Good Morning to a Brand New Day!

Every day we wake up with a whole day of new possibilities lying before us. If you try to plan your day before you roll out of bed (like we sometimes try to do) you probably find that your plans soon go awry and you’re lucky if you get one or two things done that you wanted to do. There is one daily activity that you do have control of and that is breakfast, if only because it comes at the start of the day.

Here is one of our favourite ways to greet the morning. It is not only delicious but it is also full of the super healthful foods that we try to eat every day. If you start out the day eating as many of these foods as possible, then you can feel better about your meals the rest of the day in spite of what twists and turns your food choices might take.

 

Good Morning Smoothie for Two

2 tbsp flaxseed
2 tbsp chia seed
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 orange, peeled
1 banana, peeled and separated into quarters
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp turmeric
About 1/60th of a tsp black pepper (a light shake)
1 handful (about 2 cups loose) of your favourite greens (such as baby kale or spinach)

Grind flax and chia seed.  Place all ingredients into a blender and process.  Add more water or soy milk to achieve your desired thickness.

 

A short list of the benefits assembled together in this humble smoothie…

Flaxseeds, along with being a good source of omega 3s, offer beneficial effects for high blood pressure, breast cancer and prostate cancer
Chia seeds can reduce high blood pressure and are a good source of both short and long chain omega 3s, calcium and fiber. Their main benefit is as a source of lignin which has potent anti-cancer effects.
Both flax and chia seeds must be ground to be efficiently absorbed by your body.
Turmeric plays a role in preventing or treating diseases of the lung and brain and a variety of cancers. Turmeric can treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions including osteoarthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease.  Black pepper increases the absorption of turmeric into the body.        Berries are the healthiest of fruits. They boost the immune system, protect against cancer and liver disease, promote a healthy brain and increase longevity. Don’t worry about the sugar in berries. Eating fruit in its whole form with all of its accompanying fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients does not cause a sugar spike and actually blunts insulin spikes.
Oranges boost DNA repair and make your DNA more resistant to damage. Citrus fruit is also associated with lower risk of breast cancer.
Bananas are a good source of Vitamin C and antioxidants and studies have shown that they have cancer-inhibiting effects.
Kale is a cruciferous vegetable, a plant family that is rich in health benefits. They can prevent DNA damage, prevent metastatic spread of cancer, boost your immune system and reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Spinach and kale are both leafy greens which are known offer strong protection against the major chronic diseases. For example, for every additional daily serving of greens you gain a 20% reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke.

If you’re thinking …What the heck?!!!!… there’s no need to fret. All these benefits will be covered in detail elsewhere in this blog along with the evidence from scientific studies to back them up. Just know that you are starting off the day well by drinking a Good Morning Smoothie.

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Promoting a healthy adventurous lifestyle powered by plants and the strength of scientific evidence.

My name is Debra Harley (BScPhm) and I welcome you to my retirement project, this website. Over the course of a life many lessons are learned, altering deeply-rooted ideas and creating new passions.

2 Comments

  1. Carolyn on June 27, 2017 at 11:10 am

    Makes me want to plan for these ..

    • Deb on June 27, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      It’s a delicious way to start a day!

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