Daily Green Drink
Video by Dr. Erik Waldeland
Daily Green Drink
Green drinks are an easy way for us to get the right number of fruits and vegetables we need every day without having to add them to every meal. Like most people, I don’t have time some days to make sure I am eating the right things, so tossing together a quick smoothie at the end (or beginning) of the day helps me get the right nutrients in my body. After a long day at the clinic, or a hard workout in the gym, I need to make sure I give my body the proper environment to heal and recover, otherwise inflammation can creep in, leading to pain down the road.
The key ingredient I included in this smoothie, which is the base of many of my green drinks, is spinach. The research is clear that spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, making it an easy choice to use it as the base to most of my smoothies. There are dozens of health benefits to the ingredients in the recipe below, but of course the anti-inflammatory benefits are one of the main reasons I choose to eat (and drink) as much spinach as I do!
“The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of botanical extracts are among those with very high potential for the development of new drugs. Plant extracts can have anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties through different active components, in particular antioxidants like flavonoids and carotenoids”
Recipe-
- 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 frozen banana
- ¼ avocado
- 2 tablespoons water
Reference:
Beaupré, V., Boucher, N., & Desgagné-Penix, I. (2020). Thykamine extracts from spinach reduce acute inflammation in vivo and downregulate phlogogenic functions of human blood neutrophils in vitro. Biomedicines, 8(7), 219. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines8070219
Our Message
We know how important it is to find a Chiropractor near you that you can trust. At Minnesota Chiro Health of St. Louis Park, located at the corner of MN-100 S & Lake Rd./Westside Dr, we emphasize the importance of what we are putting into our bodies and the important role that plays in how every one of our patients recovers and gets out of pain. Our mission is to lead our community to a healthy way of life by making sure we are eating well, moving well, and thinking well. Give this recipe a try and I look forward to hearing how it goes!