Tag: skin

Healthy Smoothies: Best Smoothie Ingredients & 10 To Ditch

Posted on June 14, 2013

Find out the healthiest smoothie ingredients and 10 to ditch.

Whether you enjoy smoothies for breakfast, a snack or even dessert, they’re a great way to increase your daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

But depending on the ingredients they’re made with, smoothies can quickly turn into unhealthy calorie-bombs filled with sugar and saturated fat. The healthiest way to enjoy a smoothie is to make your own so you know how much of and what foods you are getting. Wondering how to make a smoothie? A good smoothie should contain a blend of ingredients with protein and fiber to help keep you full and provide antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

 

 

 

Best High-Protein Smoothie Ingredients

• Nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• Nonfat or low-fat plain milk
• Tofu
• Natural peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Plain soymilk
• Plain almond milk

Best Fruits for Smoothies
Use fresh fruit, frozen fruit or fruit canned in water or its own juice.

• Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Peach
• Banana
• Apple
• Melon
• Cherries
• Apricot

Best Vegetables for Smoothies
Use raw vegetables.

  • Carrot
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Avocado
  • Cucumber

Healthy Smoothie Additions for Flavor and Additional Nutrition
• Flaxseed
• Chia seed
• Old-fashioned oats
• Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)
• Vanilla extract
• Coconut water
• Unsweetened cocoa powder

Smoothie Ingredients to Ditch
To keep your smoothie as healthy as possible, avoid adding these ingredients, which provide a lot of calories in the form of sugar and saturated fat, with little or no fiber or other nutrients.

  •  Sugar-sweetened fruit juice or concentrate
  •  Full-fat dairy products, such as milk or yogurt
  •  Flavored yogurt
  •  Whipped cream
  •  Ice cream
  •  Sorbet
  •  Sherbet
  •  Chocolate syrup
  •  Full-fat coconut milk
  •  Canned fruit in syrup

~Breana Lai, M.P.H., R.D.

Vitamins – You’ve Got Skin In The Game

Posted on September 21, 2012

Vitamins – by Jenny Flynn

There are 5 vitamins that your skin needs, nutritionally speaking! The skin is our largest organ, believe it or not, but the human body doesn’t consider it the most important one. Consequently, the other organs get fed first, and if nutrients are in short supply, the skin will go hungry and weaken.

To help keep your skin adequately fed, Letslose would like to make a few recommendations of five key vitamins found in many whole foods and multivitamins that support healthy skin, hair and nails, plus also provide nutrition naturally for your body as a whole.

Vitamin A: Found in sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, kale and calf liver.
RDA: 2,500 IU daily
Vitamin A aids in helping keep skin smooth and moist.
Common signs of deficiency include but not limited to, rough skin, acne, dry hair, and dandruff.

Vitamin B Complex: Found in fish, poultry, meats , fortified cereal and whole grains.
RDA: 50-100 mg of the main B Vitamins daily
Vitamin B Complex is necessary for the overall metabolism and healthy skin, hair and nails.
The B Vitamins work together to improve skin texture, heal injury, and help control inflammation.

Vitamin C: Found in Oranges, strawberrries, red and green peppers, broccoli and kiwi.
RDA:500- 1000 mg daily
Vitamin C is used in the formation of collagen, which supports the structure of skin.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that also protects against the effects of the sun, pollution and stress.
Shortage of this Vitamin can contribute to skin aging and hair loss.

Vitamin D: Found in fatty fish, fish liver oil, and fortified milk.
RDA: 2000 -4000 IU daily or 1000 if you are regularly exposed to the sun.
Vitamin D is necessary for the healthy development of new skin cells and to control inflammation.

Vitamin E: Found in Sunflower seeds almonds, vegetable oils and peanut butter
RDA: 400 IU
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, meaning it protects our bodies from being damaged by pollutants
and toxins. It also repairs tissue and reduces scars.

Letslose would like to encourage you to make healthy choices, practice portion control and exercise. Put this plan into place and you are well on your way to success. We are available to counsel, encourage and support with one quick phone call!

2 Samuel 22:33- God is my strength and my power and He maketh my way perfect.