A smoothie is a type of refreshing drink that can usually be characterized as a highly nutritious meal in liquid form. It is a perfect delight in summer as it is made with frozen fruit or ice, but it can also be a great breakfast or snack all year round.
Whether you want to lose weight or just care about a healthy diet, smoothies can be very beneficial if prepared properly, as they contain healthy ingredients and fiber, vitamins, minerals, and more.
But even some of the healthiest ingredients in smoothies can be high in calories and downright unhealthy. Here are four great tips for making a healthy smoothie.
Liquid Base
What is probably the most common and easiest choice for the liquid base of a smoothie is usually cow’s milk or yogurt. Over time, you will understand which foods you like one or the other better. You can also combine them. Apart from these basic ones, it is also possible to use many herbal kinds of milk that you can make yourself or buy ready-made. It is a great option if you want to reduce your intake of animal products, or if you are vegan or lactose intolerant.
Smoothies should be tasty and healthy at the same time. As the folks at Blendtopia say, your health and well-being begin with the simple choices you make with what you put into your body. Plant-based kinds of milk are soy milk or yogurt, rice milk, and those obtained from various nuts, seeds, or a combination of both (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, Brazil and macadamia nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, sesame), and cereal milk. Be sure to read the ingredients and avoid those with lots of added sugar and other flavor enhancers.
You can also use coconut milk, but since it has a lot of fat, it is best not to shake the can, but just open it, remove the fat and use the coconut water for the smoothie. Coconut milk is great because it will provide the necessary fat and a fuller flavor.
Fruits and Vegetables
This is the most important group of ingredients responsible for taste, nutrition, and versatility! There isn’t a single type of fruit or vegetable that can be eaten raw without being incorporated into some type of smoothie.
Much better than ice is to buy bags of frozen fruit – usually small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, or some combination – or prepare and freeze the fruit yourself. The difference is that the ice turns into pure water after a while and dilutes the drink, while the fruit gives you exactly what you want. Even if it stays for a while, it’s no problem.
It is best to separate one drawer in the freezer where you will store berries that you prepare yourself or buy already frozen and some types of fruit that you will cut and prepare yourself.
We suggest that you always start with the fresh ingredients you have and then combine them with those that are frozen.
Nuts, Seeds, and Grains
These foods are used to give the smoothie the necessary thickness, but from a nutritional point of view, they are responsible for the intake of protein, soluble and insoluble vegetable fibers, and healthy fats.
For better absorption of minerals and vitamins from nuts, it is recommended to soak them in clean water in the evening or a few hours before eating. After that, they should be washed well and eaten with the skin, peeled, or just put in a smoothie. Instead of them, you can use a teaspoon of nut butter, which you can also make yourself or use ready-made.
Seeds are another excellent option – sunflowers, pumpkins, flax, chia seeds, etc. Flax is best to be used ground because its membrane is very strong and our body is not able to use the nutritional wealth that they carry inside if they are whole.
Oatmeal, rye, or some other flakes, oats, or wheat bran can also be a nutritious and tasty addition.
Spices and Nutritional Supplements
Spices are used to improve the taste by adding the ones you like or to increase the intake of nutrients as needed. For example, if you want to increase your intake of good fats, you can add one avocado or a teaspoon of coconut oil.
We suggest you try various combinations with cinnamon, vanilla, fresh or powdered ginger, nutmeg, turmeric… Also, a drop of lemon juice or lime juice has a fresher taste.
We hope that in this text we have covered the most important 4 tips for a healthy smoothie and that you will enjoy consuming them.
