Clean eating smoothie: part 7

Good morning, fit people!

Today's clean eating recipe is a pineapple and berry smoothie. It's simple, it's packed with vitamins and other antioxidants and it tastes wonderful.

Now, before I reveal the simple recipe, I want to share the health benefits of the basic ingredients of my smoothie.

Health benefits of pineapple
Pineapples are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and B-complex group of vitamins like folates, thiamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese. Potassium (K) is an important component of cell and body fluids, helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Copper (Cu) is a helpful cofactor for red blood cell synthesis. Manganese (Mn) is a trace mineral your body needs to build bones and connective tissues, and it also is a co-factor for an enzyme which battles free radicals.
Since pineapples have these anti-inflammatory qualities, eating pineapples can greatly ease the pain of arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and gout.
Pineapples are also the source of bromelain (a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes). Bromelain helps regulate the secretions in the pancreas to aid in digestion, and it neutralizes acidic fluids in the gastrointestinal tract.
Pineapples are 94% carbohydrates, so if you're on a carbohydrate-restricted diet, keep your pineapple intake at one cup per day.
Always go for fresh pineapple when you have the chance. Here's a great seven-step wikihow article on how to tell if a pineapple is ripe.


Health benefits of lingonberry
Lingonberries are supposedly one of the richest sources of polyphenols. The little red berries are an excellent source of vitamin A, B and C and are packed with minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, sodium and potassium, and also flavonoids, especially quercetin. Quercetin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, but it also has antihistamine properties that help alleviate allergy symptoms.
Lingonberries contain tannins that help boost the walls of blood vessels, resolve mineral metabolism and neutralize toxins. Like other dark red and blue berries, lingonberries boost the levels of good cholesterol and improve blood pressure. Also, lingonberries contain a berry biocomplex that reduces hardening of blood vessels. Lingonberries are and excellent addition to a diverse diet, since it improves heart and circulatory health. Apart from being rich in essential nutrients, lingonberries are also a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Health benefits of blueberry
The nutrients in blueberries include selenium, iron, potassium, copper, zinc, manganese, anthocyanin, vitamins A, C, E and B complex. Several studies show that blueberries can improve brain function and prevent (or slow) the progress of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Blueberries also improve glucose and insulin levels, and reduce abdominal fat. Like lingonberries, blueberries are a heart-healthy superberry. They also boost your immunity, since they are packed with enzymes with antibacterial and antiviral properties. The blue shade of blueberries provides anthocyanin, which is rich in bioflavenoid and antioxidants.
Both lingon- and blueberries are excellent to use both fresh or frozen.

Now that you know why I like my berries so much, here's the recipe to my antioxidant-packed supersmoothie:

Clean eating: Pineapple and berry supersmoothie
1 dl fresh pineapple chunks
1 dl lingonberries
1 dl blueberries
1-2 dl water, coconut water or any clean eating liquid you prefer to use

Place all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Pour in a tall glass or protein shaker and enjoy :)

Tip #1: I use this as an addition to my breakfast omelette. In case you plan on having just a smoothie for breakfast, make sure you get enough proteins. The protein count of this smoothie is really low, so feel free to add a protein powder or quark to the mix.
Tip #2: Since pineapples are diuretic (drive water out of the body), make sure you drink plenty of water with your smoothie.
Tip #3: For an added "superfood effect", add a tablespoon of maca, a teaspoon of Opti-MSM and a teaspoon of lucuma to the smoothie.

Now, I'm a regular multitasker in the mornings. I brush my hair while I let my dog out, I get dressed while my omelette is cooking and I enjoy half of my breakfast in the car on my way to work. Today I poured my smoothie in a protein shaker and drank it whilst commuting. It ain't pretty, but I got to get my natural vitamins in the morning!

Cheers!

/U

Picture source 1 2

Clean eating: Smoothie (Part 5)

Boost your immune system with this antioxidant-packed supersmoothie!

Clean eating: grapefruit and blackcurrant smoothie
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients
1 avocado
200g blackcurrants
4 dl grapefruit juice (or 2 large grapefruits, peeled)
100g vanilla whey protein powder
4+ dl water

1. Peel and pit the avocado. Put the avocado, berries and grapefruit juice (or grapefruit) in the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add the whey powder and water to the mix, blend on low speed (if you blend it on high speed, the whey will foam). Add extra water to get the perfect consistency, if the smoothie feels too thick.

Tip #1: In case you don't want to use additional protein powder, like whey, substitute it with 400 g quark. Make sure you add enough water to the mix to get the desired consistency.
Tip #2: Vanilla whey is quite sweet. In case you don't use whey powder, add a banana or 2-3 dates to the smoothie to sweeten it.
Note: Don't use plain sugar (or even honey) if possible, never use artificial sweeteners like asesulfam K or aspartame. Use natural sweeteners like banana, dates, organic stevia or erytritol.
Tip #3: To kick-start your morning, use chilled green tea in stead of water. Green tea works perfectly for morning smoothies, since it's packed with caffeine and antioxidants.
Tip #4: This smoothie is really nice as a dessert, too. Skip the whey and add a banana to create a tangy, dairy-free, sugar-free smoothie. I like the freshness of this smoothie after a heavy and/or greasy meal, it leaves me feeling light yet satisfied.

