Benefits of drinking a smoothie a day and how it can help contribute to your micronutrient intake and macronutrient intake for the day.
We thought we would start this topic off with some of the major advantages of consuming a smoothie per day. Firstly, smoothies are a great way of keeping you hydrated. This then prevents you from snacking more frequently throughout the day. If you are dehydrated, your body can confuse the feeling of being thirsty with being hungry. On top of this the hydration property of smoothies, helps control cravings. Smoothies, especially green smoothies, helps aid digestion with the good amount of fibre that they contain. The antioxidants that smoothies have also help your digestion and gut, health and improve your skin and complexion while detoxifying the body. I could continue listing the benefits, but for now, we will leave it as drinking a smoothie a day is like giving your body and vital organs a big hug.
Macronutrient and Micronutrients :
Some of you may not have heard the terms macro and micronutrients so before we proceed, we will give a quick overview of what both of those terms mean. Macronutrients in short are different types of food. For example, macronutrients include protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Your body needs these nutrients in larger amounts to function properly (macro means large). These nutrients provide your body with energy which is measured in the form of calories or kilojoules. On the other hand, micronutrients are all the vitamins and minerals your body requires to keep healthy (support hormone function, immunity ect.) micronutrients are divided into four groups, these are water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, microminerals and trace minerals. Examples of elements from each of these categories are, vitamin B12, D, E, Magnesium, Copper, Selenium, and Zinc. Anyway, back to smoothies! Smoothies are a great way of sneaking in vital nutrients whilst getting your sweet tooth hit without consuming energy-dense foods. Sneaking spinach to give you an extra hit of iron and greens is easy when it's concealed in a smoothie with other nutrient-dense fruits like mango, pineapple, bananas, or blueberries to fill your day with complex carbohydrates, natural sugars, antioxidants, and vitamins!
Keeping you full
Although you may not think of a smoothie, filling you up or satisfying your hunger, it will do just that, and help you reach your micro and macronutrient goals. Smoothies with added protein or healthy fats (like coconut milk or almond butter) will help satisfy your hunger and help you not be sustain you throughout the day!
PWR FIT smoothies are great examples to keep you extra full!!
Any of the protein-based smoothies are naturally going to keep you feel fuller for longer. Smoothies that will keep you extra full from our protein range include…
Salted Caramel: Because the Salted Caramel smoothie has banana in it, the fibre content of bananas results in the feeling of being full for longer. The salted caramel smoothie is fantastic because it is packed full of the vital nutrients you need for the day but also helps reduce cravings.
Snickers: The peanut butter in the Snickers smoothie also helps reduce cravings while keeping you full for longer, which intern lowers the need for snacking, which helps keep you on track if your goal is to reduce fat. The healthy fats that are in peanut butter aids this. Healthy fats are a godsent if you struggle keeping full after eating.
Tropical Paradise: Coconut milk is full of healthy fats, which means this also aids satiety. The Tropical Paradise smoothie also has coconut water in it. Coconut water has the ability to hydrate better than water does. This hydration effect will ensure your body does not feel the need to eat more to make up for the lack of hydration within your body.
Choc Tropeka Superfoods: Protein has been shown to reduce your appetite (within a healthy manner) purely because after consuming it, you feel satisfied. The Topeka protein used within the Choc Tropeka Superfoods smoothie will leave you feeling satisfied that you got your chocolate hit without feeling sluggish afterwards.
PWR Fit smoothie examples to sneak extra nutrients into your daily diet
Any of the PWR fit smoothies will allow you to sneak extra nutrients into your diet as we use whole, good quality products meaning there are no fake nasty syrups or sweeteners. What ya see is what ya get!
Spirulina: Spirulina has three times the amount of protein than fish or beef per gram, is rich in chlorophyll, contains vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, contains a broad spectrum of 18 amino acids and helps reduce tiredness and fatigue. With bananas being added to this smoothie, it works in unity with the spirulina powder as bananas help manage blood sugar levels and moods.
Drink your greens: Drink Your Greens is made to support healthy bones and teeth, support digestion and immune system. In the Drink Your Greens smoothie, pineapple is added for extra freshness. Pineapple is a great way to support good digestion and fabulous for women's health and has anti-inflammatory benefits.
Acai: Acai powder is a great superfood to add to your diet as it has a wide range of vitamins and minerals (vitamins, A, B1, B2, B3, C and C), is a high source of antioxidants, promotes glowing skin and contains manganese, copper and magnesium.
Body bloom: Body bloom is a prebiotic and probiotic blend that promotes good gut health, and supports good overall digestive wellbeing. With the blueberries added to this smoothie, it acts as yet another form of antioxidants.
Ultra-greens cleanse: The Ultra-Greens Cleanse powder used supports a healthy immune system, has a good source of zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, helps detox your body and contributes to normal energy production within the body. A sneaky bit of spinach (which ends up tasteless) in the Ultra-Greens Cleanse gives you an extra hit of iron to add to your day.
Tropical paradise: Due to the added collagen within the Tropical Paradise smoothie, it has anti-aging properties, supports joint and bone health, and promotes good gut bacteria. Collagen is one of the most essential proteins in the human body, but our body begins to produce less of it as we age. Not only does tropical paradise help us keep looking younger for longer, but it also supports healthy hair, nails, and skin.
At the end of the day, when smoothies are included in a balanced diet, they contribute to your everyday micro and macronutrient intake while giving you an extra boost of energy to go about your busy lives.
References
Choi, F. D., Sung, C. T., Juhasz, M. L., & Mesinkovsk, N. A. (2019). Oral collagen supplementation: a systematic review of dermatological applications. Journal of drugs in dermatology: JDD, 18(1), 9-16.
Romaniw, O. C., Rajpal, R., Duncan, A. M., Keller, H. H., & Duizer, L. M. (2021). Nutrition in Disguise: Effects of Food Neophobia, Healthy Eating Interests and Provision of Health Information on Liking and Perceptions of Nutrient-Dense Foods in Older Adults. Foods, 10(1), 60.
Tan, K. W., Graf, B. A., Mitra, S. R., & Stephen, I. D. (2015). Daily consumption of a fruit and vegetable smoothie alters facial skin color. PloS one, 10(7), e0133445.
Ronghui, S. (2015). The reasearch on the anti-fatigue effect of whey protein powder in basketball training. The open biomedical engineering journal, 9, 330.
Hurley, W. L., & Doane, R. M. (1989). Recent developments in the roles of vitamins and minerals in reproduction. Journal of Dairy Science, 72(3), 784-804.
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