One of the first things I started doing when I found out I had active breast cancer was consume a daily superfood smoothie. I still do this daily and while it may vary a bit in ingredients occasionally, its pretty much a consistent recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Organic frozen blueberries
- 4-5 Organic frozen strawberries
- Organic banana
- 1-2 Handfuls of organic spinach leaves
- 1 Scoop of Orgain Organics Superfoods Powder
- 1 Scoop of Organic Mega Mushrooms Powder
- ~1 Tbsp Organic Chia Seeds
- ~1 Tbsp Organic Flaxseed (whole or ground)
- ~1 Tbsp Organic Hemp Seeds
- ~1 Tbsp Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Optional: Organic frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, cherries)
- Optional: Organic frozen mango or pineapple
- Optional: ~1-2 Tbsp Cacao Powder
I blend everything up in my Vitamix and put in a ball jar with a stainless steel straw.
I put all of my seeds in separate jars and labeled them on the lids. They are in a pull out drawer in my cabinet just below the counter. I keep all of my smoothie ingredients right at the ready. I actually repeat a lot of these seeds in my cancer fighting, immune boosting daily salad as well! Plus a few other seeds which are also in jars. (More on the salad in another post!)
I buy my fruits in bulk at Costco and can find many of the seeds there as well. I also get sprouted pumpkin and sprouted sunflower seeds as Costco. I can grab bags of these seeds at Aldi, Whole Foods, and Walmart. Prices seem fairly comparable.
I order my Orgain, Mega Mushrooms, and Cacao powder on Amazon. (See links in the ingredient list.)
The Problem of Traveling
I soon realized as I was planning for a beach trip that I would need a way to make my smoothie at the hotel. I soon purchased a portable blender and it has successfully worked on my beach trip, camping trip, and Great Wolf Lodge trip. The only adjustments I had to make was to use fresh fruit instead of frozen and make half of a batch at a time. That meant making the smoothie twice because the container was just too small. Of course it didn’t blend as well as my Vitamix but it worked for my purposes. Also I felt good about continuing my cancer fighting diet while on the road!
Why These Ingredients?
So let’s talk about why I chose these ingredients. First of all I knew I needed to increase my fruit and vegetable intake drastically. I was not a big fan of fruits and veggies, mostly because I didn’t know how to buy or cook them. Finding the Orgain Organics Superfoods Powder was my answer to getting a large dose quickly. It has 11 berries and fruits, 15 veggies and herbs, 12 sprouts, 7 greens and grasses, and 5 ancient grains. It also has 1 billion probiotics which are important for the gut.
Next, as I researched how to fight cancer naturally I learned that berries are the most potent anti-cancer fruits. Blueberries are the top antioxidant berry. They boost the immune system with compounds like anthocyanin, catechizes, Quercetin, ellagic acid, caffein acid, and resverstrol. They also contain vitamins C and K, manganese, and fiber. Berries protect and repair damage from oxidative stress and inflammation.
Blueberries contain a molecules called anthocyanidins which slow the progression of cancer by blocking the development of blood vessels feeding the malignant cells, depriving the cancer cells of their supply of oxygen and nutrient molecules needed to reproduce. Blueberries have been shown to protect the brain, prevent damage to DNA, and inhibit cancer cell development. Talk about a powerful fruit!
Medicinal mushrooms are very powerful for boosting the immune system and reducing inflammation in the body. They are one of the few edible sources of Vitamin D. Reishi, cordyceps, and maitake have been used to fight cancer for centuries and are known to inhibit tumor growth and help the body create new healthy cells. Mushrooms contain beta-glucan which is a naturally occurring chemical that stimulates cell healing and improves immune function. They also inhibit an enzyme called aromatase which produces estrogen.
The Mega Mushroom powder I take has reishi, mesima, maitake, chaga, shiitake, lion’s mane, turkey tail, cordyceps, oyster, and wood ear mushrooms.
Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale are extremely important for your health. Dark leafy greens have antiviral and antibacterial properties and contain isothiocyanates which help the body detox at a cellular level. They are loaded with minerals, vitamins, flavonoids, and chlorophyll. Chlorophyll in leafy greens reduces hunger, stabilizes blood sugar, improves constipation, protects against dangerous aflatoxins, prevents growth and spread of Candida albicans, has anti-inflammatory effects, helps liver detoxification.
Side note: other good sources of chlorophyll other than leafy green veggies is wheatgrass and algae such as spiraling and chlorella.
Flaxseed is very important when it comes to fighting breast cancer so it is something I add to my smoothies, salads, and any baking I do. I even put in on my almond butter toast. Flaxseed is high in soluble and insoluble fiber and is a strong antioxidant. It is high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is a prime source of omega-3 fatty acids and protects the kidneys from damage. ALA also helps heal your digestive tract. The interesting part? Flaxseed helps you metabolize estrogen. This is extremely important for those with hormone driven breast cancer. The compound lignan which is found in flaxseed help regulate and balance estrogen levels in the body.
Flaxseed inhibits the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, causes cancer cells to self-destruct, and can stop cancer cells from spreading. Lastly flaxseed is one of the highest magnesium foods in the world and most of us need more magnesium in our diet. That’s one powerful little seed!
Chia seeds also contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and ALA. They are a high quality form of protein and loaded with powerful antioxidants, and they are another source of omega-3s. Hemp seeds are another source of protein, contain linoleic acid, vitamin E and minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Raw Cacao Powder is very high in nutrients and minerals. It is not to be confused with cocoa powder which is cacao that has been harvested and heat-processed (which destroys many of the nutrients). It does not have any sugar in it like our cocoa powders we think of when making hot chocolate.
Raw Cacao Powder is superhigh in magnesium, contains polyphenols, is an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and it reduces inflammation and improves circulation. Cacao has anticancer compounds because of its high antioxidant count. Certain proteins from cacao are able to reduce the proteins in breast cancer cells that promote tumor growth.
In Closing
If you are looking for a simple and quick way to get a lot of nutrients into your system to improve your health and prevent dis-ease or if you are actively fighting cancer and want to make sure you are getting all of these cancer fighting supplements, smoothies are a great idea. They taste great and you can pack a lot in!
If you are just joining me you can go back and read more about my journey to heal breast cancer naturally.