Who doesn’t like mixing different types of fruits and vegetables to make delicious smoothies? This highly nutritious and tasty beverage is widely popular today and for a good reason – smoothies offer a wide array of health benefits that improve your overall health and wellbeing. Throughout this article, we’re going to focus on all the amazing benefits you can get from smoothies. If you don’t have the habit to make them, this article will inspire you to do it right now.
1. Improves digestion
According to Healthy Eating, drinking fruit smoothies helps you reach the recommended daily intake of fiber, which is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Healthy levels of fibers are essential for digestion. Benefits of fiber onto digestion, according to WebMD, are:
- Improves level of “good” bacteria that promote digestive health
- Controls hunger
- Lowers risk of getting the serious gut problem.
2. Boosts immunity
Fruit smoothies are rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for boosting your immunity. For example, vitamins A, C, and E, found in fruits and veggies, were associated with improved immune system in numerous studies. A team of researchers led by J. Rodrigo Mora of the Harvard Medical School in Boston has published a paper in National Review Immunology where they explained that vitamins A, C, and E offer protective benefits to the body. For example, Vitamin C was shown to prevent oxidative damage in rats and humans.
Therefore, smoothies can significantly boost your immunity, thus offer protection from viruses and infections due to the high level of immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals.
3. Skin health
Vitamins A, C, and E that were mentioned in the immunity-boosting role above also function as antioxidants that attack free radicals and improve your skin’s health. Adding fruits like avocado and papaya to your smoothies provides high levels of Vitamin E, which is associated with healthy skin and smooth hair.
Furthermore, besides fresh fruit and vegetables, you can also opt to make smoothies with Omega-3 fatty acids, seeds, and nuts. For example, Omega 3 fatty acids make your skin healthy and intact. With regular consumption of smoothies, you can restore the radiance to your skin.
4. Energy boost
Feeling tired and need fast “pick me up”? Well, smoothies are perfect for that. Energy-boosting smoothies should contain ingredients such as bananas, berries, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds. These foods contain high levels of fiber, magnesium, natural sugar, and vitamins such as vitamin B. According to the University of Maryland, all B vitamins help convert food into fuel which is used to produce energy.
5. Regulates diabetes
Smoothies contain the moderate amount of carbs, healthy fats, and protein along with other nutrients that keep blood sugar levels under control and in a healthy range. Furthermore, as it was already mentioned, smoothies are rich in fiber, which is also beneficial for diabetes management. Robert E. Post and the team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina conducted a study about effects of fiber on diabetes. Results of the survey, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, showed that increasing intake of fiber in the diet in patients with Type 2 diabetes is beneficial and should be encouraged as disease management strategy.
6. Improves cardiovascular health
Phytonutrients like quercetin, polyphenols and other nutrients found in fruits and vegetables like folate, fiber, and magnesium improve your cardiovascular health by decreasing levels of LDL or bad cholesterol and increasing levels of HDL or good cholesterol. Furthermore, fresh smoothies regulate blood pressure thus reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack. For instance, the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and conducted by Luc Djousse of the Boston University School of Medicine showed that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with lower level of LDL cholesterol.
To improve cardiovascular health, you should make sure you add leafy greens, berries, apples, oatmeal, and nuts and seeds to your smoothies.
7. Relieving joint pain
If you suffer from muscle and joint pain, you can alleviate the pain you experience with smoothies that contain anti-inflammatory ingredients such as:
- Turmeric – block inflammation-producing chemicals
- Ginger – According to study published in Arthritis and Rheumatism, ginger has a significant effect on reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee
- Berries – are abundant in flavonoids with anti-inflammatory effects
Other ingredients to use include greens, kiwi, pineapple, and chia seeds.
8. Abundant in vitamins and minerals
Smoothies include a variety of fruits and vegetables to form a unique blend of flavors and a good powerbomb. For example:
- Citrus fruits contain vitamin C, potassium, folate, etc.
- Berries are the richest sources of antioxidants and they also contain vitamin A
- Tropical fruits contain vitamin C, manganese, potassium and folate
- Pomes fruits are rich sources of potassium and vitamin C
- Melons are rich in vitamin C
9. Aids in weight loss
Smoothies have become extremely popular for people who want to lose weight through meal replacement strategies. This delicious beverage is packed with healthy nutrients and fiber which improves digestion. Regular digestion is essential for effective weight loss. Meal replacement policies proved to be the effective way of achieving sustainable weight loss and improve weight-related risk factors of disease according to the study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders.
Conclusion
Smoothies are delicious and healthy at the same time. They provide the unique opportunity to take recommended amount of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and many other healthy nutrients that will improve your cardiovascular health, make your skin youthful, relieve joint pain, etc. Remember, making your smoothies is more beneficial than buying them.
References
https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/weight-loss/lose-weight-with-awesome-diy-smoothies.html
http://www.lifehack.org/354404/nutritionists-suggest-the-perfect-weight-loss-smoothies
Author Bio
Meighan Sembrano has done her Mass Communication degree. In her free time, she likes to write about health, lifestyle fitness, world news, and beauty. She is an author at Consumer Health Digest since 2012. To know more about her, follow her on Twitter, Pinterest.
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