Give Yourself A Health Boost; The Best Ingredients To Add To Your Morning Smoothie

Dark, Leafy Greens

When it comes to adding nutritional power to smoothies, the first ingredients most think of are spinach and kale, two dark, leafy greens. These two greens are excellent sources of iron, fiber, folate, calcium, and vitamins A, C, D, K, and B6. Vitamin A is essential for eye and skin health, calcium increases bone strength, and some reports indicate in addition to its benefits for digestion, the fiber in kale and spinach also helps reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. As mentioned, kale and spinach also contain lots of iron, which helps reduce the risk of anemia and boosts blood health.

While there are some differences in how much of these nutrients spinach and kale each contain, individuals cannot go wrong with either when attempting to improve the health benefits of their smoothie. If individuals are just starting out, however, we recommend spinach, since kale packs more of a bitter taste and is more difficult to get used to.

Greek Yogurt

The most significant health benefits of Greek yogurt come from its protein, calcium, and vitamin D content. Some brands will also contain probiotics, which help balance bacteria in the body and aid in digestive health and boost the body's immune system. As a dairy product with calcium and vitamin D, Greek yogurt is fantastic for promoting healthy bones. It also contains less sodium than regular yogurt, which helps manage high blood pressure and provides (on average) twice the amount of protein than regular yogurt.

Protein helps increase and prolong feelings of fullness, which helps reduce unnecessary snacking, thus decreasing calorie intake. This is especially important for vegetarians, who cannot obtain their protein from the traditional source: meat. Greek yogurt also contains less sugar and lactose than regular yogurt, which eases the impact on the stomach for those who are lactose intolerant. Besides these benefits, Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt since it is strained more, which helps boost the creaminess of a smoothie.