Superfood Spotlight: Gogi Berries!

About a month ago, I started writing a series spotlighting various superfoods that are in Shakeology. I get questions daily about the benefits of this superfood drink that I drink! Ever since I started drinking Shakeology back in February, I have experienced such amazing health! I haven't gotten sick (I've had chronic sinus infections my whole life...chronic as in almost every other month), I have experienced more energy, better digestion, and I just feel BETTER overall. If you'd like to read a more in-depth recount of my experience with Shakeology, check out this blog post from a while back!

http://www.tveenverano.com/the-joyful-harvest/2015/03/13/a-dietitians-take-on-shakeology?rq=dietitian

I decided to do a mini-series on the different superfoods that are in Shakeology, why they are good for you, and why Shakeology is really the best and cheapest way to get all the benefits of these superfoods! I wrote about Maca root and Camu-camu berries in July, and up next we have...Gogi Berries!

Gogi berries, like many berries, are chock full of nutrients, antioxidants, and provide numerous health benefits. Gogi berries are high in vitamin C and fiber, and low in calories, so they provide a great nutrient bang for your buck! They are high in nutrient density, which means that gogi berries provide you with the SO nutrition for a small amount of caloric impact. Surprisingly, a serving of gogi berries can also provide you with 10% of your protein needs for the day! Coming from berries, that's pretty impressive!

What's more exciting to me is that gogi berries have been studied and found to have the highest concentration of the antioxidant zeaxanthin. These antioxidants help against cell breakdown when they are exposed to the harmful things in our environment, such as smoke or radiation. 

It is also believed that Gogi berries can lower your risk of high blood pressure and help lower blood sugars. As always, if you do have diabetes or are on medications for diabetes and hypertension, I would check with your doctor first before you start consuming these, whether they are in the berry form or the shake form in Shakeology!

The power of superfoods is irrefutable. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and all of the other nutrient compounds found in these natural foods provide us with the nutrition we need to live healthier and happier lives. 

This is why I LOVE Shakeology and can't praise it enough. The creators and researchers behind Shakeology have done a beautiful thing. Gogi berries, and many other superfoods, are PRICEY on their own, but with just $4/day, you get a nutritional powerhouse of SO many different superfoods, all in a delicious shake! 

If you'd like to try Shakeology, please contact me through the "contact me" tab above! I would love to chat with you about it! 

Stay tuned for our next Superfood Spotlight in a few weeks!

Superfood Spotlight! Maca root & Camu-Camu!

When you think of superfoods, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think of vitamins? Minerals? Antioxidants? Fruits and vegetables? Exotic, hard to find produce that is only grown in remote areas of the world? 

Superfoods are something we learned about in school as dietitians. They are foods that have more nutrients comparatively than other foods of their kind. Foods such as fruits and vegetables are considered superfoods. Common ones would be blueberries, acai, and sweet potatoes for example. However, there are so many more out there! I went to a conference a few months back for work and heard a talk by a dietitian on Peruvian superfoods. He talked about superfoods like camu-camu-camu berries, maca root, and blue corn. My friends and I immediately started to google where we could find these obscure foods since we wanted their superfood benefits! However, one of my best friends did some research and found that these superfoods are in our beloved drink, Shakeology! We had already begun drinking Shakeology at this point for about one month, so we were both thrilled that this whole time, we were getting the benefits from these superfoods, specifically maca root and camu-camu berries. 

My aim with this post is to give you all a better understanding of WHY I think Shakeology is so crucial to everyone's health, especially because it includes these amazing and healthy whole food superfoods. I know I talk about the benefits of healthy, whole food eating all the time, but once we are equipped with the knowledge necessary to understand the science behind these claims, nutrition falls into place, and we can make informed decisions about what goes in our bodies! Shakeology contains so much more than these two superfoods, and I hope to do a whole superfoods series on the different ingredients in Shakeology. But for now...introducing Maca root and Camu-camu berries!

Maca Root

Maca is a root vegetable that has been found to have a ton of health benefits. It is most known for helping things in the L-O-V-E department, but I won't go into that. Instead, I'll talk about its effects on our energy levels!

Maca provides stamina and energy; many athletes use it as a natural way to boost energy levels before athletic events. It has even been used to fight chronic fatigue syndrome. Maca is also known to help fight depression and increase moods. In Peru, it is mixed into tea to help with anxiety and stress levels. Overall, Maca is a superfood that provides us with energy and stamina throughout the day. Maca is specifically beneficial for women in the following areas: hormone balance, thyroid health, improving skin tone, enhancing libido, and preventing osteoporosis. 

As you can see, Maca root has a variety of very potent and important health benefits! It is a powerful superfood and can really make a positive impact on your health! 

Camu-Camu Berries

These berries are chock-full of immune-boosting properties. Actually, the vitamin C content of camu-camu berries is the highest of any food source! It also has a wide antioxidant profile, which means it protects the body against dangerous intruders or reactions that can cause problem such as inflammation, disease, and cancer. It has also been linked to preventing against the progression of Alzheimer's disease. 

