Go green! I’m not talking about the environment (although you should go green in that way too). I’m talking about eating your greens. In the summer, I was drinking a green smoothie every morning but I have found this a challenge as the weather has turned colder. Well, I am back on my green drink kick. Smoothies are an excellent way to stuff healthy foods into your diet. They are easy to make and cost efficient.
Today’s smoothie:
· 1 banana
· 1 tangerine
· 1 cup packed baby spinach
· 1 cup packed romaine lettuce
· 2 tbsp ground flax seed (not pictured, sorry)
· 1 handful of ice
· 1 banana
· 1 tangerine
· 1 cup packed baby spinach
· 1 cup packed romaine lettuce
· 2 tbsp ground flax seed (not pictured, sorry)
· 1 handful of ice
I just threw all of it in a blender. I really wish I had a better blender. Mine is just a cheap $15 blender. However, this goes to show that you don't need anything fancy to make a smoothie.
This smoothie has approximately 240 nutrient packed calories and about 6 grams of healthy fats from the flax seed. Flax seed is another super food. Here is some information on it:
· Omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.
· Lignans. They have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities.
· Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble type of fiber.
Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats. Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. Vitamin K regulates blood clotting, helps protect bones from osteoporosis, may help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques, may be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis and may help prevent diabetes.
Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:
· Omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.
· Lignans. They have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities.
· Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble type of fiber.
Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats. Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. Vitamin K regulates blood clotting, helps protect bones from osteoporosis, may help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques, may be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis and may help prevent diabetes.
What will be in your smoothie today?
For some good information on green smoothies and healthy eating, visit http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/
Happy juicing!
No comments:
Post a Comment