Welcome to yet another simple, no-bake energy ball recipe. These beautiful blueberry bliss balls (say that five times fast) are about to be your new favorite snack, especially if you’ve been looking for something to fuel your lethargic afternoons. Eat one or two of these before a workout, or enjoy one as a post-workout snack to help kick-start the muscle repair process. Just make sure that you don’t eat all of them at once. That would most likely be impossible due to the massive amount of calories.

If you have never had dates, just know that they provide natural sweetness with a flavor that is reminiscent of caramel. In fact, you can actually blend dates with a little water to make a date caramel, which is a great alternative to traditional caramel. If you are interested in that recipe, click here. Dates are necessary in this recipe for two reasons: providing sweetness and helping bind the other ingredients together. Just make sure that you pit the dates prior to blending them with the other ingredients. Another step that can help is if you soak the pitted dates in warm water to help soften them before blending.

One thing to note is that this recipe is that it does not use fresh blueberries. You will need to procure dried blueberries, but make sure that they are free of added sugars and processed ingredients, such as sulfur dioxide. If you cannot find dried blueberries, you can choose another variety of dried fruit, such as dried apricots. The main thing to remember is that you do not want to have added sugars in whichever dried fruit you decide to use. And finally, if you do not like raw cashews, choose another nut, such as raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or hazelnuts.

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Today, we’re making a deliciously smoothie with chocolate, juicy blueberries, and creamy almond butter. This tasty blend is packed with antioxidants and healthy fats. Perfect for breakfast or a post-workout treat!

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Is there any better way to start your morning than by drinking a smoothie? Well, if you woke up and immediately got a massage and then enjoyed your dream meal from a private chef, that would probably beat out a smoothie. Unfortunately, we can’t all wake up like that, but we can wake up and blitz a few ingredients together in a blender, right? Yes we can and yes we will! Smoothie combinations are endless and different ingredients offer unique nutrients.

Beets, for example, make great smoothie additions because they contain iron, folate, manganese, copper, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C & B6, fiber, and antioxidants. Researchers have studied beets for their ability to decrease elevated blood pressure levels, a major risk factor for heart disease. Although beetroot juice may lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the lowering effect appears great for systolic blood pressure. Raw beets also exhibit a stronger effect than cooked beets. Researchers attribute this ability to the high concentration of nitrites, which the body converts to nitric oxide, a molecule that dilates blood vessels and causes blood pressure levels to decline.

Beets contain antioxidant compounds, but so do blueberries. Blueberries also have a low glycemic index, making them a great choice for diabetics and keto enthusiasts. They add a touch of sweetness, but so does the banana and agave nectar. You need that sweetness to balance the earthy bet flavor. Blend all of the ingredients together until you reach your desired consistency. Feel free to make a larger batch in case more people want to start their day off with this smoothie.

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These days, there is so much information about various diets benefitting specific organs or systems in the body. Researchers note that the Mediterranean diet promotes longevity and helps reduce inflammation. The DASH diet helps to optimize heart function, while the keto diet puts the body in a state of ketosis to help use fat for energy, which ultimately promotes weight loss. 

If you are trying to adopt dietary habits that promote brain health, the MIND diet may be right for you. A new study, however, states that you can adopt small changes to encourage better brain function. How do you do that? Start by consuming half of a serving of flavonoid-rich foods every day. Sounds simple, right? Continue reading to learn more. 

What Are Flavonoids?

Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds in colorful, plant-based foods, such as oranges, bell peppers, apples, blueberries, strawberries, leafy greens, carrots, and more. Researchers point out the mounting evidence that suggests flavonoids are crucial compounds that may protect the brain as you get older. The results from different studies excite researchers because simple diet changes may prevent cognitive decline. 

How Do Flavonoids Support The Brain?

At Harvard University, researchers observed about 50,000 women with an average age of 48 years old. They also looked at upwards of 27,000 men with an average age of 51. Over the course of the 20-year study, participants answered different survey questions about their food intake. That data was used to determine how many and which flavonoids the participants consumed on a daily basis. 

