B.Borrowing your afternoon smoothie means going over your mental list of good-for-you ingredients to add to the delicious mix. Have you marked your proteins, carbohydrates and fats…anything else?
According to Rebekah Blakely, RDN and nutritionist at the vitamin storeyou may want to consider adding some antioxidant superfoods into your blender.
But before we dive into why, here’s a quick refresher from science class on what exactly an antioxidant is: “Antioxidants are substances that can help protect your cells from free radical damage,” says Blakely. “Free radicals are… the result of normal metabolic processes and exposure to stressors and toxins. They are unstable [molecules] because they have an odd number of electrons, so they can ‘steal’ electrons from other healthy cells in the body, causing damage.”
Fortunately, consuming antioxidants can help control free radicals throughout the body, and they can be found in a wide range of food sources, says Blakely. They are more abundant in fruits and vegetables, however, Blakely points out that the CDC reports that only 1 in 10 adults eats the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, which ranges from 1½ to 2 cups of fruit and 2½ to 3½ cups of vegetables per day for adults.
If you’re one of the nine out of 10 who doesn’t hit that amount every day, supplementation can be helpful in getting you over the top, which brings us back to your soon-to-be-reviewed shake recipe.
In addition to loading your smoothie with frozen fruits, veggies, and a generous dollop of almond butter (antioxidants are also found in legumes, nuts, and seeds), Blakely has two antioxidant superfoods that make great smoothie toppings: spirulina and root. beetroot
If these are new ingredients to you and your kitchen, don’t worry (that can create more free radicals, remember?), you can find them in beet root Y spirulina powder by KOS®. grab them by the vitamin store®and keep them by your blender because you’ll want to make them permanent additions to your smoothie lineup.
Read on for an RD-backed deep dive into these antioxidant superfoods.
Spirulina Benefits
what are you doing spirulina such a powerful superfood source is, of course, the fact that it is naturally rich in antioxidants. Blakely says that we can attribute that nutritional value to phycocyanin, which is the pigment that gives algae their blue-green color.
This vibrantly colored superfood is known to help maintain circulation of oxygen in the bloodwhich is a huge plus for people who exercise frequently, as better circulation is related to increased energy and better training resistance.
In addition to these properties, spirulina can help give your immune system extra support with its high nutrient and antioxidant content (it also contains antioxidant vitamins and minerals including beta-carotene, vitamin E and selenium), which helps reduce oxidative stress in our cells.
As if you needed another reason to add the ingredient to your smoothies, spirulina can also help support good gut health. According to Blakely, animal studies have shown that spirulina can have positive effects on the balance of the gut microbiome.
One of the easiest ways to get your daily dose of spirulina is to take kos® Organic Luminous Blue Spirulina Powder either kos® Bolt Blue Spirulina Energy (which combines pure spirulina with adaptogens and caffeine from organic green coffee beans to provide energy and focus support) in your next shake. They don’t call it a superfood for nothing.
beetroot benefits
If there are two things you know about beets, it’s probably that they’re red and they contain antioxidants. Granted, you may not have known about antioxidants before, but apparently those things have one thing in common: betalain.
“Betalains are phytonutrients that give beets their red color and have been shown to provide antioxidant supportBlakely says.
If you thought that’s where beets draw the line that increases well-being, you’d be wrong. According to Blakely, beets have many of the same benefits as spirulina: They can also help maintain healthy blood pressure, as well as overall circulation and blood flow. Not to mention, studies show that beets can help improve cardiorespiratory performance and increase the time to exhaustion during exerciseBlakely says.
So if you’re looking for a new pre-workout situation, add a scoop of kos® Organic Beet Root Powder to your breakfast, smoothie or coffee. Worried how you might know? Blakely recommends starting with half a tablespoon to test the flavor and combining it with other beneficial ingredients such as tart cherry juice either cocoa power that complement the flavor. Beetroot hot chocolate, anyone?
