Looking for a short cut to improve your healthy nutrition habits?
Try a smoothie. Smoothies are easy to make, loaded with health benefits, and keep you cool. In fact, last weekend, I had the privilege of serving two free smoothies at Whole Foods Market Bishops Corner based on my new book, the Real Food Therapy Guide. The two smoothies were the “heart helper” and the “mood booster.”
The “Heart Helper” is good for your heart!
The “heart helper” contains vanilla almond milk, strawberries, peaches, pomegranate juice, and some ice. Here’s why it’s good for your heart.
Vanilla Almond Milk - contains 150 mg of potassium in every serving. This mineral works to promote healthy blood pressure.
Strawberries and Peaches – are good sources of Vitamin C, an important antioxidant that has been correlated with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease, lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and reduced risk of angina.
Pomegranate Juice – works well as a blood thinner to reduce plaque in the arteries and to raise “good cholesterol” and to help lower “bad cholesterol.”
The “Mood Booster” is good for your mind/mood!
The “mood booster” contains chocolate almond milk, peanut butter, and banana. Here’s why it’s good for your mind/mood.
Chocolate Almond Milk – chocolate stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure and almonds are good for the brain.
Peanut Butter – Food Chemistry released studying showing that peanuts contain high concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid that supports brain function.
Banana - Recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression showed that many felt much better after eating a banana. This is likely attributed to tryptophan, a type of amino acid (protein building block) found in bananas that the body converts into serotonin. This helps you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
About the author: Dave Barnas, MS, CES, NASM-CPT, is the owner for True Health Unlimited, LLC. Dave has over 15,000 hours of experience personal training, nutrition counseling, and dietary supplement advising. He’s also the author and co-author of three published books.
