The Story Of My Super Brain Smoothie
I love learning new things, especially if it has to do with improving my abilities. Above all, a SuperMum has to stay sharp and need a super-brain to stay on top of her game! Therefore when I encountered mindvalley‘s Superbrain Quest, I decided to embark on this journey.
First of all what Superbrain quest taught us, was the importance of a proper brain-diet. I used to have some of these incorporated into my daily diet, but certainly not all and not every day. I needed a ‘vehicle’ to transport these nutrients into myself daily.
Reviewing the brain-diet list gave me a great idea. Why not combine as many of these brain boosting ingredients into one delicious super brain smoothie? So I did and here is my recipe,
Super Brain Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach (or any other green leafy vegetable)
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 cup of brain-berry (blueberry)
1 tablespoon of organic cacao powder
2/3 teaspoon of Turmeric latte powder
(or 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric, a hint of Chinese five spice and Clove)
optional: 1/4 cup of walnuts
1 1/2 cup of water or coconut water
Directions:
Place the ingredients into your blender, adding the water first. Blend until you get a smooth consistency.
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What Are You Giving To Your Brain?
Avocado
It is chock full of vitamins and minerals. Additionally avocado also helps the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients from other foods eaten with it. The list of vitamins you get from eating avocado: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, B-vitamins. Also it contains the following minerals/trace-minerals: Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese. Additionally it is a good source of Folic Acid.
Banana
Although banana wasn’t specifically part of the brain-diet list, it is a good source of B6 and fiber, and contains Vitamin C and Potassium.
Blueberries
Another brain nutrient and super-food! Blueberries are abundant in vitamin K1, vitamin C and manganese. They also contain vitamin E, vitamin B6 and copper.
Spinach
Probably the world’s healthiest food is spinach. Intensely rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin A, Manganese, Folate, Magnesium, Iron, Copper. Also good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin C and B Vitamins. Additionally it contains fiber, omega-3 fatty acid, phosphorus, zinc, choline, selenium.
Cacao
It was first cultivated in the Americas, and has been called the ‘food of the Gods’. Due to the density of essential nutrients, cacao is good for your brain diet. The cacao bean is full of antioxidants, fat, carbohydrates, protein, polyphenols like flavanoids that are antioxidants. Also contain minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, iron, zinc and potassium. Additionally it also has oleic acid which is an essential monounsaturated fat, fiber and vitamin E, and B vitamins.
Turmeric
The main active ingredient in turmeric is Curcumin. It can increase brain levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a type of growth hormone that functions in your brain. Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone. Allegedly it also lowers your risk of hart-disease.
As Curcumin doesn’t absorb very well, it is advised to take it with some black pepper. Piperine, a natural substance in black pepper, enhances the absorption of curcumin.
A smoothie A Day Challenge
Join our 30 day challenge and download my free smoothie recipes! Although they are not containing all of the brain-diet ingredients, but they do have at least one or two of them included.
If you want to boost your brain but like the variety, it is a good place to start to form a new habit, a brain boosting life-style.
As a bonus I liked it and so did my 4 year old son, yes!! Getting healthy food into my kids is a challenge and this one passed the test.
