Immune Smoothies (Recipe Inside!)

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I’m loving these immune smoothies. 🥤

Just toss the following ingredients into a blender and you’ve got a beverage that will make your immune cells happy 💃

🥬 1 cup Leafy Greens

Spinach and kale are packed with antioxidants and beta carotene (the plant world’s precursor to vitamin A)—plus fiber and very few calories.

🥭 1 cup Frozen Fruits

Even during the winter months, you can get frozen pineapples, mangoes, or berries for a boost of vitamin C.

🥣1 cup Greek Yogurt or Kefir

Fermented foods are teeming with probiotics to support the gut microbiome and immunity. These foods also add protein to the mix.

🥄 2 Tbsp Seeds

Hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and ground flax seeds provide essential omega-3 fats.

🥛Water or Almond Milk

Top it off with as much liquid as you need to get a sippable smoothie.

One of my favorite combos is to use spinach, mangoes, yogurt, chia seeds, and almond milk. If I’m feeling fancy, I add a splash of vanilla and cinnamon.

Let me know what you think!

Swap This for That (Immune Edition)

🍭 Sugar swaps for immune health!

Here’s my take on sugar and immunity:

Science shows that elevated blood sugar weakens our ability to fight off infections.

Foods that spike the blood sugar are things like soda, candy, cookies, and sweets…

…all the treats people love to eat at the holidays 🎂🧁🥂

So here are some sugar swaps to try:

✅ Sparkling water instead of soda

✅ Dark chocolate instead of candy bars

✅ Coconut clusters instead of cookies

✅ Chia pudding instead of ice cream

You might even fall in love with some new and healthier treats you’ve never tried before.

Do you have any other sugar swaps you love?

Mediterranean Diet for a Healthy Pregnancy

💞 This one is for all the potential moms-to-be out there 💞

Women in the United States who followed the Mediterranean Diet around the time of conception experienced a

 💫21% lower risk of pregnancy complications💫 

That’s compared to those who did not follow the Mediterranean Diet. 

Those who adhered most closely to the diet had the lowest rates of:

🔹 Gestational diabetes

🔹 Preeclampsia

🔹 Eclampsia

This was a large study that involved nearly 8000 women of different races and ethnicities across the US. 

It was published in December in JAMA Network Open, one of the official journals of the American Medical Association. 

👉 It’s more solid evidence that diet matters.

Reference

Makarem N, Chau K, Miller EC, et al. Association of a Mediterranean Diet Pattern With Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Among US Women. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(12):e2248165 [link]

More Protein, Fewer Fractures? [new study]

✨ New research shows that eating more protein reduces hip fracture risk in women ✨ 

Hip fractures are one of the most feared injuries for women with osteoporosis because they can lead to disability, other chronic illnesses, or even death. 

A study just published in Clinical Nutrition looked at 26,000 women from the UK Women’s Cohort. Participants entered the study between 1995 and 1998 when they were between the ages of 35 and 69.

Women completed diet and lifestyle questionnaires at the beginning of the study, and their hospital records were then followed for 20 years. 

Over that time:

🔹 822 (3%) experienced a hip fracture.

🔹 There was an inverse relationship between protein intake and hip fractures (more protein, less fractures).

🔹 Each 25g per day increase in protein was associated with a 14% reduction in hip fracture risk.

🔹 Underweight women benefited even more from each 25g per day increase in protein, reducing their hip fracture risk by 45%.

🔹 It didn’t matter whether protein came from animal or plant sources.  

🔹 The study did not explore extremely high protein intakes (such as 2-3 grams per kg of body weight per day).

Protein is a building block for the collagen matrix in bone. This matrix is continually being remodeled and replaced, requiring an adequate supply of protein. 

So it makes sense that more protein is needed for strong bones 🦴

The recommended intake of protein per day is a minimum of 0.8 grams per kg of body weight. But this study suggests that women reduce their hip fracture by 14% with every 25 gram increase. 

Here are some examples of 25 grams of protein:

🥚 3 eggs

🍗 3 ounces of chicken

🥣 1 cup Greek yogurt

🥢 6 ounces of tofu

Do you even know how much protein you eat?

Reference

Webster J, Greenwood DC, Cade JE. Foods, nutrients and hip fracture risk: A prospective study of middle-aged women [published online ahead of print, 2022 Nov 9]. Clin Nutr. 2022;41(12):2825-2832. [link]

How to Stay Fueled While On the Run

Running around to get ready for the holidays?

Throw some of these protein-packed snacks in your bag to keep you fueled and energized. 

✅ Nuts—from walnuts to cashews, you can’t go wrong here

✅ Jerky—try something different with turkey, beef, or other game meats

✅ Protein Bars—check the ingredients and choose organic to avoid GMOs

✅ Roasted Chickpeas—buy them in the snack aisle or roast a tray at home

✅ Tuna—it’s not gourmet, but it’s an easy snack right out of the can

Save this post for next time you stop at the grocery store!