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Weekly Smoothie Challenge

Superfood Smoothie for Cancer and CVD Prevention


2 Servings

This superfood smoothie features unsweetened cranberry juice, purple grapes, and organic strawberries, all of which contain compounds that have been shown to exert anti-cancer effects in laboratory studies. In addition, cranberry juice and purple grapes are touted as cardioprotective superfoods that may help prevent or reverse cardiovascular disease (CVD).

For maximum benefits, don't bother removing the seeds from the grapes before throwing them into the blender – grape seeds are completely edible, plus they offer many interesting health benefits, including cardioprotective, antioxidant, and anti-cancer effects.

Unsweetened cranberry juice, strawberries and grapes aside, this super-healthy smoothie recipe also calls for chia seeds, which help further boost the healing power of this smoothie by supplying omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, and bananas, which add irresistible creaminess to the blend.

Cranberry Smoothie for Cancer and CVD Prevention

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups frozen organic strawberries
  • 1 tsp chia seeds (buy chia seeds here)
  • 1 small organic banana
  • 1 cup red grapes
  • 1 ¼ cup unsweetened cranberry juice

Directions

  • Rinse the frozen strawberries under cold running water, and let them thaw for 15 minutes. Prepare the chia seeds by soaking them in cold water for 15 minutes.
  • While your strawberries are thawing and your chia seeds are soaking up water, peel banana and rinse the grapes.
  • Add the thawed strawberries, soaked chia seeds, banana, grapes and cranberry juice to a large-capacity blender, secure the lid, and process until nice and smooth.
  • Pour into glasses, garnish as desired, and serve immediately.


Tweak It!

To keep your diet varied and your taste buds intrigued, tweak the basic recipe above by replacing the frozen strawberries with one of the other ingredients provided in the Tweak It! box below. The Tweak It! box contains seven ingredients, one for each day of the week. Prepare the other ingredients the same way as the strawberries, that is, let them thaw for about 15 minutes before using.

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7
1 ½ cup
frozen strawberries
1 ½ cup
frozen blueberries
1 ½ cup
frozen raspberries
1 ½ cup
frozen depitted apricots
1 ½ cup
frozen plums
1 ½ cup
frozen blackberries
1 ½ cup
frozen berry mix