Nutrition for the Entire Family with Smoothies Gone WILD!

On August 3rd, an enthusiastic group of registered dietitians (RD), foodies and moms joined us (@WildBBerries) and the RDs over at NutriBullet Living (@NutriBulletUNI) for a LIVE Twitter chat about Smoothies Gone WILD with Nutrition. Using #WildYourSmoothie, we talked about everything from upping the nutrition in smoothies for back-to-school, to the versatility of NutriBullets, and of course, Wild Blueberries.

The number one goal of the chat was to make sure parents had some awesome nutrition information to make great smoothies to help fuel their kids as they headed back to school. . With busy mornings, smoothies are often the perfect nutrient rich grab-and-go breakfast solution even for the pickiest of eaters.  Smoothies loaded with important nutrients like Wild Blueberries can provide kids a great start to their day and get them through a long day of learning by helping them to improve their focus and concentration in the classroom.

We also learned about the NutriBullet University program taking place in schools across the country to help educate children about how to eat better and stay health. If you haven’t heard about this amazing program, you can read about it here!

During the #WildYourSmoothie chat, we discovered that our profound love of smoothies was shared throughout the Twitter-verse. The crazy busy on-the-go lifestyles that so many of us share make smoothies a fabulous option, especially when everyone is trying to get out of the house on time. NutriBullets are also a great tool for families on the go – they can blend 1 – 2 servings at a time, and are so easy to use and clean up.

We asked our Twitter Chat attendees how they made sure their smoothies were tasty AND healthy which lead to a debate over whether taste or nutrition should take top priority when making smoothies. The answer was surprising – neither!  Our attendees said it doesn’t matter how good a smoothie tastes, or how healthy it is – unless the color looks appealing. Interesting! If the color of the smoothie was yuck, kids said forget it!

Since several attendees admitted to hiding vegetables like spinach or kale in their children’s smoothies, we at Wild Blueberries had to let them know that adding just a half a cup of Wild Blueberries per serving is a nutritious way to camouflage those dark green colors (and flavors), allowing kids to drink up! Mixing the smoothies up in a NutriBullet also helped to create a smooth, consistent texture, perfect for palettes of all ages!

When smoothies become a part of your daily routine, people often stick to the same recipe and don’t play around with different ingredients as much. The RD team at NutriBullet Living had some great ideas for ingredients to have on hand to keep smoothies fresh and inspiring. Things like chia seeds, hemp seeds and spices like turmeric, cardamom and even fresh ginger were top of their list. #WildYourSmoothie attendees were also eager to share some of their favorite smoothie making trends – turns out spicy smoothies are totally in vogue! Jalapeños were a universal favorite.

Huge shout out to everyone who came and tweeted along during our #WildYourSmoothie Twitter chat – especially the team at NutriBullet Living (Gigi, Sarah, Krista & more!). If you have any questions about smoothies, frozen Wild Blueberries, back to school nutrition, or anything NutriBullet related, including their in-school NutriBullet University program, feel free to send us a tweet at @WildBBerries or the NutriBullet Living team at @NutriBulletUNI and include #WildYourSmoothie in your tweet!

Check out our original #WildYourSmoothie Twitter Chat blog post here, or catch the Storify archive here!

Make Your Smoothies Taste Better With This Wild Blueberry Summer Blast

Over time, consumers’ appreciation for farming began to dwindle and the connection between the farm (our original food source) and our tables became more obscure.

Thankfully, over the last decade, the “real foods” movement has resurged, opening the eyes of consumers and encouraging us to ask more questions about where our food comes from and the impact it has on our bodies and health. How does overly processed food-stuff that’s created in a lab compare to wholesome, natural, unaltered foods? What effect does it have when it comes to our health, the taste of our food, and the pleasure of eating? Best-selling author and journalist Michael Pollan says it best: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”

Bowl of fresh wild blueberries

Some consumers now regard certain food categories as mandatory: non-GMO, organic, grass-fed, gluten-free, no added sugar, natural, sustainable, wild, wild-caught, and more, and we will continue to see new categories emerge and flourish.

On the flip side, processed food manufacturers continue to inundate us with temptation and abundance. Fat, salt, and sugar are the trifecta for food addiction and food manufacturers know the exact ratio to keep us coming back for more. These flavor enhancers have overpowered our natural taste perceptions and triggered our cravings out of control.

The best way to fight this manufactured food addition is to find natural foods that satisfy these cravings, all while boosting our health. The intense flavor and vibrant colors of natural fruits, like lowbush Wild Blueberries, is a perfect solution for those pesky sweet yearnings. Wild Blueberries, for example, serve as nature’s candy, packed in a tiny package and frozen within 24 hours of harvest to retain the most flavor and nutritional value. They’re packed with more taste, less water, more fiber, and double the amount of antioxidants than the ordinary highbush blueberry.

