Vegan day 67: Orange-Apricot Blood-Builder smoothie

I remember when I first heard that I had mediterranean anemia– “thalassemia”; it was probably only 10 years ago- I didn’t know I had it nor even what it was. It’s basically a hereditary disorder of the blood where there is an abnormal level of hemoglobin, hence my red blood cell count is generally on the lower side. Now I’m vegan and the issues often come up in conversation about iron deficiency, iron anemia and B12/ folic acid concerns. Anyway my point is: 


BLOOD is critical and keeping our blood clean, purified, balanced and circulating well is in our best concerns for optimal health. 


Blood pH representing our internal environment is optimum at 7.39 with a narrow normal margin of 7.36 to 7.42. (Vasey 2006). “pH” is a system used to measure a substance’s potential (p) for freeing hydrogen (H) ions. This is terminology used to analyze our bodies’ acidity or alkalinity. Many nutritional experts believe that disease conditions are caused by, exist and thrive in an acidic environment. All of this information and recent  discussion has lead me to search for blood purifying and strengthening beverages that I have read about in health related books. The next 3 days are dedicated to just that in the form of smoothies, juicing and teas! Today’s meal in my quest to live a healthy vegan life is: 

Orange-Apricot 
Blood-Builder smoothie


Dried apricots (10)- soaked for 1 hour in advance
Oranges “juiced” (4) oranges freshly juiced
Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup raw and hulled
Tahini 2T raw and organic


Apricots are known for their blood building attributes. They are rich in vitamin A and a good source of potassium, magnesium, iron, silicon, beta carotene and carotenoids. Apricots are also rich in fiber. The oranges provide an abundant source of vitamin C, which is of additional importance for iron absorption and metabolism.   


This recipe is from Raw Energy by Stephani Tourles. Put all these ingredients into a blender and mix for about one minute. Garnish with an orange slice and remember to chew your liquids for satiety and nutritious digestion.


I would modify this recipe slightly next time I make it: I would add an extra orange or two and scale back on the sunflower seeds a bit (super healthy but slightly caloric) and change the tahini to about 1 1/2 T or to taste.


The best part of this smoothie was that I had extra so I kept it in the refrigerator – the next day I ate this as a “yogurt-type” breakfast with granola– something I had missed since giving up yogurt and not fully engaging the substitute yogurts. I love when I get an added un-expected benefit!


References:
Vasey, C. 2006. The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press.


Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
[Wednesday, March 7th 2012 blog]