Superfoods are renowned for their powerful health benefits. Crammed with essential nutrients, filling up on superfoods is an easy way to stay healthy, keep your energy levels topped up, boost your brain power, and get your skin glowing.
And one of the easiest ways to incorporate superfoods into your diet is by using them in your smoothie recipes. It makes staying healthy — and delicious!
Check out the below superfoods that can easily be added to any of your smoothie recipes to give you that extra boost of healthiness. We’ve also added some ingredient suggestions to pair each superfood with.
1. Blueberries
Blueberries are the ultimate superfood, with a zillion different health benefits. They are ridiculously rich in vitamin C and K, fibre and can help with all sorts of things like boosting your energy levels, your heart health and your brain power!
Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are important because they protect your body from free radicals: unstable molecules in your body which can damage cells, contribute to ageing, and lead to diseases like cancer.
Antioxidants from blueberries can also protect your brain from oxidative stress, reducing your risks of dementia.
Basically, blueberries are the best; plus, they taste amazing in smoothies! Sounds perfect, right?
Works well with: raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, yoghurt
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are versatile and subtle in flavour — perfect for adding to smoothies to give yourself an extra superfood boost without having to worry about disrupting your recipe’s flavour combinations.
Chia seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower high cholesterol, enhance your cognitive function, and reduce inflammation.
They’re also high in fibre, which aids your digestive system and regulates blood sugar. Not to mention, these tiny seeds are packed with protein and essential minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese, which your body needs to keep running.
Works well with: anything! Just add a few spoonfuls for some chia-tastic goodness
3. Avocado
Avocado is awesome to add to smoothie recipes — giving your drink a smooth, creamy texture without even having to add any dairy.
This green beauty is extremely nutritious, loaded with a huge range of vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C, E and K, folate and potassium. In fact, they even top the banana for their high potassium levels!
They also contain healthy fats, which can help to lower bad cholesterol, reduce inflammation and contribute to a healthy heart.
Works well with: Spinach, mango, kale
4. Honey & bee pollen
We’ve got a lot to thank the bees for. In particular, their products: honey and bee pollen.
Both of these are superfoods, although honey is a lot easier to get your hands on. Unless you live near a health store or want to buy some pollen online, we’d recommend starting off with honey.
Honey has super strong antibacterial and antiviral properties, meaning it can help to boost your immune system and fight off illness. And for when you are ill, honey can help to ease coughing and soothe a sore throat.
Bee pollen contains a huge variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which are amazing for your body. Like honey, bee pollen can improve your immune system, and even boost your brain power and concentration levels.
If you suffer from hayfever, then you should definitely consider using these products in your smoothies. If you use honey or bee pollen made in your local area, it can help to tackle hayfever and allergies. How cool is that?
Both of these ingredients are easy to add to most smoothie recipes for a hint of sweetness.
Works well with: banana, blueberries, yoghurt and any green smoothie recipes you use — to balance out the bitterness from leafy greens
5. Ginger
Ginger is a really easy ingredient to introduce to your smoothie mixes. It goes well with a variety of different ingredients, delivering a bit of heat and zing to your drink!
This powerful root has been used for centuries by humans for its medicinal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Ginger can help to treat all sorts of ailments, including indigestion, joint pain, muscle soreness, and menstrual cramps. It can even tackle morning sickness, so if you’re pregnant and suffering from nausea, you can add a small piece of ginger to your smoothies!
Works well with: carrot, orange, lime, spinach & mango, as well as other warming spices such as cinammon and turmeric
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to superfoods that are perfect for adding to smoothies. If you’ve got time, then you should also check out cacao, acai and goji berries. All have a distinct flavour but are delicious when added to the right mix.
Buy yourself a blender today and start your superfood smoothie-making adventure to healthiness!