by HCSG Contributor

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Blend Your Way to Better Health

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Maintaining a healthy diet and ensuring your body gets all the necessary nutrients and vitamins can be challenging. One of the easiest and most delicious ways to get these nutrients at once is through smoothies.

Since our bodies experience low-grade inflammation, foods that contain antioxidants, like fruits and vegetables, help reduce inflammation. Mixing fruits and vegetables increases the antioxidants that would not exist if eaten separately. Foods like vegetable medleys, soups, and smoothies are great ways to boost antioxidants because they contain more than one ingredient.

Cherry Smoothie:

This nutritious cherry spinach smoothie recipe contains cherries, bananas, and spinach. The benefits of cherries include antioxidants like anthocyanins, flavonols, and catechins, which protect cells and promote heart health. Bananas provide fiber, and spinach contains antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene, which promote eye health and contain anticancer and antiviral properties. Including this recipe in your diet enhances your overall health and is a delicious way to shake things up!

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Yield: 10 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 16-ounce bag of sweetened cherries
  • 3 bananas
  • 1 ounce spinach
  • 1 cup of ice
  • 1/2 gallon of sweetened almond milk

Instructions

  • Put the entire bag of cherries (16 oz), 3 bananas, 1 ounce of spinach, and 1 cup of ice in a blender.
  • Add almond milk into the blender until it reaches the 8-cup marker.
  • Secure the cap on top of the blender and blend for one minute. Plunge if necessary.
  • Pour into serving cups and enjoy!

Kevin A. Richie, MS, RDN, LD | kevin.richie@hcsgcorp.com

“I enjoy working in long-term care and rehabilitation because I witness residents improve with nutritional therapy and accomplish their health goals.”

Starting with HCSG in 2021, Kevin Richie earned a B.A. in Sociology from Indiana University, a B.S. in Dietetics, and an M.S. in Human Nutrition & Food Systems from the University of Kentucky. He lives with his wife, Maria, and dog, Plato, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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