What? Impossible! Ridiculous! Crazy! We’re definitely not surprised, if you reacted like this upon seeing the caption. Honestly, we reacted quite exaggeratedly too, when we first heard about TCM smoothie. All that clouded our minds were awful tasting smoothies that necessitate long hours of brewing. Not forgetting that, our inner “TCM-expert” persona can’t stop harping on how the smoothie actually violates the basic understanding within TCM as to how best to nourish the body.
Yet, Pure Juice showed us that our worries are all uncalled for.
Pure Juice
Pure Juice was founded by 2 friends of different lifestyles, yet with the same vision of sharing healthy & innovative fresh juices with the masses. Thanks to the creative duo, our taste buds are not just tantalized with any other common smoothies that has saturated our market, but wholesomeness and delicious Pure Zen Smoothies (otherwise known as TCM inspired smoothies). The wonderful thing is, these smoothies are tasty, and we need not blend them ourselves.
Pure Zen Smoothie: Lychee, Pear, Coconut Water, Almond Milk & Flaxseed
This refreshing tropical smoothie is indeed a keeper for our team (victims of constipation). Honestly, we didn’t know the combination of western and eastern ingredients would benefit our digestive health in such a tasty way.
The flaxseed, which is prominent in many western cuisines, is an excellent source of both soluble fibre, and insoluble fibre. Here, the former helps to soften the stool, and facilitates its excretion from the body. While, the latter helps to bulk up the stools, and makes them transit through the digestive tract more quickly, hence preventing constipation.
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While, the pear, a favourite ingredient in TCM, contains pectin, that binds to fatty substances in the digestive tract, including cholesterol and toxins, and promotes their elimination. Simply, this means the pear benefits the body’s detoxing capability, and improves the gut and digestive health.
Pure Zen Smoothie: Millet, Goji Berry, Medjool Date & Soy Milk
We are elated to find that this smoothie actually contains the “antidote”-Goji berry, and Medjool dates to our aging eyes. In fact, the former was used by Sun Si Miao (a famous medical expert) to make tea pills for curing blurred vision, all the way back to Tang Dynasty. Both the ingredients are natural ways to prevent macular degeneration due to their high levels of antioxidants (especially zeaxanthin).
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The zeaxanthin is absorbed by macular lutea of the retina, where it filters out the UV light and reduce the generation of free radicals. When UV light from the sun falls on the retina, it is first absorbed by violaxanthin (dark blue pigment). Violaxanthin is then converted to antheraxanthin (red pigment) and then zeaxanthin (yellow pigment) to complete the absorption of light energy. The enzymes in our eyes, then convert zeaxanthin back into antheraxanthin to start the protective cycle all over again.
Pure Zen Smoothie: Hawthorn Berry, Papaya, Honey & Almond Milk
With the marriage of powerful heart beneficial ingredients like hawthorn berry and papaya, our hearts are definitely jumping for joy for this concoction.
Hawthorn berry, a common herb in TCM is now being identified by modern research for its aptitude in improving cardiovascular health. The lovely berry packs antioxidants, which dilate the smooth muscles, and blood vessels within the heart, thus reducing their resistance, and facilitate blood flow. Moreover, it contains flavonoid which regulates the effect of angiotensin converting enzymes. If unregulated, these enzymes can narrow the pathway of blood, and increase blood pressure & risk of heart diseases.
Credit: Marie France Asia
While the papaya is an excellent source of folate, which helps to control homocysteine levels in the bloodstream. The folate in papaya has the ability to convert the homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted, the homocysteine can directly damage the blood vessel walls, and stimulates the growth of smooth muscle cells, causing deposition of collagen. All these means amplified risk of heart diseases for us.
Treat Yourself Well
Pure Juice’s comprehensive menu includes cold pressed juices, All-day breakfast bowls, chia seed puddings, juice cleanses and sorbets. Feed your body some goodness like us too, for it is the only place that you live in.
