Dan Buettner, an explorer and journalist, spends much of his time studying Blue Zones, regions of the world (including Sardinia, Italy and Okinawa, Japan) where centenarians are commonplace with no health problems. An important part of the Blue Zones diet is eating whole foods, usually plant-based foods; the Blue Zones smoothie checks both boxes.
Buettner shared his Blue Zones smoothie recipe. It’s chock-full of fruits and vegetables, both of which are food groups he says you should always have in your fridge and freezer. The only ingredients you need are blueberries, frozen spinach, oat milk, and cinnamon.
© Photo: Getty Images / Arx0nt
blue zones smoothie
Blueberries are a smoothie ingredient for a reason. They have a laundry list of benefits, including supporting gut health and digestion, and helping reduce the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Spinach is also a nutritional powerhouse, containing a ton of antioxidants along with fiber and calcium.
Instead of dairy, Buettner uses oat milk (the darling of the alto milk set). People in Blue Zones don’t usually eat a lot of dairy, and when they do it is high quality, so this trade makes sense. According to Buettner, cinnamon “improves sweetness without sugar.” Cinnamon can also help reduce inflammation and lower blood sugar, as well as support your metabolism. Toss everything in the blender and you have a tasty, nutritious, long-lasting smoothie.
Ingredients
1 cup of blueberries
Handful of frozen spinach
1 cup of oat milk
Dash of cinnamon
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Mix until smooth.
Everything you ever wanted to know about oat milk:
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