Research shows that in as little as two to three weeks, our taste buds and taste preferences can change. After shunning the three main culprits – fat, salt, and sugar – for a short period of time, we become more sensitive to them and crave them less. This allows us to appreciate the simple essence of natural produce, like the sweetness of Wild Blueberries.

And yet, Americans consume on average 20-30 teaspoons of sugar a day. Overconsumption of sugar-laden foods and beverages, along with refined processed foods, can (and have) lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

But sweetness doesn’t have to mean sugar. You can find natural sweetness in a variety of foods, including fruits. Wild Blueberries are a low-glycemic food, registering only 53 on the glycemic index (GI) scale, a measurement of how food impacts blood sugar levels after eating. Compared to regular blueberries, Wild Blueberries contain only 10 grams of sugar per cup vs. 15 grams of sugar per cup. In addition, a smaller berry means you can have more per serving. More Wild Blueberries means more berry skins, and nearly double the amount of fiber, an indigestible component of plant foods that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

So, skip the usual store-bought smoothies, packed with added sugars and bombed with fruit. Try a homemade green smoothie, instead, which can offer a healthy balance of vegetables, fruits, good fats, and protein.

This smoothie recipe is bursting with flavor and packs a nutritional punch, perfect as a refreshing summer treat that’ll keep you healthy, maybe wealthy, and most definitely wise.

blueberry-blast

Smoothies Gone WILD with Nutrition

Join @NutriBulletUNI and @WildBBerries for a #WildYourSmoothie Twitter Chat on Wed Aug 3 at 11am PDT/2pm EDT

Smoothie-making was once viewed as a habit of the health and fitness crowd, but today they’ve become a central part of the American diet. Their portability makes them the perfect nutrition-packed snack or meal replacement for on-the-go lifestyles. Smoothies also make a great breakfast or post workout snack – even dessert – and they come in so many combinations they can win over the pickiest of eaters.

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Making a great smoothie means having all the right ingredients and tools on hand to deliver ultimate taste and nutrition! That’s why the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) and NutriBullet University – a hands on Education & Healthy Eating Experience for Students with NutriBullet, the World’s Original Nutrient Extractor, have teamed up for this LIVE Twitter chat. If you’d like to join the discussion, follow the #WildYourSmoothie hashtag @WildBBerries and @NutriBulletUNI on Wednesday August 3rd at 11am PDT/2pm EDT. You can also join the LIVE discussion via TweetChat, following #WildYourSmoothie.

 Who should attend:

This #WildYourSmoothie Twitter chat is perfect for ANYONE looking to up their smoothie game or improve their family’s nutrition with healthy smoothies – great for moms and dads, kids, nutritionists, registered dietitians, mom bloggers and YOU! The back-to-school season is upon us and this Twitter chat is a great way to be inspired to help your kids start the new year full of the nutrients they need to grow and learn.

Some questions we’ll address during this LIVE 60-minute discussion include and MORE:

  • What are the hottest trends in building healthy (and delicious) smoothies?
  • How can parents sneak more nutrition into their kids’ diets with smoothies?
  • Why is nutrition especially important during back-to-school season?
  • How can a Wild Blueberry breakfast smoothie boost memory and concentration in kids?
  • How is NutriBullet working to improve nutrition among school children with the NutriBullet University program?

If you want to learn more about WBANA and NutriBullet, we encourage you to explore the links below:

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Learn about our experts:

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA) (@WildBBerries) is a trade association of growers and processors of Wild Blueberries from Maine and Canada, dedicated to bringing the Wild Blueberry health story and unique Wild Advantages to consumers and the trade worldwide.

WBANA is dedicated to furthering research that explores the health potential of Wild Blueberries. Every year since 1997, WBANA has hosted the Health Research Summit in Bar Harbor, a worldwide gathering of dozens of scientists and researchers whose work is leading the way in learning more and more about the health benefits of Wild Blueberries. Hundreds of studies have been conducted on disease and the extensive health benefits of Wild Blueberries.

