Today I’m continuing the smoothie series where I’ll uncover the best of the best antioxidants spanning each color in the rainbow. I’m sharing recipe formulas that you can easily adapt, and I’ll explain the nutrition and health benefits of having these smoothies on a weekly basis. 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. I first shared the Ultimate Reds Smoothie loaded with my favorite picks for red whole foods, and today I’m sharing the Ultimate Yellows Smoothie, a delicious bright in flavor and in color, yellow smoothie rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene for improved immune health and eye health.
Drink your yellows!
Whole foods that are naturally yellow in color are loaded with antioxidants, but most notably zeaxanthin, lycopene, potassium, vitamin C, and most notably the antioxidant beta-carotene which gives yellow (and orange) fruits and veggies their color! Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, which is crucial for eye health and good vision (1), a strong immune system, healthy skin, hair, nails (2); and helps protect the body from cellular damage from free radicals– like other antioxidants do. These “yellow nutrients” have been shown to help support our immune system, prevent certain types of cancer (3), reduce blood pressure (4) and metabolic syndrome (5), and improve overall cardiovascular function (6). Special attention to my favorite “yellow” nutrient which is turmeric, which is an inflammation fighting powerhouse. Bee pollen is another one of my favorite yellow whole foods loaded with B vitamins, amino acids (hey, protein!), and minerals. When it comes to digestion, pineapple wins amongst other yellow whole foods since pineapple contains natural enzymes that help support our body digest proteins better- you can read more about em’ here. So, what do you say to adding some yellow whole foods into your diet this month? Here are more options!
Yellows that you can incorporate into your weekly smoothie sessions:
- Pineapple
- White grapefruit
- Yellow squash
- Bee pollen
- Banana
- Turmeric
- Mango
- Yellow bell peppers
- Yellow sweet corn
- Ginger
- Yellow carrots
- Yellow tomatoes
- Lemons
- Papaya
- Cantaloupe
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
- 1/2 cup yellow squash
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon bee pollen
- 1/4 inch ginger root, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional for a protein boost
- 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.
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
Photos by Kelsey Cherry
Get even more delicious, healthy recipes that you can’t find on the blog in the Nutrition Stripped Cookbook. Get your copy here!
Resources:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22696344
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257702/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23803886
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18957815
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321578
(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10748608
