Blended News

Easy Ways to Cut Refined Sugar 

There's no way around it, refined sugar is just not good for us. In fact, it's really bad for us. Don't worry, if you've a got a sweet tooth, we've got some better for you tips. First, here's the scoop on natural vs refined sugars so you have the what-why:

Natural Sugar
Commonly found in nutrient-rich foods that have not been processed (eg. fruits & veggies) which contain essential vitamins, minerals, water, antioxidants, and disease-fighting phytonutrients. Natural sugar often comes within foods that contain the compounds necessary for the proper digestion of sugar eg. higher-fibre foods that are digest slower and support stabilizing your metabolism and blood sugar levels.

Refined Sugar
Refine sugars are produced from natural sugars through an extraction process. Two examples are table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Refined sugar is unhealthy because it's been processed and stripped of all nutrients (which your body needs to metabolize it). The lack of fibre causes a hit to the blood stream quickly, which gives you sugar highs and lows ("crashes") as well as sugar cravings (sugar is highly addictive). Ingesting refined sugar causes the body to release an overload of insulin to aid in its digestion, which can result in stored glycogen and weight-gain. They’re considered empty calories because they contain virtually no vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, fiber, or other beneficial compounds.

Refined sugar has been proven to increase the risk of health issues like heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and stroke.

Sugar Swap

Pure Maple Syrup

Besides being delicious and all-natural, pure maple syrup contains antioxidants and nutrients like potassium, manganese, and iron. It’s also a lot easier on the liver than refined sugars.

How to swap in:

(the ratio is 1:1 with other sweeteners)

Baking: sub in muffins, cookies, loaves
Creamy items: lattes, ice creams, add to natural yogurt vs buying flavoured ones that contain refined sugar.
At-home nut mylks

Raw Honey

Raw honey contains propolis, also known as bee glue, because the bees use it to fill crevices and seal honeycombs. Propolis is known to have anti-cancer properties as well as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and infection-fighting properties. Essential amino acids and enzymes are also found in raw honey.

How to swap in:

(the ratio is 1:1 with other sweeteners)

use raw honey if you have a recipe that calls for a liquid sweetener that does not need to be heated too high
hot & cold beverages (stir 1 tsp into hot green tea, let chill, and you’ve got a refreshing antioxidant-packed drink).
dressings (use a little to cut the tartness of lemon, lime and vinegar)

Pro tip: buy raw honey, not pasteurized or filtered, to get the maximum health benefits.

Bee-Mindful Hunnie

We're obsessed with this made-from-apples honey alternative. Kind to bees, delicious, and created by Canadian local company Mindful Fud.

Ripe Bananas

Bananas are one of our favourite ways to naturally sweeten foods while also adding tons of essential nutrients. They’re great source of potassium that helps lower blood pressure levels, Vitamin B6 needed daily to prevent anemia and coronary artery disease, and are also a good source of Vitamin C for immunity and overall health.

How to swap in:

• Baking: instead of sugar, add a puree of ripe banana into cookies, loaves & muffins.
• Yogurt: blend 1 cup of plain yogurt with ¼ cup banana puree & blueberries
• Home-made 'nice' cream: check out the Nutty Chocolate Nice Cream recipe below. 

Pro-Tip: bananas need to be really ripe & soft (but not brown inside).

Coconut Sugar: while it still has a low nutrition-density & we don’t recommend regular consumption, it is a better option over refined table sugars. It’s also lower on the glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar levels as much.

When you need a sweet-treat fix our The Nutty Chocolate Lover is the perfect in-the-freezer standby.  Let soften in a bowl, mix well, & spoon.

​Instant Chocolate 'Nice' Cream

* Fill your blender jug part way with warm water. Let your Nutty Chocolate Lover pack soften partially for 90 seconds (so you can just break the smoothie pack in half).  

* Empty the water from your blender jug. 

* Add the smoothie to blender with 1/5 cup canned light coconut milk & 1/4 cup banana.

