Mind Body Tonic - Superfood Recipe

Mind Body Tonic Blueberry Smoothie

This purple superfood smoothie is more like a full meal. It’s thick, luscious and super-nutritious. In preparation, here are the items for your shopping list:  frozen blueberries and bananas, almond butter and almond milk and, last but not least, Mind Body Tonic.

Recipe yields 2 servings 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 oz Mind Body Tonic ( 2 tablespoons equals one ounce )
• 1  cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or water)
• 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries
• 1 ½ cup frozen bananas (easy to freeze bananas in ½″ slices)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons raw honey, if necessary
• Optional: Cup of ice to add a fuller texture

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients. Begin blending on low and then move gradually to highest speed.

Why blueberries in Mind Body Tonic smoothies?

Eating a cup of blueberries (150g) reduce factors for cardiovascular disease by up to 15 per cent. Researchers say to include berries in strategies for cardiovascular wellness. Source: University of East Anglia.  For more info go to https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/uoea-ebe053019.php

When are blueberries in season?

If you are a fan of buying locally grown berries, the North American blueberry season and harvest runs from April to late September. Then imports from in South America fill the grocery store shelves from October to March. In our winter, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile are experiencing sunny summers, perfect conditions for harvesting blueberries.

Frozen blueberry tips and tricks
Frozen blueberries are available year-round in the freezer aisle. You can freeze and store fresh blueberries for up to 10 months in your freezer.

 Research on Blueberries

1. In a small study with 10 female athletes, blueberries accelerated muscle recovery after strenuous leg exercises.
2. In an eight-week study, obese people who had had a high risk of heart disease noted up to a 6% reduction in blood pressure after consuming 2 ounces (50 grams) of blueberries per day. Other studies have observed similar effects — especially for postmenopausal women
3. In a study of 32 obese people with insulin resistance, two blueberry smoothies daily resulted in major improvements in insulin sensitivity 
4. A six-year study in over 16,000 older individuals found that blueberries and strawberries were linked to delays in mental aging by up to 2.5 years.
5. A study in 93,600 nurses found that those with the highest intake of anthocyanins — the main antioxidants in blueberries — were at a 32% lower risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest intake.
6. “Eat local and save energy.” Read more about the benefits of buying locally grown blueberries in season.

RESOURCE: https://www.blueberrycouncil.org

1 Yanita McLeay,^#1 Matthew J Barnes,^#1 Toby Mundel,^#1 Suzanne M Hurst,^#2 Roger D Hurst,^#2 and Stephen R Stannard^#1 Effect of New Zealand blueberry consumption on recovery from eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012; 9: 19.

3, Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Sep;85(9):956-65.

Fermented Canadian lowbush blueberry juice stimulates glucose uptake and AMP-activated protein kinase in insulin-sensitive cultured muscle cells and adipocytes.

Vuong T¹, Martineau LC, Ramassamy C, Matar C, Haddad PS.

4..E. Devore ScD J Kang ScD , Dietary intakes of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline.  Annuals of Neurology, First published: 26 April 2012

Circulation. 2013 Jan 15;127(2):188-96. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.122408.

5. Cassidy A¹, Mukamal KJ, Liu L, Franz M, Eliassen AH, Rimm EB.

High anthocyanin intake is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction in young and middle-aged women. J Agric Food Chem. . 2010 Apr 14; 58(7): 3996–4000.