Researchers also asked the participants to evaluate their cognitive abilities twice over the course of the entire study. This was to observe how their brain function and memory changed over time. At the end of the study, researchers noted that people who ate half a serving of flavonoid-rich foods every day experienced a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline. Of the flavonoids that participants ate, flavones and anthocyanin offer the most protective properties. They were able to lower cognitive decline by 38% and 24%, respectively. Flavones are found in most yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, while anthocyanin exists in blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, and cherries. 

How To Add More Flavonoids To Your Diet

“Flavonoid” may seem like an unfamiliar word, but you already consume this antioxidant if you consume fruits and vegetables. The participants in the study who experienced the best cognitive function at an average of half a serving of orange foods, celery, peppers, grapefruit, apples, and pears. There are other phytochemicals in those foods that also assist flavonoids in their brain-support efforts. Flavones and anthocyanins, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, seemed to promote long-term brain health, though. 

You can snack on these flavonoid-rich fruits and vegetables and you can also include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. The more colorful your diet is, the better, so long as you aren’t consuming artificially-colored packaged foods. Those foods will harm your brain, not help it! 

You might want to know when you should start eating for a healthier brain. New habits can seem overwhelming to start, but it’s never too early and never too late. Start enjoying your flavonoid-rich foods today for a healthier tomorrow! Boost your brain health with diet today!

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Some people do not like to discuss poop, especially at the dinner table. We are all about it, folks, no matter the time or place. Your poop can inform you about what’s going on inside your body, so it can be useful to learn what different colors mean. Generally speaking, poop is light to dark brown, but it does come in different colors. It’s possible to see bowel movements that are yellow, green, black, orange, and white. 

It is not unusual to see different colors in your stool, according to gastroenterologists. Different colors usually result from what you eat, such as vibrantly colored produce or foods that contain dyes. Although different colors can be normal, frequently colorful poop may indicate a severe health condition. Tan-colored poop, for example, can indicate a liver, gallbladder, or pancreas problem. Continue reading to learn more about stool colors and what they mean. 

What Is Normal Stool? 

Typically, stool is dark or light brown, but health experts consider all shades of brown as normal stool color. It is not uncommon for stool to change color, especially if you eat a lot of green vegetables, beets, or carrots. If your poop turns color because of a health condition, though, you have to address the underlying cause. Adjusting your diet may be a great place to start. 

The Meaning Of Poop Color

We may not have the answer to the meaning of life, but we can help with the color of your poop. Color changes are often due to the foods you eat, but brown is usually the norm. Brown is associated with the natural breakdown of bile in the gastrointestinal tract. The liver secretes bile and assists the body with the breakdown of fat. If your poop isn’t brown or green, you may want to take a closer look as to why that is. If you notice a change in color or consistency, or you are worried about a color with accompanying symptoms, reach out to your healthcare provider. 

Orange Poop

There are a few causes of orange stool, the most common of which include:

• Diet: Eating a lot of foods with beta-carotene can color your stool orange. Beta-carotene is a carotenoid that gives orange food its color. Carrots, pumpkins, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash contain lots of beta-carotene. Orange soda and candy can also cause orange stool. 
• Medications: Antacids and antibiotics that contain aluminum hydroxide can cause stool to turn orange in color. 
• Liver health: If your liver doesn’t produce enough bile, you may excrete orange poop. That said, liver problems usually cause white or tan-colored stool. 

Green Poop:

Green-colored stool may have to do with your diet, or how quickly food moves through your digestive tract. Some possible causes may include:

• Dumping syndrome: This is characterized by food moving too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine. This is very common after stomach or esophageal surgery. Gut motility may also be the problem because food is passing through the digestive tract too quickly for bile to turn stool brown. 
• Diet: Green stool may very well be from eating a lot of leafy green vegetables or a dish with green dye. You may even see bits of some vegetable roughage in your stool, such as kale. 

