Apricots: Spring gems for healthy skin in a Smoothie

APRICOTS:  Here is a fruit that has all the nutrient properties for great skin: Low in calorie at 17 calories per apricot, has Pro- Vitamin A, called betacarotene in fruits, which is an antioxidant. According to the  National Institute of Health, we need about 3,000 IU ( International Units)  per day of Vitamin A  and 3 apricots provides around 1926 IU’s. We can just enjoy and know our inner skin is getting better.  Who doesn’t want to look good.  I am inspired Dr. Nicholas Perricone a dermatologist,  whose suggests a quick facelift “from the inside out” by consuming  fruits and vegetables  with Vitamin A. What better way than in apricot season in order  to begin this plan.

Also included in the skin group are cantelopes, salmon, oranges and yellow and orange bell peppers, and blackberries.

The next recipe is a smoothie including all the important nutrients, Vitamin A and Vitamin C to build and maintain collagen and avoid crosslinking of skin fibers due to sun, smoking and inflammatory foods.

For snacking , getting some Vitamin A is found in  1/2 cup of orange juice or a small orange ( 1/2 of a naval orange)  For diabetics, the orange juice is a 15 gram serving.   Also in 3 apricots which  are 12 grams of carbohydrate. 1  1/4 cups blackberries are a 15 grams of carbohydrate or CHO exchange. Below is a smoothie which incorporates these power fruits.

Healthy Skin Smoothie

• 5 fresh apricots with pits removed or 8 dried apricot halves 0r 4 whole dries  apricots  soaking in a few tablespoons of water for an hour
• 2/3 cup  of fresh orange juice or made from frozen concentrate
• 1/2 cup of blackberries
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup of water

Place all ingredients into a blender and process for 3-4 minutes on high. Serves 2-3 cup servings.

Chill for a hour.

Next Blog: Part 2 of the Healthy Skin Series: Salmon