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A smoothie, i.e. a creamy, fruit or vegetable smoothie, wins the hearts of not only people who care about their figure, but also those who want to try something tasty and fashionable. Such a cocktail can be bought or made at home. All you need is a few fruits and vegetables and a blender to get this tasty and healthy drink. How to get a creamy and tasty smoothie?
- Fruit and vegetables are the main ingredients used to make a smoothie
- In addition, you can also add healthy superfoods to such a cocktail
- For those on a diet, a smoothie can replace one of the solid meals
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Smoothie – what exactly is it?
Smoothie (from English. Mild) to a drink made from a combination of frozen or fresh fruit mixed with juice, most often orange. The consistency of the drink resembles a milkshake (the popular “sheikh”), but differs from it because it does not contain dairy products. Ice cream is usually not added to the drink. Its characteristic thick texture is caused by the addition of frozen fruit, blended bananas or even honey.
As for the creator of the smoothie, it was Stephen Kunau, who developed the recipe in the late 60s. He was still very young at the time and worked in an American restaurant serving milkshakes. Due to many of his ailments (he was diabetic and allergic to proteins), however, he could not eat them. So he tried to recreate a nutritious drink, but decided to use frozen and fresh fruit as its base. It is thanks to them that the drink is easily digestible, as well as rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
- See also: How does eating vegetables and fruits affect our health and well-being?
Smoothie – properties
A smoothie can have very different properties as it is made of a variety of ingredients. Therefore, one type of smoothie can be a drink that is equivalent to a meal because of its rich nutrients that also provide satiety, while another will have cleansing properties. However, the most recommended are smoothies made of fresh vegetables and fruits, which contain a lot of vitamins and simple sugars, and therefore are much healthier than sweets or sweetened drinks.
The green smoothie is based on vegetables and fruits, but you can also make a cocktail with protein supplement, nuts and even milk, although milkshakes are most often called a shake. Freshly prepared green smoothies have many antioxidant properties and provide the body with many vitamins and minerals in unprocessed form. It can also supply the body with fiber, which helps digestion.
The most popular properties of smoothies are their cleansing and nourishing properties, as they are used to drink while on a slimming diet or during intense workouts instead of snacking. A smoothie can be a filling substitute for a fruit snack or a protein supplement in the body after an intense workout.
- Find out more: Effective slimming diet
Smoothie – instead of the dish for dinner
It may seem strange, but prepared from vegetables or fruits, which are nutritious ingredients that are an integral part of our diet, a smoothie can replace our usual dinner.
This thick cocktail should be drunk in the morning, e.g. for a second breakfast, because raw vegetables and fruit are much better digested on an empty stomach. If the smoothie contains protein, it should be drunk after training. Vegetable and fruit cocktails also contain a lot of valuable fiber, which, when used, affects the peristalsis of the intestines.
- What is worth knowing about proteins?
Smoothie – reviews
Lots of people with all kinds of smoothies The reviews are positive because there is nothing healthier than unprocessed fruit and vegetables without any added sweeteners or preservatives. Therefore, such a cocktail of fruit and vegetables often replaces sweet snacks or favorite gas drinks, which are based on sugar and flavors reminiscent of the taste of fruit.
However, smoothies also have meal replacement reviews. You have to be careful with this, because it all depends on how many calories the cocktail we have made has. Light smoothies such as kale and banana will not be as filling as a protein shake, so they can be used as an addition to a meal, not just a complete dish. Therefore, when using a cocktail diet, you should distinguish smoothies as snacks, drinks and as a meal replacement depending on their composition.
Are there any contraindications to drinking smoothies?
A smoothie can be fruit-based or a blend of sweet vegetables and fruits, which means it is high in simple sugars and fructose. Therefore, diabetes is a contraindication to the use of this type of cocktails. Of course, after consulting a diabetologist, you can find the right ingredients for a smoothie, but you definitely have to be careful. Also, people with Candida fungus should not consume sweet smoothies due to the high amount of fructose, which is a breeding ground for Candida and can lead to the development of the disease.
