Berry Smoothie Bowl is Life!
Lately I have been absolutely obsessed with adding beets into my smoothies. They add the most gorgeous colour, taste great, have amazing health benefits and they are easily added into your smoothies because they don’t require any cooking. With summer in full swing, roasting beets is the last thing on my mind, but I still love having them raw in salads and smoothies. You certainly cannot BEET the health and beauty benefits of incorporating more of them into your diet either.
Beets are a great detox food!
Beets contain betalains which is what gives the unique pigment to this amazing root veggie and these have great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is their unique antioxidant makeup that is really interesting, at least it is to a food nerd like me. See, they contain vitamin C, manganese and betalain all of which provide a unique composition that provide antioxidant support in many different ways.
The reason I really wanted to include beets as part of this smoothie is because of the role they play in supporting our body’s ability to detoxify. The betalains found in beets have been shown to trigger glutathione-S-transferase or GST (an enzyme) activity which then helps to aid in the elimination of toxins and further provides the body with as much detox support as possible. For this reason alone, beets are an incredible vegetable to include as part of your diet to help with the body’s innate ability to detoxify. They help our bodies enter phase two of the detoxification pathway, which is essentially when this enzyme hooks up with the toxins in our bodies, neutralizes them and makes them water soluble for excretion in urine. I promise to talk a lot more about detoxification in the future as it’s an important and often misunderstood topic. Just know that by including beets in your diet, you are supporting your body’s detoxification system.
They are also anti-inflammatory:
Beets are also anti-inflammatory due in large part to betaine, which is a key nutrient made from the B-complex vitamin, choline. Choline is important for preventing unwanted build-up of homocysteine (and if you have an elevated level of homocysteine you could be at a greater risk for cardiovascular problems, such as atherosclerosis). Furthermore, betaine is also important in lowering the levels of several inflammatory markers in our bodies.
Get Glowing with the ultimate Glow Powder!
You may have picked up on the fact that I love helping people discover their inner glow and I truly believe in getting that glow from everyday foods, which is why I created my FREE eBook all about getting the glow. There are a few supplements that can truly help you achieve that glow even more and one of them is this Glow, Inner Beauty Powder and the Collagen Inner Beauty Boost from The Beauty Chef. I have been using these products almost daily for the past few months and have noticed a change in not only how my skin looks, but also my digestion due to the probiotics in it. This powder and booster are unlike many others that I have seen and have received so much positive feedback and reviews for a reason, simply that it works. The Glow Powder contains 23 superfoods(!!!) that are combined specifically to be great for skin health as they contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids targeted to help you get that glow from the inside out. What is really important and amazing is that those amino acids come from fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes that have been fermented, thus the bio-availability of these nutrients is then improved. The Collagen Inner Beauty Boost is another delicious probiotic concentrate designed to increase the skin’s production of collagen and promote a radiant and glowing complexion. This product is specifically formulated to address skin firmness, fine lines, free radical damage and overall skin maintenance. It contains a blend of certified organic maqui berry, acai, papaya, blueberry, goji-berry and pomegranate powders with grape-seed extract, zinc and vitamin C which boosts collagen production from the inside out. Being rich in antioxidants it also helps to combat cellular damage and support healthy skin, hair and nail growth.
Fermentation is KEY:
I was fortunate enough to meet with the co-founder of this amazing company after they did an in-house training session with The Detox Market and learned first hand how special their fermentation process is. When foods are fermented, it means that they are broken down (or pre-digested) which makes them easier for our bodies to digest and retain those valuable nutrients. The process of fermentation also helps to create beneficial bacteria (probiotics) that are absolutely necessary for our gut health. With approximately 70% of our immune system located here and the fact that the gut and brain have a strong relationship to each other, it is important that we keep this system happy and healthy. Also important are the prebiotics in the powder which then encourages the growth of more good bacteria. The link to gut health and skin health cannot be understated here. If our insides are not happy, or cannot digest things properly thus leaving foods to sit and rot inside, this WILL show up first and foremost on our skin! However, when our insides are happy because they have enough of the good bacteria in there, our skin is able to shine through and you will have that infamous glow. I cannot emphasize how important probiotics are for our health and the health of our skin, so do yourself a favour and start incorporating some fermented foods and/or probiotics as soon as possible.
Luckily for one special winner, they will get to try out both products, glow powder and collagen. To enter, leave a comment here saying what you are grateful for? So often, we forget to reflect on what we already have, so this is a nice reminder. One entry per person and this is open to Canadian residents only.
Curious to know how I incorporate these products into my diet? Here are two yummy breakfast ideas that you can use to get glowing!
- 1 1/2 cup dairy free milk
- 1 small beet (cut into half or quartered, I don't peel mine, just give it a good wash)
- handful of greens (spinach works well)
- 1/2 avocado
- 5-6 strawberries or 3/4 cup raspberries
- 1 tsp glow powder
- 1 serving of collagen booster
- Ice as needed
- Put all ingredients into your blender except the ice.
- Add some ice if you want to.
- Blend again and serve.
- Top with any other fruits you want.
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 small beet (halved or quartered)
- 1 tsp. glow powder
- 1 serving of collagen booster
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 3 to 3 1/2 tbsp. chia seeds
- Fruits for topping
- Add the milk, beet, glow and collagen and frozen banana into your blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl or mason jar and add your chia seeds and stir really well.
- Let it sit for about 20 minutes in your fridge.
- Give it a good stir once again and add your fruit toppings. I added some almond butter on top.
Use my code HOLISTICFOODIE10 to save you money at the Detox Market site!
I can’t pick just one thing I’m grateful for…. I’d have to say I’m grateful for a roof over my head, that I can feed myself, that I can see/hear/walk, and that I have loved ones. So often we don’t even think about these things because they’re a “given” and it isn’t until we see, for example, someone paralyzed from waist down who can never walk again. What a privilege it is to walk! I am grateful for these simple things I can enjoy. Great post and can’t wait to try beets in a smoothie!!!
Thank you so much for posting! I couldn’t agree more about these things that are a “given”, I am so grateful for my health because unfortunately so many people don’t have this.
I must say that I am grateful for both my husband and son. My husband is truly my best friend for the past 15 years and I couldn’t imagine my life without him! Our son now completes our lives! At a tender age of 3, my son has shown me so much – how to care, love and provide for someone that fully depends on me. He has shown me how to have fun again and just let loose! Yes I may look silly to others as we walk in the grocery store making funny faces and sounds at each other, but life isn’t just about stress and the typical adult life ALL THE TIME. Without these two, I don’t know how my life would be!!