Heart Healthy Smoothies

Well, as we wind down the month of February, we continue to shine the light on heart health and nutrition. We know what we eat plays a big role in our overall health, and this month, of course, National Heart Month, as it is, so we wanna give you information that you can use to be heart smart. Today, we are welcoming Leslie DeBusk, registered clinical dietitian with HMG Clinical Research. Leslie, thank you so much for joining us. You're welcome. Such an important topic, and I know you're very passionate about overall heart health. Yes, very passionate. Heart disease is still the number one killer of U.S. adults, men and women. Approximately 50% of Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease or heart disease, so it is very important to make sure that you are doing things to take care of your heart. And nutrition, as a dietitian, you know they really work hand-in-hand. Yes, everything we eat impacts our health, whether it be our blood pressure, our cholesterol, triglycerides, our blood sugar, all of those can work if they're well-controlled, can help manage heart disease. And that's the best way to do it if we can do it naturally from our foods. So you are a big fan of smoothies. You say we can really get a lot. Yes, I'm a big fan of smoothies. They're quick, easy, convenient, nutrient-dense. They're portable, so people who say they don't have time for a healthy breakfast, these can be made the night before. Grab it out of the fridge, you're ready to walk out the door with a healthy, nutritious, power-packed breakfast. I love it, and of course, you do wanna be careful when you're making them at home, you can control what's in it. Exactly, when you purchase, there are ones you can purchase from the store. Just be mindful, if you are purchasing those, a lot of times they have additives like sugar, colorants, and preservatives that may make them less healthy options than something you can make quickly in your own home. All right, and you have chosen, what kind of smoothie are we making this morning? We will be making a berry smoothie that has spinach in it. Okay, nice. And spinach, of course, we hear a lot about spinach, and we see our colorful berries there. So tell me about some of the ingredients you're putting in. Well, when we start to make a smoothie, we need to have what I call our base items. You need to pick a liquid. We will be using unsweetened soy milk. It's low-calorie, low-fat, has no cholesterol, has good protein in it. Greek yogurt is our protein source. It's actually nonfat today. Okay. So it's low-fat, high in protein. I have mixed some honey into it because I do like things a little bit sweet. Honey is a good natural sweetener, has antioxidants in it. And are you using the plain Greek yogurt? Yes, it is plain Greek yogurt that I have mixed honey in. If you get flavored yogurts, oftentimes they have added sugar. So it is better to get the plain Greek yogurt and add your own sweetener, your own fruit. Okay, good to know. Then we start with what I call our power items. We have our mixed berries here. They are high in fiber. The mixed berries have a low glycemic index, so they will not cause big blood sugar spikes if you're worried about that. Spinach is great for potassium, which helps regulate your blood pressure. Also, it's a good source of fiber. Since we are talking heart health, just want to mention that people who are on anticoagulant medications or blood thinners, certain blood thinners, you have to watch your vitamin K. Spinach is high in vitamin K. So before you start adding spinach to your smoothie, if you are on a blood thinner, please speak to your physician or pharmacist to make sure that that is something that will be okay for you to do. Okay, good to know. Then we have what I call our add-on items. It's a great way to get some extra flavor or fiber. In this case, we're going to be using ground flaxseed. It provides a good source of healthy fats and some cinnamon. That's good for blood pressure as well as blood sugar. So we're gonna put all of those in the blender here. I'm gonna try not to be too messy while I do it. All good cooks are messy cooks, right? You should see my kitchen after I make smoothies. So I was saying, this is something that we try to do almost every day, just so I know my kids are getting those vitamins and minerals, and I feel like they'll drink it a little better than they'll eat it. All right, so she's adding. Yes, and the reason that I mix the honey into the yogurt is because sometimes when you add it just on top of everything, it gets stuck to the side and you don't get the sweetness. So just a tip, you might want to mix it into the yogurt to make sure that you actually do get it incorporated into the smoothie. All right, and from there, you're just gonna blend it up? Gonna blend it up. I'm gonna try to make sure I get the lid on here carefully because last night we had a little disaster in the kitchen. It was a good time. Those are always fun. My husband was not excited. All right, I'm gonna let you blend. We're gonna try this smoothie coming up here a little later on in the show. It looks delicious. And of course, all those health benefits. If you would like more information or to learn more about heart health, it is the Health Matters blog at Holston Medical Group right now. You can go to their website to read more at holstonmedicalgroup.com. We're back with more with Leslie right after this.