Juices
Gillian says: "When you drink my organic juices and smoothies, they'll quench your thirst and the taste will blow you away! The ingredients and revitalising herbs are so very good!"
Organic Smoothies
They're rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, tasty and unique.
Mango Mania
Gillian's Star Ingredients: mangoes, grapes, lemon juice and spirulina
The Mango Mania Smoothie is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Mango pulp has been shown to exhibit antioxidant properties (1)
Grapes contain polyphenols that have been shown to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes (2). more >>
Lemon juice contains vitamin C and bioflavonoids.
Spirulina has been shown to influence serum cholesterol levels (3)
Spirulina is a good source of vitamin A (beta-carotene) as it may help increase after ingestion retinol levels (4).
Researchers in China and Japan have reported that spirulina may increase macrophage function (5,6)
Spirulina has also been shown to motivate the health of human cell tissue (8,9)
Additional References
1. Prasad S, Kalra N, Shukla Y. Hepatoprotective effects of lupeol and mango pulp extract. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2007 Mar;51(3):352-9
2. Zern TL, Wood RJ, Greene C et al. Grape polyphenols. J Nutr. 2005 Aug;135(8):1911-7
3. Nayaka N, et al. Cholesterol lowering effect of spirulina, Nutr Reports Intl, 1988;37(6):1329-1337
4. Annapurna V, et al. Bioavailability of spirulina carotenes in preschool children, J Clin Biochem Nutr. 1991;10:145-151
5. Hayashi et al, Enhancement of antibody production. J. Nutr Sci and Vitaminol. 1994;
6. Lisheng et al. Inhibitive effect and mechanism of polysaccharide of spirulina, Marine Sci. 1991;5:33-38
7. Hayashi T, Hayashi K et al. Calcium Spirulan, J of Natural Products, 1996;59(1):83-87
8. Hayashi et al. An extract from spirulina. Phytother Res, 1993;7:76-80
Groovy Guava
Gillian's Star Ingredients: guava fruit, grapes, blueberries and aloe vera
Gillian McKeith's Groovy Guava smoothie is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Guava fruits are a rich source of vitamin C and other powerful antioxidants (1, 2)
Grapes contain polyphenols (3)
Aloe Vera Juice has long been used to promote digestive health. It has also been found to be useful in cases of insulin resistance (4)
Blueberries contain many beneficial compounds including proanthocyanidins and polyphenols. (5, 6, 7, 8) more >>
Additional References
1. Seo N, Ito T, Wang N, Yao X et al. Psidium Guajava extracts. Anticancer Res. 2005 Nov-Dec;25(6A):3763-70
2. Yamashiro S, Noguchi K, Matsuzaki T, et al. Cardioprotective effects of extracts from Psidium guajava L and Limonium wrightii, Okinawan medicinal plants. Pharmacol. 2003 Mar;67(3):128-35
3. Zern TL, Wood RJ, Greene C et al. Grape polyphenols. J Nutr. 2005 Aug;135(8):1911-7
4. Perez YY, Jimenez-Ferrer E, Zamilpa A et al. Effect of a polyphenol-rich extract from Aloe vera gel. Am J Clin Med. 2007;35(6):1037-46
5. Katsube N, Iwashita K, et al. Induction of apoptosis. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Jan 1;51(1):68-75
6. Bomser J, Madhivi DL, et al. fruit extracts from Vaccinium species. Planta Med. 1996 Jun;62(3):212-6
7. Andres Lacueva C, Shukitt-Hale B, et al. Anthocyanins in aged blueberry. Nutr Neurosci. 2005 Apr;8(2):111-20
8. Cho E, Seddon JM et al. Prospective study of intake of fruits, vegetables, vitamins and carotenoids. Arch Opthalmol. 2004 Jun;122(6):883-92
Veggie Vitality
Gillian's Star Ingredients: tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, cabbage and herbs
Veggie Vitality is designed to provide a wide range of antioxidants and phytochemicals from vegetables and herbs. Vegetables are lower in sugars than fruits so have a lower GI. Herbs have digestive properties. This is a great drink for anyone wishing to derive many of the benefits of vegetables in an easy to digest form. more >>
Diets high in vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease, especially those associated with oxidative stress (1)
Tomatoes are one of the best sources of the carotenoids beta-carotene and lycopene. Research has shown that tomato juice and extracts can reduce oxidative stress and and support health (2, 3, 4)
Carrot juice is high in calcium as well as containing antioxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Carotenoid rich foods have been shown to reduce oxidative damage to DNA (5, 6)
Beetroot influences the liver as it detoxifies and cleanses. Research has shown that beets contain antioxidants such as betalains and betanin which can reduce oxidative stress (7)
Cabbage juice contains sulphur which can aid detoxification and Isothiocyanates for fighting free radicals (8). One of the key benefits of cabbage juice is its vitamin U content (9)
Additional References
1. 1. Chu YF, Sun J, Wu X, Liu RH. Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of common vegetables. J Agric Food Chem 2002 Nov 6;50(23):6910-6
2. Wood LG, Garg ML, Powell H, Gibson PG. Lycopene rich treatments modify noneosinophilic airway inflammation. Free Radic Res. 2008 Jan;42(1):94-102
3. Silaste ML, Alfthan G, Aro A et al. Tomato juice. Br J Nutr. 2007 Dec;98(6):1251-8
4. Basu A, Imrhan V, Tomatoes versus lycopene in oxidative. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;61(3):295-303
5. Pool-Zobel BL, Bub A, Muller H et al. Consumption of vegetables reduces genetic damage in humans: first results of a human intervention trial with carotenoid rich foods. Carcinogenesis 1997 Sep;18(9):1847-50
6. Watzl B, Bub A, Briviba K, Rechkemmer G. Supplementation of a low carotenoid diet with tomato or carrot juicemodulates. Ann Nutr Metab. 2003;47(6):255-61
7. Kanner J, Harel S, Granit R. Betalains - a new class of dietary cationized antioxidants. J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Nov;49(11):5178-85
8. Brandi G, Schiavano GF, Zaffaroni N et al. Mechanisms of action and antiproliferative properties of Brassica oleracea juice. J Nutr 2005 Jun;135(6):1503-9
9. Cheney G. Rapid healing. Calif Med. 1949 Jan;70(1):10-51.
10. Elgayyar M, Draughon FA, Golden DA, Mount JR. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from plants against selected pathogenic and saprophytic microorganisms. J Food Prot. 2001 Jul;64(7):1019-24
