Looking for an easy and delicious way to get your
recommended vegetable and fruit servings every day? Smoothies are a great way
to do just that! By blending together your favorite fruits and veggies, you can
get a full dose of healthy yum. However, not all smoothies are created equal.
Many store bought brands are full of sugar; and not the good kind. To create
your very own healthy beverage, keep reading below to consider these
suggestions.
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Want to whip up a smoothie that is a delicious and
nutritious? Check out Everyday Health’s[1]
pro tips to ensuring your smoothie making venture goes, well, smoothly.
1. Limit Added
Sweeteners
I recommend using whole fruit as the only sweetener in
smoothies if at all possible. Unlike added sweeteners like maple syrup and
honey, which supply only sugar, fruit provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and
other beneficial phytonutrients along with natural sweetness. Try using about a
cup of fresh or frozen fruit as the base of your smoothie. Incorporate bananas,
mango, pineapple, or orange slices for a sweeter profile, but steer clear of
fruit juice, which is more concentrated in sugar and calories than whole fruit.
To keep added sugar under control, you’ll also want to choose plain,
unsweetened yogurt and milks (many non-dairy milks like almond and coconut
contain added sweeteners). When you’re finished blending, taste the final
product. If -- and only if -- it’s still not sweet enough for your liking, add
1 to 2 teaspoons of your preferred sweetener (or, add 1 to 2 dates in place of
sweetener).
2. Add Some
Veggies to the Mix
For an extra shot of vitamins and minerals, try to
incorporate a vegetable into your drink. My go-to is a handful of baby spinach
leaves, but you can also blend in carrots, beets, or canned pureed pumpkin.
Celery and cucumbers are also smoothie-friendly, but they aren’t as
nutrient-dense as deeply colored varieties. I like to combine leafy greens with
berries, since the purple and blue hues mask the green color best.
3. Puree in
Protein
Adding at least one protein-rich ingredient makes your
smoothie more filling and substantial, which is especially important if you’re
relying on it to stand in as a complete breakfast. Good options include plain
low-fat yogurt, skim or 1% milk, soy milk, and silken tofu. Keep in mind that
many non-dairy milks, including almond and coconut, provide minimal protein.
4. Watch the
Extras
You can enhance your drink’s nutritional profile by adding
nuts and nut butters, avocado, chia or flax seeds, cocoa powder or cacao nibs,
wheat germ, oats, and other healthful ingredients, but you’ll also be
increasing the calorie count. For example, each tablespoon of nut butter tacks
on another 100 calories, and you could easily add 2 to 3 times that amount if
you’re scooping freehand from the jar. With high-cal ingredients, you may need
to get out the measuring spoons to make sure you're not going overboard with
portions. Which brings us to tip #5...
5. Do a Rough
Calorie Count
I recommend doing some quick math to make sure you’re not
sipping more calories than you think, especially if you're watching your
weight. If you’re drinking a smoothie as your breakfast meal, 400 calories is a
reasonable limit (men and active women can be more liberal). For a snack-sized
smoothie, stick to around 200 calories. One last tip: If you end up making more
smoothie than you bargained for, pour the leftover mixture into ice pop molds.
Your breakfast becomes a fruity frozen dessert to enjoy later in the week!
Time to whip up a yummy smoothie and cheers to your health!
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Works Cited:
1.
Sakimura, Johannah. “5 Tips for a Super-Healthy
Smoothie.” Everyday Health.
16 December 2016. <https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/johannah-sakimura-nutrition-sleuth/tips-for-healthy-smoothie/
>.
