Nutrients In Your Favorite Drinks And What They Do For You (Slideshow)
Cantaloupes pack a ton of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a role in bone growth, immunity, healthy vision, and both skin and mucous membranes.
Lemonade
Lemons are rich in B vitamins, which are a group of eight vitamins that are water-soluble and are essential for the breakdown of carbs into energy, which also help keep nerves and cells healthy. Lemonade also has a lot of vitamins A, C, folate, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.
Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie
Kiwis and strawberries are both packed with Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin that as an anti-oxidant, protects the body against free radical damage, helps make collagen, and maintains immunity (strawberries and kiwis have more Vitamin C than oranges!). Kiwis are also packed with potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Almond Milk
This protein-rich drink is fortified with Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that is crucial for bone health, immunity, and improving your metabolism.
Spinach-Kale-Cilantro Juice Blend
Spinach is full of magnesium, an abundant mineral that serves as a co-factor for over 300 enzyme systems in the body, is required for DNA/RNA synthesis, and boosts energy production as well as muscle and cardiac functioning.
Add a Teaspoon of Olive Oil to Your Smoothie
Throw a little olive oil into your smoothie and you can enjoy the benefits of vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin that is an anti-oxidant and helps maintain healthy blood and circulation, as well as boosts immunity.
Strawberry-Cilantro Smoothie
Cilantro is packed full of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that is important in blood clotting and calcium transportation. Cilantro (which looks like parsley, but is really very different) is also packed with vitamins A, B, C, calcium, potassium, manganese, and iron.
Avocado Smoothie
Avocados are amazing! They are packed with potassium, an electrolyte that maintains fluid balance in the body, helps maintain blood pressure and sugar levels, buffers pH, and helps muscles. They are actually better than bananas for potassium intake.
Green Apple Juice
Manganese, a trace mineral important in bone and tissue formation, circulation, and hormonal functioning, can be found in green apples, which contain vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, iron, potassium, and manganese. These are best used in whole-fruit juicing, however.
Green Kale Smoothie
You might need a boost of iron, a mineral that helps deliver oxygen from lungs to cells in the body. Kale is loaded with iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and vitamins A, B, C, and K, not to mention calcium, protein, and fiber.