Yellow Poop

Yellow stool, or mustard-colored stool, is very common and normal in infants, especially breastfed infants. Adults can notice yellow stool in certain instances, though, such as:

• Diet: Just as with every other color mentioned so far, certain foods can color your stool yellow. Foods that are high in fat may also cause stool to appear pale yellow. 
• Giardiasis: This is a parasitic infection caused by Giardia lamblia, which is typically contracted after consuming contaminated water. This parasite also exists in stool or soil. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, fever, headache, and vomiting. 
• Celiac disease: This autoimmune disorder, which is triggered by gluten, damages the small intestine. Stool can appear yellow, oily, and greasy on occasion. Following a gluten-free diet is usually the best plan of action to help restore stool to normal color. 

Black Poop

Black-colored stool in babies can be a sign of eating too many foods like blueberries. It can also indicate a more serious health problem and may require medical attention if stool is tar-like. Possible causes include:

• Diet: Eating too many blueberries, lots of blood sausage, or black licorice may turn stool black, but the consistency will remain the same. 
• Bleeding: Black-colored stool can indicate bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, including the stomach or beginning of the small intestine. Blood in that area can also give stool a tar-like consistency, which may stem from ulcers, sores, or tumors. 
• Supplements: Activated charcoal, iron supplements, and even Pepto-Bismol can cause black stool, on occasion. 

Red Poop

Some foods, such as beets or red gelatin can cause reddish poop. A bright red color, however, typically indicates bleeding in the lower part of the digestive tract. Health conditions that may cause gastrointestinal bleeding include:

• Proctitis
• Anal fissure
• Diverticular disease
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as Crohn’s disease
• Cancer
• Infection

White Or Tan Poop

Tan poop is usually caused by a problem with the biliary system, which includes the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The liver produces bile, which is a yellowish-brown substance that is stored in the gallbladder. When bile is released into the stomach, it helps break down fats from various foods you eat. Bilirubin, a compound in bile, gives stool the signature brown color. A lack of bile, and ultimately a lack of bilirubin, can result in stool that is tan or white. Several healthy conditions can also reduce the amount of bile, such as:

• Biliary cirrhosis
• Cysts
• Gallstones
• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Biliary stricture
• Sclerosing cholangitis
• Structural defect
• Tumors
• Viral hepatitis

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Summer wouldn’t be complete without including stone fruit in your recipes. Although this salad calls for peaches, you can substitute them with nectarines, plums, or apricots if you have them on hand. The goal is to make your life easy, but we also want to add a little pizzazz to your regularly old salad. Kale is a great sturdy green that has just the right amount of bitterness for the sweeter peaces and juicy, tart blueberries. That said, this salad does a great job at making kale not taste like kale.

This could potentially be one of your new favorite salads during summer. The season is not over, so you still have time to get your hands on some fresh, seasonal peaches. The salad is very simple and tossed in an easy lemon vinaigrette that pairs beautifully with the kale, blueberries, peaches, and pumpkin seeds. You can enhance your content of protein and healthy fats if you want to add raw pecans (pictured). They are not required, but add an additional textural and slightly salty and nutty component. Again, make it easy on yourself, though. No need to overcomplicate your life!

When it comes to making a kale salad, one tip that we always suggest is to massage the kale. This extra step helps to soften the leaves and make them easier to eat. Alternatively, you can chop the kale finely instead of adding large leaves to your salad. If you have never massaged your kale before, there has never been a better time to start. Lastly, remove those fibrous, thick stems from the kale leaves, as they have a bitter, unpleasant taste.

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Summertime, and the eating’s easy. Summer barbecues, outdoor picnics, and beach days are all fun-in-the-sun events that involve food. The food options are not usually the healthiest options, though. With all of the beautiful, nutritious fruits and vegetables available during the summer months, though, you should focus your efforts on consuming as many of them as possible. Leave the hotdogs in the store and grab some seasonal produce!

Some of the fruits and vegetables that ripen during summer can be quite excellent for your heart. The reason for this is because they contain an assortment of antioxidant compounds. 

What Are Antioxidants?

If you are familiar with Dherbs, you know how much we love to discuss antioxidants. If you want to keep your body as healthy as possible, learn to love antioxidants. According to studies, antioxidants protect the cells in your body from damaging free radicals, or oxidants. These molecules are a byproduct of using oxygen and they can be introduced to the body via radiation, tobacco smoke, or environmental pollution. 

