Today I’m continuing the new smoothie series where I’ll uncover the best of the best antioxidants spanning each color in the rainbow. Up next, orange! I’ve already shared the Ultimate Reds Smoothie and Ultimate Yellow Smoothies and just to recap, remember smoothies are one of the simplest ways to increase your nutrient density in a small yet filling volume that’s easy on your digestive system. The Ultimate Oranges Smoothie is loaded with my favorite picks for orange whole foods. The result is a delicious orange smoothie rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene for improved eye health, immune health, and digestive health. Purposeful + tasty, read on for more about this healthy orange smoothie!
Drink your oranges!
Whole foods that are naturally orange in color are loaded with antioxidants, but most notably beta-carotene which is the turns to vitamin A in our body, vitamin C, copper, and potassium. Like I shared in the yellows smoothie that’s also rich in this nutrient, beta-carotene provides antioxidants for your body and gives this smoothie its rich orange color from the sweet potato, orange, and mango. Orange foods are also loaded with the antioxidant vitamin C, which helps promote healthy skin through collagen production, immune function, and fighting free radicals. Oranges and orange juice, in particular, have been shown to have cardiovascular benefits (1), prevent ulcer formation and kidney stones (2), and decrease cholesterol mainly due to citrus compounds called limonins (3). Citrus limonoids are natural anti-carcinogens that may prevent cancerous cells from growing, and they can stay in the body up to 24 hours after eating citrus, which is much longer than other anti-carcinogens like green tea or chocolate (3).
Oranges that you can incorporate into your weekly smoothie sessions:
- Carrots
- Mango
- Pumpkin
- Orange
- Papaya
- Guava
- Butternut squash
- Sweet potatoes
- Tangerine
- Clementine
- Orange bell pepper
- Persimmon
- Apricots
- Red lentils – yes you can use cooked red lentils in a smoothie!
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 peeled orange
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- 1/2 steamed sweet potato
- 1/4 inch ginger root, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon
- In a high speed blender, blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add ice to the blender and blend or you can serve over ice in a glass. Enjoy immediately.
GET THE ORANGE GLOW
Enjoy this one you guys and stay tuned for many more in this series so that you can rotate different smoothies throughout the week to increase your nutrient density and variety. Let me know how you like this recipe in the comments or if you have questions. It also helps when you rate the recipe when you try it so I can improve them for you. Be sure to snap a picture when you make it at home share it on Instagram with #nutritionstripped so I can see!
xx McKel
p.s. Nutrition coaching enrollment for Fall 2016 is ending next Friday, October 28th! Check out my 1-1 coaching programs here to learn more and sign up!
Resources:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12052992
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12897042
(3) https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2005/feb/citrus/
