, miso, sauerkraut, kim chi and fermented milk.
Strawberries – Just one cup of strawberries contains slightly over 20% of manganese, a nutrient known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Strawberries help with bone and eye health.
Goji Berries – A powerful antioxidant that may also help prevent cancer and other illnesses, including heart diseases. Rich in vitamin A for benefits see spinach and carrots. Some researchers say Goji berries can boost brain health and also prevent against diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Want the benefits of the particular ingredient you just read about? Go into Google and type in the ingredient name smoothie recipe, and you will pages upon pages of delicious recipes. If you’d like to add an ingredient to the list, please contact me and list what are the health benefits of it, and remember it has to be a smoothie friendly ingredient!