Have a great Thursday!

/Ulrika

Clean eating: Keeping a dietary log

Hi guys,

I wanted to share my dietary log of one day with you guys - just to show you what a day of clean eating can look like.
My doctor told me that I'm supposed to eat at least one serving of dairy per day, plus one serving of wheat, oats, barley or rye for three weeks before undergoing lab tests. Normally I'd stay off grains, except for the occasional oatmeal.

Monday 29.10.2012
I woke up at 6.30, stayed in bed for an additional hour reading a cr*ppy Stephen King book. Drank 2 huge glasses of water before getting up.
I was at work from 13 to 22: a few personal training clients plus a few hours of customer service. Not bad at all.

8.00-8.30 Brisk walking with my dog
9.00 2 cups of coffee (with milk), 2 glasses of water, 1 glass freshly pressed apple juice. An omelette: 2 eggs, 160 g tomato, 1 dl chopped spinach, 50 grams Greek cheese.
+ multivitamins, Omega-3's and liquid vitamin D
11-12 lower body strength & plyo workout + 7 dl water (similar workout here!)
12.30 Recovery smoothie: 30 g whey, 2 dl semi-skimmed milk, 150 g strawberries
16.00 Chicken salad with pomegrenade, some yellow bell pepper, tomatoes and rocket. 7 dl water
18.30 1 pink grapefruit, 10 almonds. 7 dl water + a few cups of herbal tea with my friends
19.30 Tuna salad with bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, rocket and lettuce. 7 dl water.
21.00 Evening smoothie: 30 g whey, 15 g oatmeal, 1 tbsp coconut flakes, 150 g blueberries and 3 dl milk.
22.45 Omega-3's, magnesium, zinc, B-vitamins. 2dl water.

Nutritional info:
1830 kcal
97g carbs (22%)
76g fats (38%)
177g proteins (40%)

Workout info (according to my heart beat monitor)
Brisk walking 30 mins 172 kcal
Gym workout 60 mins 516 kcal
 

One simple picture to explain what clean eating actually is:

I don't really want to think of stuff as "allowed" or "not allowed", since that makes clean eating sound like a fad diet. I'd rather say "more fresh fruits and veggies, less white flour".

We (as in my hubby and I) eat organic meat and dairy. We buy our beef from an organic farm close to our villa - we know the meat is organic, grass and grain-fed. The final product looks (and tastes!) a lot different than non-organic beef. Especially ground beef is a lot thicker, it feels almost solid compared to the spaghetti-like non-organic ground beef.

Now, just to be clear, this isn't a diet plan. It's just my diet plan at the moment. If I didn't work out, I'd skip the recovery smoothie (~270 kcals). 

So, tell me - what does your dietary log look like? :)

/Ulrika

Picture source 1 2

Clean eating: Smoothie (part 4)

Hi,

As I promised before, here comes my recovery smoothie. This smoothie serves as my breakfast smoothie, if I go for a quick workout in the morning. I feel satisfied really fast because of the avocado, the rice protein helps me build muscle mass without any additional (E-coded) ingredients. I buy all my protein powders and other dry ingredients online, I prefer iHerb or Luontaispörssi.

Clean eating: Recovery smoothie
(makes 1-2 servings)

1 ripe avocado
2-3dl blueberries
1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh)
1 scoop (30g) rice protein powder, unsweetened
2 tsp BCAA (branched-chained amino acids)(click here to buy)
1 tbsp (organic) maca powder
1 tsp (organic) lucuma powder
1 tsp (organic) raw cacao powde
1 sachet Pukka Clean Greens
1 tsp Opti-MSM powder
2-3 dl water
a pinch of unprocessed sea salt (or himalayan salt)

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Tip #1 Use different berries for a change in taste.
Tip #2 Use a banana instead of avocado for a higher carbohydrate content.
Tip #3 If you haven't eaten maca or MSM before, go easy on the amounts of powder you put in your smoothie.. Both maca and MSM have a very distinct taste, which you'll learn to like. Blackberries are a nice addition to smoothies when you're learning to use MSM, since the berries cover the yuck-y taste really well :D
Tip #4 I usually carry the powders in a tiny plastic bag with me wherever I go. If I don't have the opportunity to make the smoothie in a blender, I'll blend it in my shaker (with just water; no avocado or berries) and drink it on the go. However, I use a larger amount of water and maybe a teaspoon of goji powder just to get some berry flavours in it.

Ahh, the joy of delicious food. To be honest with you, I had to get used to drinking this recovery smoothie after my workouts. I hated it at first, until I got over the fact that MSM is derivated sulfur and tastes like cr*p. I still won't drink it with water so I'll have to mask the taste with berries. I know MSM is really good for my muscles and joints (I can feel the difference!), but for some reason my taste buds don't like it... Well, let me know what you think!

Over and out.

/Ulrika