Blueberry Banana Smoothie
- tidbitsfromemily
- Dec 15, 2014
- 3 min read
Mmmm this blueberry banana smoothie was the perfect finale to my run today. It’s been a while since I’ve ran–lately I’ve been more into swimming, hiking, and speed walking–and it felt so great to get into it again! Anyway, I had a bunch of ripe bananas chilling in my kitchen and overly ripe blueberries in my fridge (I kinda went crazy buying these two fruits when they were on sale at Sprouts, a local grocery store, last week and bought too many, hence now they are all overly ripe) and I thought, what better way to eat these gems than to make a delicious drink??
This smoothie is light, refreshing, and it is loaded antioxidants and many other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that contribute to overall good health. Enjoy and do let me know if you end up trying it!
Nutrition Spotlight: Blueberries
Blueberries, one of the few native fruits in North America, are popularly ranked as one of the highest antioxidants amongst all fruits and veggies. As I have learned in my Nutrient Metabolism class, blueberries are a good source of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese, and are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
Dietary fiber: Dietary fiber, found in many fruits like blueberries, helps normalize bowel movements by decreasing the risk of constipation, and helps control blood sugar levels hence reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an antioxidant and functions as an electron donor/reducing agent to protect the body from free radicals. What are free radicals? In a nut shell, they are molecules that contain one or more unpaired electrons in their outer shell and have the potential of damaging other molecules in the body such as proteins, phospholipids, and DNA in cells. Adequate intake of Vitamin C prevents diseases such as scurvy, a type of vitamin C deficiency that is characterized by signs and symptoms such as easy bruising, bleeding gums, and loose and decaying teeth. Vitamin C stimulates the activity of white blood cells in the immune system that helps us fight against foreign bodies and toxins in the body.
Vitamin K: Vitamin K functions in bone metabolism, bone formation, and blood clotting. There are three forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone (also known as vitamin K-1), menaquinone (also known as vitamin K-2) and menadione (also known as vitamin K-3). We get most of our vitamin K in the form of phylloquinone (vitamin K-1), which are found in plants and foods like blueberries.
Manganese: Manganese, a type of trace mineral, functions in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, calcium absorption, regulation of blood sugar, and normal brain and nerve function. It is found mostly in the bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
Recipe: Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 medium banana
3 ice cubes
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
Optional ingredients:
8 oz blueberry yogurt or yogurt of choice
flax or chia seeds
Directions:
Toss all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more or less ice cubes depending upon your desired consistency.
Makes approximately 20oz.
Tip:
Using frozen bananas and frozen blueberries works perfectly fine as well! I just did not have any frozen in my fridge at the time.
I highly recommend adding yogurt into this recipe for extra-deliciousness and an extra boost. Yogurt is a great way to incorporate more dairy into your diet and is excellent for recovery after a workout. Depending on what type of yogurt you get, it may contain a good source of calcium and vitamin D.
Enjoy!
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