Smoothies are generally a popular drink option, but especially for those who are looking to improve their health in some way! Some common reasons people love smoothies include:
- They’re a great way to get a big nutritious portion of superfoods into one cup.
- They’re time-savers – especially on busy mornings!
- They can be easily customised to suit your taste!
A wide variety of smoothie ingredients can provide a range of health benefits. The aloe plant is a great example; for more than 3,000 years it’s had a reputation for its healing benefits including aiding digestion and gentle daily detoxification. Plus, it adds a minty touch to your drink!
The benefits of Aloe
The beneficial and healing properties of aloe are pretty powerful! Here are a few useful things it does for your body:
- Soothing
The aloe plant has healing properties that are beneficial to both inside and outside of the body. For example, it can help heal skin burns and abrasions.
- Relieving constipation
Aloe contains natural substances called anthraquinones that increase water content in the bowels – helpful for beating constipation! Aloe also increases peristalsis which assists the movement of the smooth muscles in the intestines. This helps break down food and push it through the digestive tract. This is one of the various benefits of drinking aloe vera juice, although it’s worth noting that there is still yet to be substantial long-term research on how exactly aloe impacts digestion.
- Restoration
Aloe helps restore the stomach lining and thereby helps in preventing food sensitivities. According to scientific research, aloe can help get rid of excess stomach acid, which can soothe and heal stomach ulcers. Aloe vera can help alleviate stomach and intestinal inflammation.
- Anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is when your body encounters an offending agent (like viruses or toxic substances) and activates your immune system to respond. Sometimes though, due to different factors, we can have too much inflammation where the body constantly has this response even when no outside threats are coming in. Such chronic inflammation can eventually lead to diseases like heart disease or cancer.
Aloe is a source of anti-inflammatory nutrients – nutrients that help reduce inflammation – including vitamins A, C and E.
Aloe vera is a diverse substance; it is used in creams, medication and of course some foods and supplements. Though there is still more research to be done on its benefits, the existing internal benefits show that it’s a great ingredient for your smoothies and any other food and drink!
Try out the below green smoothie recipe, which you can adapt with your additional ingredients! This recipe is courtesy of joyoushealth.com.
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