Antioxidants work by binding to these free radical molecules, preventing them from damaging other cells in the body. Some examples of antioxidants include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Lycopene
• Beta-carotene
• Selenium

The best seasonal produce you can get will be from the farmer’s market, but many local grocery stores offer local and organic produce items. There are plenty of options to choose from this summer, but the following options can help benefit your heart. 

Peaches

A summer classic, peaches come in both yellow and white varieties. The subtle orange hue of the flesh exists because of the antioxidant it contains. That antioxidant is beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A as it breaks the food down. Beta-carotene may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, but studies confirm that it will not help prevent coronary heart disease. 

Cherries

Sticking to the stone fruit family, we have cherries, which only have a limited window of availability of freshness. Both sweet and sour cherries can help decrease inflammation and boost heart health. Some studies suggest that sour cherry juice can drastically help your efforts to reduce the damaging effects, or potential damage, of oxidants. 

Tomatoes

These fruits (technically not vegetables) are high in lycopene, a natural compound that gives them their signature vibrant red color. Because of that, the skin is where most of the antioxidants are. One study found that a higher presence of lycopene in the body was associated with a lower risk of hypertension. Additionally, a separate study found that lycopene may exhibit anti-hypertensive effects in rats without causing hypotension. 

Strawberries

Before we get into the health benefits of strawberries, it is important to note that they usually are high on the Dirty Dozen list. For this reason, health experts encourage you to buy organic strawberries. Strawberries are the quintessential summer berry and contain a lot of vitamin C. As they ripen, they become more red, which means more antioxidants for you! Strawberries may help lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in the blood. Berry consumption has also been linked to better gut, immune, and cardiovascular function. 

Blueberries

Blueberries are an easy berry to say yes to if you want to improve heart health and enjoy brain-boosting benefits. The American Heart Association (AHA) encourages people to consume blueberries because they provide lots of fiber, which works to encourage optimal gut and heart health. Blueberries also contain anthocyanins, the antioxidant compounds that give blueberries their blue hue. 

Broccoli

Eating more broccoli is a great way to incorporate more greens into your diet, but it may also encourage healthier heart function. Many studies confirm that broccoli can help lower blood sugar, promote healthy digestion, and boost immune function. Researchers note that broccoli exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help support healthy blood pressure levels and lower LDL cholesterol. Broccoli is also rich in fiber, which can reduce your risk of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease.

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If you know anything about blueberry pie, you know that lemons are an essential component. The lemon zest, in particular, adds the right amount of zing that completes the pie. The same applies to this lemon blueberry smoothie. You may classify this smoothie as a culinary experiment, but is much tamer than some of the wild concoctions we’ve come up with over the years. This is a refreshing, sweetly tart smoothie that is as good as any dessert you know and love.

The great thing about this smoothie is that it only contains five simple ingredients. It is dairy-free and raw vegan, but there is plenty of room to add your favorite nutritional boosters. That means that you can add some spirulina, raw vegan protein powder, or empty some Dherbs capsules into the smoothie for an extra boost of health.

The Ingredients

• Frozen blueberries: This smoothie’s beautiful color is attributed to the blueberries. Make sure to freeze your blueberries overnight because frozen fruit helps to thicken the smoothie better than ice can. If you have frozen blueberries on hand, you can use them, provided they do not contain added sugars or preservatives.
• Frozen banana: Most of the sweetness in this smoothie comes from the banana, but so does the creaminess. Just make sure that you peel and slice the banana before freezing it to make it easier on your blender.
• Lemon: This smoothie calls for the juice and zest of the lemon, both of which provide a wonderful tartness.
• Almond extract: Not vanilla extract? No, because almond extract is where it’s at and will take the flavor of this smoothie to the next level.
• Homemade almond milk: To bring home that almond flavor, you’ll use homemade almond milk, which also gives the smoothie a great creamy consistency.

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Mangos, kiwis, blueberries, strawberries. A classic fruit salad. Add some lime juice and a bit of Tajin? Now we are talking!

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Blueberries are also low in sodium and phosphorus making them suitable for a kidney friendly diet! Don’t forget to add Dherbs Kidney Bladder and Adrenals Formula!

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