MenoLabs News | Mon, Jun 28, 2021

Our bodies require nutrients in order to maintain themselves — nutrients help us to maintain metabolic processes, regulatory processes, cellular activity, and much more. One easy way to make sure you get enough of your daily nutrients is a smoothie, which can easily (and deliciously) cover half or more of our daily nutrition requirements.

Easy Add-Ins For an Extra Boost

Try adding these ingredients to assist with your specific nutritional goals:

Water

• For hydration, and to help with nutrient absorption. 

Happy Fiber

• Fiber helps feed gut bacteria, and helps your gut bacteria absorb all the nutrients that the foods in your smoothie provide to your body. Happy Fiber is specifically formulated with the right length fibers to promote the healthiest gut bacteria possible. If you take a probiotic, Happy Fiber can help those work even better in your gut.

Goddess Glow Beauty Collagen

• Our Goddess Glow Beauty Collagen for women contains 20 grams of grass-fed, hydrolyzed collagen, as well as hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.  If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to give your body the collagen building-blocks it needs, Goddess Glow in your smoothie is a great way to go. 

Now that you know why a smoothie is so beneficial to your body, try making one for your breakfast, or for a quick snack. Your body will thank you for it!

Fruits

How much do you need? 

• ½ cup of fruit per smoothie

Fruits aren’t just a way to make your smoothies taste better. They’re also an excellent source of antioxidants and other vitamins that help support immune health. With enough fruits in your diet, you can help support a healthy immune system. You can also help support neurological health, as the brain relies on immune cells to help maintain brain cell health, and even heart health.

Citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes are great sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps support immune cell functions throughout your body, and  is also a crucial precursor to the production of collagen production. Without enough Vitamin C, your skin has difficulty producing collagen,  the protein that makes up connective tissues in the skin. effectively. Collagen is also where the immune cells in the skin reside. Without enough collagen, these immune cells can’t effectively regulate skin health. This means that skin cells can become damaged and won’t be repaired effectively. 

Berries like blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries are also great sources of antioxidants. They are also sources of essential amino acids that help with mood regulation. They’re also just great for flavor.  

Soft fruits can help your smoothies become smoother in texture. Bananas, peaches, and mangos are great sources of vitamins and minerals like potassium and Vitamin E. They provide some sweetness to help cut down the sourness of citrus fruits, and help bring balance to the taste of your smoothies. 

To take your smoothie up a notch, freeze your fruit the night before.

Soft Vegetables 

How much do you need?

• 1-2 cups of soft vegetables per smoothie

We’re mostly talking about leafy greens, like spinach and kale, here. These leafy greens are excellent sources of dietary fiber — plant-based compounds that can’t be broken down by the human stomach alone. Dietary fibers feed gut bacteria and help them more effectively obtain nutrients from food before passing them into the bloodstream. Consuming enough fiber can help support a healthy gut microbiome and the body’s overall health. 

These vegetables are also excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals. The three major nutrients that these leafy greens can give you are magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin K. Each of these nutrients can benefit your body’s health in a variety of ways. 

Zinc helps support immune health by helping immune cells to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. It also helps the body make proteins that make and regulate DNA of other cells. Magnesium helps regulate the health of the nervous system, and maintains protein production to keep bones strong. Vitamin K is essential for heart health. It helps reduce calcium buildups in the arteries that can increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks. This is especially important for women in menopause, as women are at the highest risk of heart disease during this stage.  

Protein/ Dairy 

How much do you need?

• 10-20 grams of protein per smoothie

Proteins help maintain the health of tissues in your body ranging from your muscles to your bones, and even the lining of your internal organs — so including some is essential for a healthy smoothie. The easiest ways to get protein in your smoothies are through dairy milk, alternative milks, and nut butters.

The most popular liquid addition to any smoothie recipe is dairy or a dairy alternative — it helps make sure the smoothie is a liquid, rather than a puree. We love almond milk. The creaminess of these ingredients can make your smoothie smoother.  There are a variety of milk alternative options available to you to help you gain more nutrients and get the right texture in your smoothies.

Almond butter and other related products like cashew butter are great sources of protein, as well crucial minerals and vitamins. Almond butter is an excellent source of protein, magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin B6.  Magnesium and zinc can help promote a healthy immune system, nervous system, and bone density.  It may also lower blood sugar levels and help with your sleep quality. 

Fruit Juice 

How much do you need?

• To taste! 

Fruit juices are a great way to add more flavor to your smoothies. Be sure to use juices that have no added sugar, since added sugars can cause bacterial imbalances in the gut microbiome. We want to keep those gut bacteria healthy, so avoid the added sugars as much as you can!