Protecting your heart is one of the best things you can do for your health, as it’s one of the most important organs in the human body. Lucky for us, food is one of the most efficient and effective routes to heart health.
There is a really easy way to make sure you get the nutrients you need for a healthy heart – combining them in a smoothie! The following recipes are absolutely delicious, quite simple to prepare, and most importantly… super healthy.
???? Heart-Friendly Berry Smoothie
This green smoothie is packed full of heart healthy ingredients and can be used as a nutrient-dense meal replacement.
You’ll get plenty of antioxidants, healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals such as potassium and folate – all of which are known to be very important for cardiovascular health.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium banana
- 1 orange
- 1 cup berries (can be just blueberries or a mixture of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
- 1/4 avocado (pitted)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 cup water or almond milk
Directions:
Add the water to your blender first, followed by the fruit and the greens.
???? Avocado Apple Delight
This smoothie is full of ingredients that will boost your heart health, regulate your blood pressure and keep your arteries healthy.
Ingredients:
- 1 apple (chopped)
- 1 avocado (chopped)
- 1 cup kale (chopped)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 heaped tbsp flaxseed
- Handful of ice (optional)
Directions:
Throw everything together in your blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you like chilled smoothies and choose to use ice, be aware that not all types of blenders can cope with this well, and it might damage your blender.
Tip: if your blender can handle frozen ingredients, you can use frozen fruits and vegetables instead of the ice cubes, to get a similar effect but without the ice diluting the smoothie.
???? Superfruit Smoothie
This smoothie contains two “superfruits” – pomegranate and blueberries. They’re full of antioxidants, which can help to protect your heart and blood vessels.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened blueberries (frozen)
- 1/2 cup pure pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (for a non-dairy version use 1 banana)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth
???? Apple Lemonade Smoothie
This refreshing smoothie contains heart healthy potassium and apples, which have been proven to reduce the breakdown of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Ingredients:
- 2 green apples
- 1/2 lemon (peeled)
- 1 handful or several large leaves of spinach, or kale
- 2 cups almond milk
Directions:
Blend all of the ingredients together in your blender until smooth.
???? Chocolate Almond Delight
A heart healthy smoothie can still feel indulgent if you pick the right ingredients. This one contains cocoa powder, maca powder and almond butter to increase the levels of your “good” HDL cholesterol, as well as boost your energy.
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana (frozen)
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp maca powder
- 3 tbsp almond butter
- 2 cups almond milk
Directions:
Throw everything in your blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
