Avocados and blueberries are well-known as healthy superfoods. Bring them together in the form of a refreshing smoothie, and you’ll get many health benefits your body needs.
As we all know, blueberries are full of antioxidants. These fruits are tiny but mighty – they’re actually one of the best natural sources of antioxidants. While antioxidants are not needed for your body to function, they help fight damage from free radicals. The body produces free radicals as waste products, which can hurt other cells. This is how diseases start to develop. A regular dose of fresh or frozen blueberries can prevent our body from getting sickness and diseases, and keep it healthy.
And avocado – it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. Ounce for ounce, it’s among the richest in potassium, fiber, folate, magnesium, and vitamin E. The healthy mono-unsaturated fats in avocados keep the heart in shape by lowering bad cholesterol.
Eating the right foods doubles as medicine and vitamins, and avocado and blueberries are indeed the kings of fruits as medicine! Mixing them in a smoothie form helps you consume more of these fruits in one sitting to keep your heart and whole body healthy.
Blueberry Avocado Smoothie Recipe
This blueberry avocado smoothie is an easy and creamy smoothie recipe that will be tasty. Even the pickiest of eaters (especially those who hate green juices and smoothies) would definitely love this! Flavor-wise, blueberries bring a sweet and fruity flavor, while avocado adds a smooth and creamy texture to this healthy smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk
- 5 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
- 1 scoop protein powder or collagen peptides (optional)
Instructions:
- Add blueberries, avocado, coconut milk, and dates to a blender. Blend it at medium-low speed until the ingredients are well-combined.
- Increase speed to medium-high, then blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Notes:
How much milk you need will depend on whether your fruit is fresh or frozen and how thick you like your smoothies to be.
We suggest unsweetened vanilla coconut milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk you like.
If you use fresh fruits, add a handful of ice to make the smoothie cold and refreshing.
You can add bananas or mangoes to add more sweetness and yummy flavor if you prefer.
The dates are added for extra sweetness, but you can add more if you like it sweeter. Alternatively, you can also use honey.
Health Benefits of Blueberries
Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid called anthocyanin, which gives blueberries many of their health benefits and its characteristic blue color. Flavonoids are plant compounds that usually have powerful antioxidant effects. Many studies suggest that increased consumption of blueberries reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and overall mortality.
However, this super fruit offers more than antioxidants – it’s packed with loads of vitamins and nutrients that can provide many health benefits for the body.
1. It potentially reduces blood pressure.
Blueberries are free of sodium, and keeping low sodium levels is essential to keeping blood pressure at a healthy level. It also contains calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are associated with lowering blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, you’re at risk of developing heart disease. If you’re already experiencing high blood pressure, try consuming at least 50 grams of blueberries every day.
2. It can help protect against heart disease.
While blueberries can help lower blood pressure, it’s also important to remember that these are only risk factors, not actual diseases. The good thing is that blueberries can also help prevent hard endpoints like heart attacks, which are the leading cause of death worldwide.
A study found that those who take more anthocyanins (the antioxidants found in blueberries) were at a lower risk of heart attack compared to those with the lowest intake.
Also, the fiber, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin C, and phytonutrients in blueberries all support heart health. Blueberries do not contain cholesterol, and fiber even helps reduce the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. Meanwhile, folate and vitamin B6 can prevent blood vessel damage that leads to heart problems.
3. It maintains healthy digestion and weight loss.
Fiber, which is present in blueberries, can help prevent constipation and maintain regular bowel movements for a healthy digestive tract. Dietary fiber is an important factor in weight loss management by working as a bulking agent for the digestive system. Foods rich in fiber can increase the feeling of being full, thus reducing appetite.
4. It can help manage diabetes.
Blueberries have moderate amounts of sugar as compared to other fruits. A cup of blueberries comes with 15 grams of sugar, equivalent to a large orange or a small apple. However, the bioactive compounds in blueberries can outweigh any negative effects of the sugar. According to research (1, 2, 3), anthocyanins in blueberries can benefit glucose metabolism and improve insulin sensitivity.
Blueberries might be sweet, but it’s guilt-free, making them a great smoothie ingredient.
5. It can help prevent cancer.
Blueberries may help fight and protect against aging and cancer by reducing oxidative DNA damage. DNA damage is unavoidable, and it’s the reason we grow older. However, it plays an essential role in developing diseases like cancer. The folate and antioxidants in blueberries can aid in DNA synthesis and repair, thus preventing the formation of cancer cells due to DNA mutations.
Vitamin C, vitamin A, and the other phytonutrients in blueberries can work as antioxidants to help protect cells against damage from free radicals.
6. It can help improve brain function.
Blueberries are super fruits because it doesn’t just help prevent diseases – they can work as brain food, as well! Population-based studies have shown that consuming berries like blueberries is linked to slower cognitive decline.
The antioxidants in blueberries also fight against oxidative stress, which can negatively affect brain function. It benefits aging neurons, leading to cell signaling, cognition, and intelligence improvements. It can also help improve short-term memory and motor coordination.
Health Benefits of Avocados
Avocados are amazing because it’s one of the few whole food ingredients that come with natural creaminess, making them versatile ingredients. Besides adding a creamy texture to healthy smoothies, it’s also used to make savory dips and spreads and even as a substitute for butter when baking. And to know that it is loaded with health benefits is an encouraging reason to eat it all the more!
Avocado is considered a superfood because it’s dense in nutrients. It contains 20 vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients. It’s high in fat – not the bad kind of fat – which can help fuel our body and make us feel full and satisfied after eating. It’s great to pair with other low-fat foods to create a well-rounded meal.
1. It’s nutrient-dense.
Avocados contain a number of essential nutrients our body needs, many of which are lacking in modern diets. It’s a source of vitamins B6, C, E, and K, as well as protein, potassium, magnesium, niacin, folate, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and manganese. They also provide beta-carotene, lutein, and omega-3 fatty acids. In addition to that, the carotenoids, vitamins C and E, and other phenolic compounds in avocados serve as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
The healthy fats in avocados enhance the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in the body. It can also support great skin and a healthy immune system.
Fun fact: avocados even have more potassium than bananas! In fact, it’s almost double. A single avocado can contain 975 mg of potassium, while a single banana has 487 mg.
2. It can help reduce the risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure.
Regularly consuming avocados can help protect against heart disease. Avocados are packed with heart-healthy fats that are linked with a reduced risk of heart disease. It can help increase levels of heart-protective HDL (good) cholesterol and lower the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can help reduce blood flow through the arteries.
Also, the vitamins, minerals, and fiber in avocados also play a role in keeping the heart and cardiovascular disease healthy.
3. It is great for a healthy vision.
What makes avocado unique compared to other fruits is that it contains lutein and zeaxanthin – two phytochemicals that are linked to keeping the eyes healthy and reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Vitamin E and beta carotene, which are present in avocados, also protect the eyes against tissue damage.
4. It can stabilize blood sugar levels.
Unlike other fruits, avocados don’t contain sugar. Also, the healthy fats and fiber in it can actually help stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels after a meal.
5. It can help you maintain a healthy weight and digestion.
Though many factors affect weight, eating a balanced and nutritious diet is essential when it comes to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. The fat and fiber content in avocados can make you feel full and satisfied, which helps to regulate your appetite. Fiber is also associated with a healthy gut since it can regulate bowel movements.