* Blend, serve into bowl & dig in!

Shop our smoothies, soups or chia bowls 

#GetBlended

Daily Dosing

We’re in an ‘everyone’s getting it’ situation right now, so we thought it would be a good time to help make sure you’re nourishing with the essentials that support keeping you healthy and recover faster if you get sick.

Here are some of our top vitamin & mineral picks for immunity and recovery. Are you getting yours on the daily?

Four for Immune Support

ZINC

Zinc has big immune-boosting properties and disease-fighting potential. It’s a micronutrient that helps your immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses, and helps the body heal wounds, supports sense of smell and taste, and can even boost your mood. Plant-based foods high in zinc include legumes, nuts, seeds (hemp, flax, chia), whole grains (quinoa and rice), vegetables (spinach, mushrooms, asparagus), cacao (in all our chocolatey smoothies).

Zinc is best absorbed when combined with protein: poultry, fish, tofu, sprouted proteins and legumes are great foods for supporting it.

The protein casein, which is found in dairy products, should be avoided while eating zinc rich foods as casein is an inhibitor for zinc absorption. Avoid blending your zinc-rich (chocolate) blends with cow milk.

VITAMIN E

This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection. It also supports vision, reproduction, and health of your blood, muscles, brain and skin. Some of the foods rich in vitamin E include wheat germ oil, almonds, peanuts, leafy greens and avocado.

Natural ingredient sources containing vitamin E are the best choice. If you take a supplement, it may not offer the same benefits and in some cases can be dangerous to your health.

VITAMIN B6

This vitamin is important for keeping your nervous and immune systems healthy. Deficiency in vitamin B-6 can cause anemia, dermatitis, depression, and a weakened immune system. Some of the food sources of vitamin B-6 include spinach, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, avocado, salmon, tuna, poultry, some nuts, and bananas.

A vitamin B-6 deficiency is usually coupled with deficiency in other B vitamins, such as folate (vitamin B-9) and vitamin B-12. The recommended daily amount of vitamin B-6 for adults is 1.3 milligrams.

VITAMIN C

This vitamin is one of the biggest immune system boosters that can help fight-off illness. Daily intake of vitamin C is essential because our bodies don't produce or store it. C-rich foods include citrus fruits (eg. lemons, oranges), berries, red peppers, spinach, kale & broccoli.

Another reason to love vitamin C is that it helps with the absorption of plant-based iron, which is boosted when paired with a source of vitamin C.

Blends for Immune Strength

Here are a few of our top picks for immune system strength & support:

Bonus: our blends are also orchestrated with an ideal combination of ingredients to maximize absorption, which is an important part of truly getting your essential nutrients in. 

THE REMEDY

Thanks to its spirulina, B12, dandelion, and mega vitamin-packing, this blend is a superstar for immunity strength, recovery and mental function. Its nutrition panel is next level impressive with high Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, K, iron & calcium. 

VITA-C IMMUNITY

This blend was designed to keep your immunity-game strong, give a mega-antioxidant boost (thanks camu camu), and support stress and anxiety management (hooray ashwagandha).  Nutrition panel RDI highlights: 300% Vitamin-C, 50% magnesium, 25% iron, 30% folate, 20% vitamin K, 10% vitamin E, 20% zinc.

GREENS DAILY DOSE

Always an immunity-boosting fave one-a-day habit that makes getting your greens & a whole bunch of essential vitamins including B-6, B-12 & C. It's also high in plant-based iron. Check out its brag sheet (aka nutrition panel) and meet your new daily supplement routine. 

SHROOM ENERGY

Don’t let the delicious chocolate-rich taste fool you, this blend is mega-healthy and packs over 100% of your Zinc RDI, adaptogens lion’s mane & cordyceps support your immune system and mental health, while the maca gives you a natural energy boost. Also high in magnesium, iron, vitamins C & B6.

