Blending up your afternoon smoothie means going by your psychological guidelines of good-for-you elements so as to add to the scrumptious combine. You’ve got acquired your go-to proteins, carbs, and fat checked off… the rest?
In response to Rebekah Blakely, RDN, and nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe, you would possibly wish to think about tossing a number of antioxidant superfoods into your blender.
However earlier than we dive into why, this is a fast science class refresher on what, precisely, an antioxidant is: “Antioxidants are substances that may assist shield your cells from free radical injury,” Blakely says. “Free radicals are…the results of regular metabolic processes and publicity to stressors and toxins. They’re unstable [molecules] as a result of they’ve an uneven variety of electrons, and to allow them to ‘steal’ electrons from different wholesome cells within the physique, inflicting injury.”
Fortunately, consuming antioxidants may help hold free radicals in verify all through your physique, and they are often present in a variety of meals sources, Blakely says. They’re most plentiful in vegetables and fruit, nonetheless, Blakely notes that the CDC studies that just one in 10 adults eat the really useful quantity of vegetables and fruit, which ranges from 1½ to 2 cups of fruit and 2½ to 3½ cups of greens each day for adults.
When you’re one of many 9 in 10 who does not fairly hit that quantity day by day, supplementation can come in useful to push you excessive—which brings us again to your soon-to-be-revised smoothie recipe.
In addition to loading down your smoothie with frozen fruits, veggies, and a beneficiant scoop of almond butter (antioxidants are additionally present in legumes, nuts, and seeds), Blakely has two go-to antioxidant superfoods that make nice smoothie add-in’s: spirulina and beetroot.
If these are new elements to you and your kitchen, do not stress (that may result in extra free radicals, bear in mind?)—yow will discover them in beet root and spirulina powders from KOS®. Seize them from The Vitamin Shoppe®, and hold them by your blender as a result of you are going to wish to make them everlasting additions to your smoothie lineup.
Maintain studying for an RD-backed deep dive into these antioxidant superfoods.
Advantages of spirulina
What makes spirulina such a superfood powerhouse is, after all, the truth that it is naturally excessive in antioxidants. Blakely says we are able to attribute that nutrient worth to phycocyanin, which is the pigment that offers the algae its blue-green coloration.
This vibrantly coloured superfood is understood to assist assist blood oxygen circulation, which is a serious perk for individuals who train continuously, as higher circulation is linked to greater vitality and higher exercise endurance.
On high of those properties, spirulina could assist give your immune system some additional assist with its excessive nutrient and antioxidant content material (it additionally comprises antioxidant nutritional vitamins and minerals together with beta-carotene, vitamin E, and selenium), which helps to cut back the oxidative stress in our cells.
As should you wanted another excuse so as to add the ingredient to your smoothies, spirulina can also assist assist good intestine well being. In response to Blakely, animal research have proven spirulina can have optimistic results on the stability of the intestine microbiome.
One of many best methods to get your each day dose of spirulina is to scoop KOS® Natural Luminous Blue Spirulina Powder or KOS® Bolt Blue Spirulina Vitality (which mixes pure spirulina with adaptogens and caffeine from natural inexperienced espresso beans for vitality and focus assist) into your subsequent smoothie. They do not name it a superfood for nothing.
Advantages of beetroot
If there are two issues about beets, it is most likely that they are crimson they usually include antioxidants. Okay, you won’t have identified concerning the antioxidants prior to now, however apparently these issues do have one thing in widespread: betalain.
“Betalains are phytonutrients that give beets their crimson coloration and have been proven to supply antioxidant…assist,” Blakely says.
When you thought that is the place beets draw the wellness-boosting line, you’d be mistaken. In response to Blakely, beetroot has most of the identical advantages as spirulina: It could additionally assist assist wholesome blood stress, in addition to as total circulation and blood circulate. To not point out, research present beetroot could assist enhance cardiorespiratory efficiency and improve time to exhaustion throughout train, Blakely says.
So, should you’re in search of a brand new pre-workout state of affairs, add one scoop of KOS® Natural Beet Root Powder to your breakfast, smoothie, or espresso. Frightened about the way it would possibly style? Blakely recommends beginning with a half scoop to check out the style, and pairing it with different helpful elements like tart cherry juice or cacao powder that complement the flavour. Beet root scorching chocolate, anybody?
