Pomegranate BP Reducing Protein Smoothie

Protein smoothies are a regular part of our diet, and since I have struggled with hypertension since my first pregnancy, I add a shot of pomegranate juice to mine. It makes it taste even more delicious and helps keep my blood pressure down.

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Prep Time 10

Servings: 4

Course: Drink

Cuisine: American

Calories: 82

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

The seeds from 1 pomegranate fruit (or about 2 ounces POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, or a mix of seeds and juice)
1 fresh banana (not frozen)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop Strawberry or Vanilla Whey Protein powder
Berries to taste, fresh or frozen (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, any berry is fine)
4 to 8 ice cubes

Method

If you are using pomegranate seeds, crack open the pomegranate in a basin of water as you pull the seeds and the membrane from the fruit so that the seeds will float to the top of the water.
Peel your banana.
If you use fresh fruit, wash the berries. Do not remove the leafy green top from the strawberries; there is more vitamin C in the tops than in the berries themselves.
Make sure your blender is clean. Take a minute to take the bottom apart and check that the seals are clean and well seated.
Place milk, yogurt, pomegranate juice and fresh fruit in blender. Blend on low.
While blending, add any frozen berries and add protein powder. Sometimes the protein powder will stick to the sides. Stop blending and scrape it into the middle with a rubber spatula, then resume blending.
Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, then set it to ice breaker speed and add ice cubes until your volume is met.
When all the ice has been broken up, blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes until desired smooth consistency is reached.

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 40mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 113mg

Notes

Makes 4 medium or 3 large servings (1 full blender).

You need a good blender. The 10 dollar plastic blenders sold at discount stores are not going to cut it over the long haul. We have a Black and Decker vortex that works great.

If I can’t find fresh pomegranate, I use POM Wonderful brand pure pomegranate juice since it is always fresh and has no artificial additives. Research by the Israeli Army showed that drinking just 1 ounce of pomegranate juice a day will reduce high blood pressure significantly.

We do not use unfermented soy protein since it can have such unhealthy side effects.

I vary the berries seasonally for different tastes if I can get fresh berries, especially organic. If your fruits are fresh, it always tastes better in the end. Very high in protein and high in calcium and phosphorus.

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Pomegranate BP Reducing Protein Smoothie