Cherry Banana Smoothie with Goji Berry Powder

This cherry and banana smoothie with goji berry powder is a nutrition powerhouse. Try pouring it into popsicle molds for an antioxidant boost your kids will love!

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I'm always looking for fun ways to get some extra antioxidants into our diet, and Goji berries are an amazing source of vitamins and antioxidants!

Goji Berries are a nutritional powerhouse

Also known as Wolfberries, Goji berries have a rich history - they've been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Here are some reasons they deserve a place in our modern diets as well:

• Goji berries are high in antioxidants
• Rich in vitamins, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin C
• They contain important minerals, including copper, iron, selenium, and zinc
• They support eye health
• They've been shown to boost mood, and help relieve anxiety
• They've been linked to anti-cancer activity, inhibiting the growth of cancerous tumors in rat studies

For more information on the benefits of Goji berries, with many links to excellent studies, this post is an excellent read.

While Goji berries aren't something that we generally see in the produce section of the local grocery, it's easy to get high-quality, organic dried Goji berry powder (this is the kind I order). And there are SO many ways of using it to boost the nutrient value of many treats that we already enjoy.

Goji berry powder is a great addition to smoothies!

One of our favorite ways that we've found to enjoy Goji berry powder is in smoothies. With the warmer weather finally here, we've been making smoothies every day, and really enjoying that Goji berry boost.

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Some of our favorite smoothies using goji berry powder have been:

• Frozen blackberries, frozen raspberries, unsweetened yogurt, and goji berry powderFrozen cherries,
• Frozen blueberries, water kefir, and goji berry powder
• Frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries, banana, and goji berry powder

And, the one we're sharing with you today: Cherry Banana with yogurt and goji berry powder

One thing that actually surprised me about Goji berry powder is that it's quite sweet! This smoothie is one of the sweetest that we make. If you enjoy your smoothies slightly on the tart side, you may want to consider substituting frozen tart red cherries, or using half sweet cherries and half blackberries.

I hope you enjoy this antioxidant-rich smoothie as much as we do! This smoothie also freezes up beautifully into popsicles if you pour it into a popsicle mold like this one.

Bon Appétit!

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Studies referenced for this article:

• Potterat, Olivier. (2009). Goji (Lycium barbarum and L-chinense): Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Safety in the Perspective of Traditional Uses and Recent Popularity. Planta medica. 76. 7-19. 10.1055/s-0029-1186218.
• Cheng, J. (2015). An evidence-based update on the pharmacological activities and possible molecular targets of lycium barbarum polysaccharides. Drug. Des. Dev. Ther.. 9. 33-78.
• Stoner, G.D., Wang, L., Seguin, C.M., Rocha, C.F., Stoner, K., Chiu, S., & Kinghorn, A.D. (2010). Multiple Berry Types Prevent N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-Induced Esophageal Cancer in Rats. Pharmaceutical Research, 27, 1138-1145.