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| Mandarin Blueberry Smoothie |
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup blueberries
- 4-5 mandarin or clementines
- 1 cup of water
Makes 25 oz
Put all of the ingredients into the Vitamix Blender and blend.This is creamy and sweet and is actually more like juice than a smoothie.
These amounts are the perfect blend! You taste both mandarin and blueberry! You can taste them both and its quite delightful.
TIPS:
(1) If you want a stronger mandarin flavor, add more mandarins and less blueberries...if you want a stronger blueberry flavor add less mandarin.
(2) I didn't use ice because I used frozen blueberries, so you can do the same to help remove adding excess water.
(3) If you add ice, add less water.
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Some Health Benefits
Blueberry: Blueberry is very low in calories. However, the berries contain health
benefiting soluble dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment
anti-oxidants
that contribute immensely for optimum health and wellness. Blueberries are among the highest
anti-oxidant value fruits. Their
antioxidant value
largely derived from poly-phenolic
anthocyanidin compounds such as chlorogenic acid, tannins,
myricetin, quercetin and kaempferol. In addition, these berries have other
flavonoid anti-oxidants such as carotene, lutien and zeaxanthin. Altogether, the phyto-chemical compounds in
the blueberry help rid off harmful oxygen-derived free radicals from
the body, and thereby, protect the body from cancers, aging,
degenerative diseases, and infections. In addition, research studies suggest that chlorogenic
acid in these berries help lower blood sugar levels and
control
blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes mellitus condition. Fresh berries contain small amount of vitamin
C, vitamin A and
vitamin E. Altogether these vitamins make potent lipid soluble
anti-oxidants, help limit free radical mediated injury to body. The berries also contain small amount of
B-complex
group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine, folates and pantothenic
acid. It contains very good amounts of vitamin B-6,
niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folic acid. These vitamins are
acting as co-factors help body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and
fats. In addition, these berries contain good
amount
of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc. Potassium
is an important component of cell and body fluids
that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used
by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide
dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red
blood cells.
Iron is required for red blood cell formation.
Mandarin: Mandarin oranges can lower your risk of liver cancer, says the RxPG News site. Researchers at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine found that by drinking mandarin juice, people who have chronic viral hepatitis can reduce their risk of developing liver cancer. In the one-year study, 30 participants who had viral hepatitis consumed a beverage containing mandarin juice daily and showed no signs of liver cancer. This is in contrast to the 8.9 percent rate of liver cancer found among the 45 participants who did not drink the daily beverage, says the site. Mandarin oranges provide you with up to 80 percent of your daily vitamin C intake, says the FitDay site. Vitamin C is multifold when it comes to health benefits, fighting off the unstable molecules in your body known as free radicals via its antioxidant properties. These are molecules with odd numbers of electrons that search for an even number by taking an electron from the stable free radicals in your body that can fight infections. This causes a chain reaction of making stable free radicals unstable and can eventually lead to bodily damage, such as protein damage and DNA damage. Antioxidants help stop this chain reaction, and stop the damage. The antioxidants in mandarin oranges can lower your bad cholesterol levels. They do this by combating the free radicals that oxidize your cholesterol, which makes the cholesterol stick to your artery walls, says FitDay. This causes blood to slow down when moving in the arteries, which can increase your risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. The attachment to the arteries can also cause an increase in liver disease as well, says the site. These oranges are a substantial source for dietary fiber, with 3 g of fiber per 100-g serving, says FitDay. Regularly eating fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, which reduces your desire or need to eat more food, assisting in weight loss.
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Related Posts:
Blueberry Mint Morning Riser
Fruit-C Smoothie
Piña No-Colada Smoothie
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Fruit-C Smoothie
Piña No-Colada Smoothie
-----------------
PLEASE NOTE! This sites content (including but not limited to: all food, hair and skin care recipes; tips; tutorials; writings; and, downloads) are absolutely free to the public! Because it's free, I ask one simple favor in return, as your token of appreciation for my humanitarian effort...I realize you may want to share and maybe even use Veg Vivaciously's content in your business(es) (including but not limited to: blog(s), e-zine(s), website(s), free publication(s), etc). You can, as long as you (1) do not charge a fee; (2) cite the direct link of the Veg Vivaciously content used; and, (3) include the verbiage below with the Veg Vivaciously content used:
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