NutriBullet Team:

Sarah Lefkowitz, R.D. is a dietitian living in Los Angeles, California. Her professional foundation was built in the healthcare field, where she learned about the physiology of disease, working with patient care teams, making rounds with doctors in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and trauma centers. These experiences highlighted the impact of nutrition on healing and recovery. Sarah honed her skills, providing outpatient counseling in a center for digestive disease, wound care and geriatric health. Working primarily with a population that was sick highlighted the power of prevention and nutrition education. Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

Krista L. Haynes, R.D. is a Registered Dietitian with extensive knowledge on the benefits of eating a whole food, plant-based diet. Her approach centers on holistic wellness—using real, unprocessed foods to help detoxify the body and maximize its natural functions. Krista also specializes in adult weight management, teaching non-diet strategies based on the principals of Intuitive Eating. As a vegan, Krista promotes the benefits of vegan and vegetarian nutrition, but also realizes that a healthy diet is any diet that provides optimum energy and confidence and helps individuals achieve their personal goals. Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

Gigi Kwok-Hinsley, M.S., R.D. DrPH, is a Registered Dietitian in the Greater Los Angeles area specializing in nutrition and public health research with experience in adult weight management. She graduated from Loma Linda University School of Public Health with an emphasis in preventive care and health care management, Gigi conducted her dissertation research in bitter taste receptors as it relates to a patient’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Outside of work and school, she serves on the committee of professional development through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Read her full bio on NutriLiving.

NutriBullet RDs Share Their Favorite Smoothie Ingredients

As registered dietitians and health research scientists, we all love working with food and seeing the positive impact it can have on peoples’ health. That’s why the NutriBullet is an amazing tool — it helps transform health by increasing fruit and vegetable intake in the average daily diet. Sometimes, by simply changing the texture of a food, you can appreciate it in a whole new way.

As NutriBullet RDs, we get a lot of opportunity to play around in the kitchen and blend together new combos of fruits and vegetables. Over the years, we’ve come to love certain foods in our NutriBlast smoothies, not only because they taste delicious, but because they offer so many great and nutritious health benefits. Here’s a roundup of some of our very our favorite ingredients:

Sarah Greenfield, RD CSSD – One of my favorite ingredients to use in a NutriBlast are figs! They’re high in fiber and they’re so sweet that just a little goes a long way. They also play a beneficial role in digestion, which I love!

Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet lacks good sources of fiber. It’s recommended women consume 25g of fiber and men consume upward of 38g of fiber on a daily basis.. Fiber helps keep you full so you eat less overall, it helps balance hormones and blood sugar levels, and, most importantly, it helps promote regularity. When you eat more figs, you’re consuming more fiber! When they’re in season, I eat them almost every day!

While fiber is a good for you, make sure to eat figs in moderation. Too many can sometimes lead to excess bloating and upset stomach.

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Sarah’s favorite recipe: Healthy Almond Fig Blast

Gigi Kwok-Hinsley DrPH, MS, RD – I like to look for ingredients with a variety of color. Right now, my absolute favorite smoothie ingredient is a beet. Beets contain iron, a variety of B vitamins and are packed full of phytochemicals, which have a wide array of health benefits.

What’s so intriguing about phytochemicals is their ability to protect the body. Researchers have examined the mechanism of phytochemicals within the body and have shown they help boost immune function, inhibit the progression of chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cancer and age-related macular degeneration,) and decrease inflammation. While more research is needed to solidify these findings and understand the right amount needed to attain these health benefits, it’s clear that—no matter which research article you read—phytochemicals are an asset to your daily diet.

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Gigi’s favorite recipe: Beet and Wild Blueberry Surprise

Susie Rockway, PhD, C.N.S. – Although I’m not a dietitian, my passion has always been nutrition. My degrees and my work have led me to like-minded people whose goals are to achieve long and vibrant lives though healthy eating. I’ve developed supplements, worked in labs conducting research and have always been fascinated by the impact real, whole food can have on health. That’s why I love using Wild Blueberries when I make my smoothies – the perfect high-antioxidant, low-glycemic fruit with tons of flavor. And like beets, Wild Blueberries are high in phytochemicals.

Wild Blueberries contain 2 times the antioxidant power of regular blueberries and are great for the brain. They can protect the body from inflammation, which is thought to be a main cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. I love to mix Wild Blueberries with a generous amount of greens, like spinach and celery, and I use coconut water as my base. These truly are some of the healthiest foods you can eat!

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Susie’s favorite recipe: Wild Blueberry Celery Blast

Krista Haynes, RD – I really like almonds, because they contain healthy fats and can help keep you full. Smoothies are the perfect meal replacements, so I love ensuring that I have the right balance of nutrients to fuel me through to my next meal.

Contrary to popular belief, “Fat on the lips does not necessarily mean fat on the hips!” When you eat foods containing dietary fat, you do not signal insulin secretion and, once fat is absorbed, it goes through a metabolic process that turns its components – glycerol and free fatty acids – into energy, hormones, ketone bodies, or triglycerides. Triglyceride is the storage form of fat. When dietary fat is reduced and replaced with carbohydrates, then insulin levels raise and this “storage” hormone most likely will increase. Replace those carbohydrates, especially junk food carbs that don’t energize your body long term, with foods containing healthy fats, like almonds! That’ll help reduce the fat stored by your body and keep you fuller, longer.

Krista’s favorite recipe: Berrylicious