If you want to give such cocktails to children, it is also good to consult the ingredients with a pediatrician or nutritionist. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also eat a lot of natural ingredients in their diet, but not all smoothies will be appropriate, so they should be included in their diet with a doctor or nutritionist.
Also check: 10 ways to lose weight healthy
Smoothie – how to prepare it?
Alone smoothie recipes there are many, but they show one pattern. First, we should choose the liquid base of our thick drink. It can be water, fruit juice, kefir, milk, vegetable drink (milk) or buttermilk. In the case of juices, our drink will provide more calories and sugar. The addition of a dairy product or a plant drink will increase the protein content.
When the base is ready, we need to add some fruit that will make the smoothie have that specific thick but delicious texture. It would be worthwhile to focus mainly on seasonal fruit, and in winter, focus on frozen fruit. At least 2-3 types of fruit are added to the smoothie. These can be, for example, bananas, avocados or mangoes.
Then add green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach or parsley. Thanks to this, you will enrich the cocktail with a large amount of natural antioxidants. If, on the other hand, we do not use juice or citrus in our drink, we can add it at the very end the juice of half a lemon. This will make the taste of the whole composition less bitter and will improve the absorption of iron, as well as add vitamin C, which can also be found in dietary supplements available on Medonet Market.
Now it is the turn to add portions of cereals, they can be, for example, oatmeal, mountain or flaxseed. The latter is especially important in a vegan diet because it contains unsaturated fatty acids that are hard to find in other foods. In addition to them, you can also add products that increase satiety, such as nuts, peanut butter or seeds, especially if our cocktail is to serve as breakfast or a larger meal. They will supplement the drink with an additional source of protein and fat.
At the end, sometimes it is also worth adding some spices to the drink, such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg or turmeric. It is worth testing and checking new flavors.
You can also try Power Cocktail – a cocktail mix, two brands of which should be poured into a glass of any drink and blended or blended. You can add various fruits to it and thus prepare a cocktail that supports immunity, sexual activity and well-being, as well as energizing due to the presence of caffeine.
Smoothie – recipes
Cherry-raspberry smoothie with almonds and ginger
It is worth mentioning that cherries have a slightly analgesic effect, and raspberries are full of valuable dietary fiber. Thanks to the addition of ginger, this smoothie will greatly strengthen our immunity.
To prepare it, we will need:
- two glasses of raspberries,
- half a cup of almonds,
- a glass of cherries,
- three teaspoons of honey,
- two teaspoons of grated ginger,
- four teaspoons of lemon juice.
We need to sort the raspberries, rinse and dry them. Then, finely chop the almonds and remove the pips from the cherries. Mix all fruits with honey, lemon juice, almonds and ginger. Finally, pour our cocktail into tall glasses. We serve the drink chilled.
Smoothie with kale, bananas, strawberries and watermelon
The watermelon component of the drink consists of more than 90 percent water, but what is important also contains citrulline, i.e. an amino acid that improves the work of the heart.
To prepare it, we will need:
- 200 g of watermelon pulp,
- 100 g of strawberries,
- one banana,
- a handful of kale,
- 150 g of natural yoghurt,
- 100 ml of still mineral water,
- mint leaves.
Preparation will involve slicing the watermelon flesh. Then we need to wash, dry and cut the strawberries into quarters. We tear the kale into smaller pieces and cut the banana into slices. Put everything into a blender, add yoghurt and water and mix. Finally, we can decorate our cocktail with mint.
See also: Homemade yogurt – how to make it? What nutrients does it contain?
Smoothie with carrots, peppers and grapes
Carrot tastes great with fruit and is a good source of vitamin A.
To prepare it, we will need:
- half a red pepper,
- two carrots,
- about ten dark grapes,
- a glass of orange juice,
- sesame seeds for decoration.
To begin with, we need to peel the carrot and cut it into small pieces. Then clean the peppers thoroughly of seeds, wash the grapes, cut them into halves and remove the seeds from them. Mix all vegetables and fruits with orange juice. Finally, sprinkle the whole with sesame seeds.
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