Brain Booster Smoothie (aka Focus Juice)

Need some extra focus? Losing your ability to concentrate (especially now that hooping weather is returning)? Try this Brain Booster smoothie! High in omega 3s, antioxidants, and an extra dose of greens, this smoothie is sure to help you get the job done! Serves 2-3

2 cups of any liquid base (water, coconut water, low sugar juice, etc) [This week I chose my new favorite R.W. Knudsens Simply Nutritious Mega Antioxidant Juice with Green Tea and Grapeseed Extracts] 2-3 Handfuls of Gotu Kola/Gingko Biloba/Bacopa Monniera 1 bag of frozen organic mixed berries 2-3 Tbsp of flaxseed oil 1 banana

The magic of this recipe is in the berries; berries are high in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that give them unique anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-carcinogenic properties. Here is a breakdown of whats really going on in that bag of mixed berries.

Blackberries Woah nelly! These berries are high in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K (37% of your DV in just one cup!), and high in folate! They also contain fair amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid. Still not convinced? Blackberries are also extremely high in minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and a bit of selenium.but they have 92% of the manganese you need for the day in a single serving. Also all berries are very, very low in sodium!

Raspberries Raspberries have all of the same vitamins and minerals of the blackberries listed about (with even more vitamin K, over 40% DV!), but they are special because of their ellagic acid concentration, a phytonutrient and antioxidant that helps cells repair themselves by neutralizing

cancer-causing free radicals. Raspberries are also high in flavanoids like quercetin, kaempferol, and cyaniding (the high flavanoid content is what gives them their bright red color). Raspberries have also been sited for controlling bacterial and fungal infections like Candida/yeast, reduce the spread of cancer cells by inhibiting metalloproteinase enzymes in the body, and protect against macular degeneration.

Blueberries By now we all know that blueberries are bursting with nutritional goodness, and they have the highest amount of antioxidants weve seen so far. This extremely high dose of antioxidant phytonutrients is what helps them prevent so many diseases, namely heart disease (more antioxidants than red wine, although not nearly as fun to drink), macular degeneration, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and gastrointestinal ailments. They also protect us from Alzheimers disease and dementia by reducing oxidative stress in the brain! SHAZAM! Did I mention they are also high in fiber??? Berries are tiny little protective multivitamins of goodness! Learned from the Oprah show that blueberries are the real food for the brain I've seen fresh blueberries in Rustan's, the Driscoll brand. http://www.driscolls.com/ I believe I've seen canned blueberries at Metro supermarket in Market! Market! i think i saw frozen ones in S&R. Heny Sison mentioned that Baguio already grows them. Kaso maliliit at maasim daw. Any big supermarket has the canned blueberry pie filling. nakabili ako ng blueberries sa sagada nung nag-tour kami don. nagtry lang ako pero matamis sya.