Camu-camu also has anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is one of the root causes of many health problems nowadays, such as heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune conditions, and many others. In some cases, inflammation is necessary to fight off infection, but it can often go into overdrive by poor lifestyle choices such as the Standard American Diet (SAD) and not enough exercise. Camu-camu is a great component of an anti-inflammatory diet to prevent the serious diseases caused by too much inflammation. Other benefits of these berries include helping regulate moods, protecting against bacteria in the body, and helping with fertility. 

As you can see, these superfoods have such an enormous and positive effect on our health. Nutritionally, the superfoods added to Shakeology are from WHOLE FOOD sources. You are not getting these benefits from chemicals, pills, and synthetic stimulants. The energy and increased health felt when drinking Shakeology is because of the God-created, whole foods that go into this nutrient-dense drink. 

Stay tuned for more posts about the other components of Shakeology, because there are a TON! As a dietitian and nutrition nerd, I am so looking forward to doing this blog series. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at TveenRD@gmail.com, or fill out the "contact me" page! 

Have a great evening everyone, and stay healthy! 

Sources: 

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/camu-camu.html

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-maca.html

A Dietitian’s Take on Shakeology

As a dietitian, I get asked countless times what I think of certain products. If I've tried this bar, that protein powder, this frozen meal, etc. It can get overwhelming, and I always first and foremost promote eating real, WHOLE foods. Packaging just makes things complicated. And can I just start by saying how much I used to hate shakes? Drinking your calories just seemed ridiculous to me. I mean, why would you drink, if you could chew? And all those protein powders out there just seemed crazy unhealthy with the who-knows-what ingredients they pack them with. And all-fruit smoothies? Don’t even go there…so much sugar in just a few gulps, sending your blood sugars skyrocketing and leading to the inevitable crash about an hour later. But, this past week, I started drinking Shakeology, a super-food shake made from whole foods, to understand what all the hype was about. As a dietitian, I was intrigued by the fact that this shake is not just protein, but contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, superfood, and probiotics (my best friends). The fact that it is made from high quality ingredients motivated me to try it. As a Beach Body coach, I wanted to be informed about the products that Beach Body endorses to form my OWN opinion of them before I start recommending them to my clients.

All I can say now is…WOW. This drink is FABULOUS. It tastes amazing, fills my chocolate cravings to a "T", and keeps me full for hours. I could spout off all the ingredients beside protein that it has (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics as discussed above), but instead, I’d like to talk about how it makes me feel. This is a subjective post, but I believe in being real with people and I want to provide as honest a review as possible about my experience with this drink!

1. Energized! Shakeology makes me feel so energetic and ready for my day! I look forward to drinking it and can’t wait to slurp it on my way to work. It gets me geared up for my day, which definitely takes a lot of energy from me. I don’t know what it is, and it could very well be the fact that I am having chocolate in the morning, but I feel great after drinking my Shakeology and am ready to attack the day!

2. “Regular.” This part may me a little TMI, but as some of you know, I’ve had tummy issues for my entire life. Since drinking Shakeology, I have been scary regular, with no issues! That has never happened to me before in my 26 years of existence. Shakeology contains probiotics in a super-food form, which has helped my issues in that department. I have never felt this good taking OTC, super expensive probiotics. That alone is a reason enough for me to keep drinking Shakeology!

3. Cravings be-gone! I have experienced little to NO cravings since drinking Shakeology. The fact that it is the chocolate flavor, and actually takes like a chocolate chip brownie mixture, helps me feel like I am treating myself BIG time, while not feeling at all guilty for having my chocolate. My cravings have been almost nonexistent, and it is so much easier to make healthy choices throughout the day without those naggy cravings getting in the way.

4. Chocolatey goodness. Have I mentioned, it’s chocolate? Yea? Well, I wanted to say it one more time. This thing tastes AMAZING. One sip and I was hooked.

5. Versatile. It’s SO versatile. You can just blend it with some ice and almond/cashew/whatever milk and call it a day. The other day, I added peanut butter. Yesterday, I added half a banana. You could also add frozen strawberries, coffee if that’s your thing, or really anything you want! There are so many variations that it will never leave you bored and will always leave you satisfied.

6. Lastly, it is so convenient. I now know the desire to want to be able to drink something on my way to work. I've felt SO rushed in the mornings, especially this week with our time change. It's been such a relief to know that I have a healthy option waiting for me. Just some almond milk, ice, and a packet of shakeology blended up in my magic bullet, and in 5 minutes, I'm headed out the door! And I am confident that my meal choice is healthy and something that, not only I will enjoy, but that will fuel me until my next meal.

That's how I feel about my Shakeology. I never thought I would find a shake that I loved this much. I feel like I'm having dessert every day, and I could live with that! If anyone wants more information about Shakeology, leave me a comment or email me at TveenRD@gmail.com! I'd really love you all to feel as amazing as I do!