Berry Flax Seed Smoothie

I am a big fan of flax seed. The reason I like flax seed so much is that it packs a ton of omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart, and lignans, which fight cancer and improve brain function. Flax seed is also full of fiber so you can get a large part of the daily fiber recommendation just by incorporating flax into your diet. I use ground flax seed or flax seed oil because they are in a form that our bodies can easily break down. Whole flax seeds are not digestible so buying them in ground or oil form is a great way to go.

One of my favorite ways to get flax seed is by incorporating it into smoothies. I tend to create my own smoothie combinations based on the vegetables and fruits that are hanging out in my refrigerator. The ingredient combinations in these smoothies range anywhere from kale, strawberries, banana, carrots and flax oil to peaches, apples, spinach, wheat germ and yogurt. You never know what type of smoothie you are going to get at my house! This morning, I decided to get organized about it so I found this smoothie recipe online.

Ingredients:

1 banana

2 cups berries (frozen or fresh)

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

3 Tbsp ground flax seed

Add all ingredients to blender, starting with juice and flax seed. Blend until smooth and creamy and serve immediately. Serves 2.

This smoothie was tasty but it was a little bit on the sweet side for me. I don't usually incorporate juice into my smoothies so I think I am accustomed to fruit acting as the sweetener. As a rule, I much prefer savory to sweet for breakfast so my sweet gauge for breakfast food may not be the norm. I learned something quite interesting when I was reading the pre-cursor to this recipe. I did not know that the darker the berry, the more antioxidants. It makes perfect sense once I think about it because blueberries are one of the most antioxidant rich foods you can eat. Anyway, this is a great piece of information to file away moving forward. I was also reminded that strawberries are a good source of vitamin C.

A few side notes; I used organic strawberries and blueberries, Simply Orange Grove-Style orange juice and Nancy's natural non-fat vanilla yogurt.