Mind Body Tonic Green Smoothie with Flax Seed

Mind Body Tonic GREEN SMOOTHIE With Flax Seed

This simple, super-green smoothie packs power into one tall glass and there’s enough left over for another tall glass later. Easy in the morning at breakfast and convenient when split in half for a quick snack after work.

Recipe yields 2 servings (about 2 cups). You can easily halve the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 oz Mind Body Tonic (or 1 tablespoon Elixir)
• 2 ½ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1/4 ripe avocado
• 2  bananas (easy to freeze bananas in ½″ slices)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries 
• 2 large handfuls spinach 
• 1 small handful kale, diced (remove and discard large stems)
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter 
• Dash sea salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients in order given. Begin blending on low and then gradually move to highest speed until well blended.

Nutritional Benefits of Flax Seed

One serving of ground flax seeds is 1 tablespoon (7 grams).

One study found adding 2.5 grams of ground flax fiber to a beverage reduced feelings of hunger and overall appetite. ¹,²

Feelings of reduced hunger were likely due to the soluble fiber content of flax seeds. It slows digestion in the stomach, which triggers a host of hormones that control appetite and provide a feeling of fullness.

Flax seeds’ dietary fiber content may aid weight control by suppressing hunger and increasing feelings of fullness. Just one tablespoon of flax seeds contains 3 grams of fiber.³,⁴

Flax seeds are known for their omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and fiber. Flax also provides protein, vitamins, minerals and two types of dietary fiber — soluble (20–40%) and insoluble (60–80%).

Research found that insoluble fiber slows down the release of sugar into the bloodstream and reduces blood sugar. ⁵

Soluble fiber increases the consistency of your intestinal contents and slows down your digestion rate. This has been shown to help regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol.

One tablespoon of ground flax seeds contains the following (1):

• Calories: 37
• Protein: 1.3 grams
• Carbs: 2 grams
• Fiber: 1.9 grams
• Total fat: 3 grams
• Saturated fat: 0.3 grams
• Monounsaturated fat: 0.5 grams
• Polyunsaturated fat: 2.0 grams
• Omega-3 fatty acids: 1,597 mg
• Vitamin B1: 8% of the RDI
• Vitamin B6: 2% of the RDI
• Folate: 2% of the RDI
• Calcium: 2% of the RDI
• Iron: 2% of the RDI
• Magnesium: 7% of the RDI
• Phosphorus: 4% of the RDI
• Potassium: 2% of the RDI

Citings: 

1 Obes Rev. 2011 Sep;12(9):724-39. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00895.x. Epub 2011 Jun 16.Effects of dietary fibre on subjective appetite, energy intake and body weight: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

2  Wanders AJ¹, van den Borne JJ, de Graaf C, Hulshof T, Jonathan MC, Kristensen M, Mars M, Schols HA, Feskens EJ. Flaxseed dietary fibers suppress postprandial lipemia and appetite sensation in young men. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2013 Feb;23(2):136-43. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2011.03.004. Epub 2011 Jul 29.

3  Kristensen M¹, Savorani F, Christensen S, Engelsen SB, Bügel S, Toubro S, Tetens I, Position of the American Dietetic Association: health implications of dietary fiber. Astrup A.J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Oct;108(10):1716-31.

4 Slavin JL¹.Effects of dietary fibre on subjective appetite, energy intake and body weight: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev. 2011 Sep;12(9):724-39. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00895.x. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

5, Kajla P¹, Sharma A¹, Sood DR¹. Flaxseed—a potential functional food source.

Journal of Food Science and Technology, 27 Feb 2014, 52(4):1857-1871
DOI: 10.1007/s13197-014-1293-y PMID: 25829567 PMCID: PMC4375225