Lunch: Blueberry Green Tea Smoothie

Summer is a great time for smoothies, so we're bringing you a unique bonus recipe from the American Diabetes Association's Simply Smoothies cookbook by Linda Gassenheimer.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Green Tea, Nuts

Health benefits of Blueberry Green Tea Smoothie

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Green tea has been found in recent studies to actually reverse insulin resistance, as it increases the number of glucose receptors on cells in key tissues. Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity.

Ingredients

1 green tea bag
½ cup boiling water
1 cup frozen, unsweetened blueberries
¾ cup soft tofu
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 scoop (¾ ounce) vanilla whey protein powder
1 tablespoon dry-roasted cashew nuts without added salt
1 cup ice cubes

Instructions

Steep the bag in the water and let steep 4-5 minutes while assembling the other ingredients.
Add blueberries, tofu, cinnamon, whey protein powder, and cashew nuts to a blender. 
Remove the tea bag from water and discard bag. 
Add tea to the blender and blend 30 seconds. 
Add the ice cubes and blend another 20 seconds or until smooth.