The Benefits of Smoothies
- Apr 18, 2022
- 2 min read
Smoothies are a great option when you want to ensure good nutrition to start your day off right. Adding healthy greens, protein powder, and superfoods (berries, flaxseed meal or chia seeds) ensures you get your daily multivitamin. Smoothies are an even smarter food choice as we age because our digestion, nutrient absorption, and gut motility naturally slow down. Drinking smoothies can help with constipation, heart burn, diabetes, and mood disorders to name a few ailments.
Smoothies help improve nutrient absorption because the food is partially digested by the blender, making it easier on your digestive track and ensuring more vitamins and minerals get absorbed.
Drinking smoothies lessens heartburn because sipped food enters the stomach slowly and blended food exits quickly from the stomach to the intestines, providing less of a tendency for reflux.
Smoothies help keep you regular because liquid food passes more quickly through the intestines, more is absorbed, and the high-fiber liquid is a natural laxative.
Drinking smoothies can boost immunity because you are getting all the phytonutrients and antioxidants from the colorful fruit and veggies.
Smoothies can also help stabilize your blood sugar, providing consistent blood sugar and insulin levels, particularly if you drink it slowly.
Who doesn’t love a fruit smoothie, full of juicy, sweet fruit? Unless paired with healthy fats and protein, the glucose spike could be intense, however. So, you need to be careful not to add too much of a good thing or you might end up sabotaging your healthy practice!
Add enough foods into your smoothie with fiber, protein, and fat—like avocado, almond butter, or Greek yogurt—to slow down the sugar rush.
Protein and/or greens or superfood powder is another great way to ensure the sugar from the fruits don’t overwhelm your digestion.
**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from Dr. Sears’ Prime Time Health program. It is not to be considered medical advice.**
I never drink smoothies! It's hard for me.