Superfood Smoothie for Cancer and CVD Prevention

This superfood smoothie features unsweetened cranberry juice, purple grapes, and organic strawberries, all of which contain compounds that have been shown to exert anti-cancer effects in laboratory studies. In addition, cranberry juice and purple grapes are touted as cardioprotective superfoods that may help prevent or reverse cardiovascular disease (CVD).

For maximum benefits, don't bother removing the seeds from the grapes before throwing them into the blender – grape seeds are completely edible, plus they offer many interesting health benefits, including cardioprotective, antioxidant, and anti-cancer effects.

Unsweetened cranberry juice, strawberries and grapes aside, this super-healthy smoothie recipe also calls for chia seeds, which help further boost the healing power of this smoothie by supplying omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, and bananas, which add irresistible creaminess to the blend.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups frozen organic strawberries
• 1 tsp chia seeds (buy chia seeds here)
• 1 small organic banana
• 1 cup red grapes
• 1 ¼ cup unsweetened cranberry juice

Tweak It!

To keep your diet varied and your taste buds intrigued, tweak the basic recipe above by replacing the frozen strawberries with one of the other ingredients provided in the Tweak It! box below. The Tweak It! box contains seven ingredients, one for each day of the week. Prepare the other ingredients the same way as the strawberries, that is, let them thaw for about 15 minutes before using.