HEALTHY LIVING
For Healthiest Smoothies, Leave Out Banana
It will help your heart and brain. :: BY CHARLOTTE LIBOV
S
moothies are an effective way to consume healthful fruits and vegetables, and one of the most popular
ingredients in these drinks is a banana. But to maximize the health benefi ts,
you might want to consider leaving this common fruit out, says a new study. Fruits like cherries, blueberries, and
raspberries are high in fl avanols, an important bioactive compound that benefi ts your heart and brain health. But bananas contain polyphenol
oxidase (PPO), the enzyme responsible for turning bananas brown when exposed to air, which can hamper their absorption, according to the study. “Research over the past 20 years has
shown that fl avanols are an important constituent of a healthy diet that helps
“We were surprised to see that
maintain health as we age,” says Javier Ottaviani, Ph.D., lead author of the study, which was recently published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Food and Function. Ottaviani and his colleagues set out
to discover if consuming smoothies with diff erent PPO-containing fruits would impact the amount of fl avanols available for absorption. Participants drank a smoothie that contained a high-in-PPO banana, and one made with low-PPO mixed berries. Their blood and urine were analyzed to determine fl avanol levels in the body after consuming the diff erent beverages. Participants who drank the banana
smoothie had 84% lower levels of fl avanols in their blood compared to those who drank the smoothie without it.
adding a single banana rapidly decreased the amount of fl avanols in the smoothie and consequently the levels of fl avanols in the body,” says Ottaviani, director of the Mars Edge Core Laboratory, part of Mars Inc. Last year, the Cocoa Supplement
and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) found that taking a fl avanol-rich supplement reduced cardiovascular deaths, including heart attacks and stroke, by 27%. Related research also found age-related memory loss was driven, in part, by a diet low in fl avanols, Ottaviani says. “If people decide to consume fruits
or vegetables in the form of smoothies, and seek to benefi t from fl avanols, it is important to avoid combining fl avanol- rich foods with ones containing high levels of PPO, like bananas, avocados, and beet greens,” he says.
Here are three non-banana, high-flavanol smoothie recipes from Sherri Holzer, integrative nutrition health coach, food strategist, and cooking instructor. • 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
PUMPKIN SPICE WARM SMOOTHIE • 1/2 cup water • 1/4 cup rolled oats • 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon almond butter or coconut butter
(for a nut-free option) • 1 tablespoon chia seeds • 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup
organic Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Add the water and oats to a 94 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | DECEMBER 2023
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for four minutes. Add the oat mixture to a blender, along with the remaining ingredients. Blend carefully, allowing for the heat to escape. Serve warm. Serves one.
BLUEBERRY ZAP! ENERGY SMOOTHIE
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups organic baby spinach
PEACH
COBBLER SMOOTHIE
• 6-8 frozen peach slices
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned or rolled oats
• Pinch of cinnamon
Combine cashews, hemp seeds, and milk in a blender. Blend until very smooth. Add in yogurt, baby spinach, and frozen blueberries. Blend again until smooth. Divide into glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Serves two.
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons pitted dates • 2 teaspoons cinnamon • 1 tablespoon honey
Place all
ingredients in a blender and blend
until smooth. Pour into
a glass and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.
Serves two.
• 2 cups organic whole-fat plain Greek yogurt • 1/2 cup ice cubes
BLUEBERRY/NEW AFRICA/SHUTTERSTOCK / PEACH/SWEET MARSHMALLOW/SHUTTERSTOCK
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