GREENS IMMUNITY SOUP

For the days that you want to boost with a warm soup. It’s a go-to for cold & flu prevention, recovery support, immunity-boosting and inflammation-fighting. It has a whopping ten servings of veggies per pack and antioxidant-packed to keep your body and mind healthy. RDI brag sheet includes 100% to 200+ % of Vitamins A, C, K, and 47% B6, 20% iron, folate 45%. 

Check out our full Immunity-Boosting collection:  BLENDS FOR IMMUNITY

Your Iron Factor

Tired? Strange cravings? Brittle nails & hair? These are all signs your iron may be out-of-whack.

About 20% of women, 50% of pregnant women, and 3% of men do not have enough iron in their body. In this news, we're getting into a little on the 'why' and tips for making sure you're getting enough.

Iron-deficiency anemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells caused by too little iron. Without sufficient iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that makes it possible for them to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. As a result, you may feel weak, tired, and irritable. A long term deficiency can have serious health consequences.

The signs and symptoms of iron deficiency aren't noticeable unless it's severe. They can include:

Extreme fatigue and weakness
Pale skin
Chest pain, fast heartbeat or shortness of breath
Headaches, dizziness or lightheadedness
Cold hands and feet
Inflammation or soreness of the tongue
Brittle nails
PICA - unusual cravings for non food items such as: ice, starch, wood and dirt (for real)
Poor appetite especially for infants and children

IMPORTANT: iron deficiency should not be self diagnosed. If you suspect one, talk to your healthcare practitioner before taking supplements. An overload of an unnecessary iron supplement can cause serious health issues including liver damage, irregular heart rhythm and heart attack. Mild to moderate deficiency can usually be reversed naturally from eating foods rich in iron along with those that support its absorption (check out the collection below for blends that give you a big iron-boost).

Iron-Rich Foods

Foods that help us meet the Iron RDI

Meat/Seafood: lean red meat, poultry, clams, oysters, mussels

Plant-Based: spinach, kale, unpeeled potatoes, spirulina, white beans, lentils, chickpeas, firm tofu, dark chocolate, nuts (cashew, walnuts, almond) & seeds (hemp, flax, pumpkin) mushrooms (see absorption tip)

Max your Iron absorption
To ensure you're absorbing the iron from your food sources, it's best to eat them with Vitamin C rich foods at the same time (eg. lemons, oranges, red & orange bell peppers, guava, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes).

Important Flag: Tannis (found in coffee, tea, wine), phosphates (in carbonated beverages), and calcium from cow milk can all slow or block the absorption of iron, so avoid consuming with foods that are a primary iron source.

Iron-Packed Blends

We've got a bunch of delicious and nutritionally packed smoothies have a 70-100%+ iron RDI, as well as the right combination of ingredients for max absorption.

Happy Blending!

Holy Crucifers!

Ok, here’s our shot at getting you to commit to eating a really important type of food on the daily: Cruciferous Veggies. And not just one serving, but two to three. We’re giving you the what-why along with ways to do it that keep things delicious and mega-nourishing at the same time. There’s also a free blend offer at the end of this nutrition-geek rainbow, so let’s get this ride going!

Meet the Cruciferous Family

Several common vegetables belong to the cabbage family (genus Brassica). The edible members of this family are called cruciferous vegetables because their four-petaled flowers look like a crucifer (or cross). Cruciferous vegetables are high in Fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin B9 (folate), Potassium, Selenium, Phytochemicals.

There are about 15 veggies in the Cruciferous tribe. Our top picks include:

Broccoli (full plant & sprouts) – these are our #1

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Kale

Collard and mustard greens

Daikon radish

Chard

Bok Choy

The Big Benefits of Cruciferous Veggies

• May help in the fight against cancer
• Reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes
• Lower inflammation
• Positively affects the gut microbiome
• Boost liver detoxification
• Lowers cholesterol
• Helps to protect the brain and enhance brain function

Blended For Your Daily Dose