Smoothies make for a delicious way to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat every day. With the right combination of ingredients, a smoothie can be a wonderful addition to your diet. A smoothie can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack. Smoothies also make excellent alternatives to heavy desserts!
The best way to enjoy the benefits of a smoothie is to make your own. This way, you know exactly what you are putting into your smoothie and can customize it to fit your preferences and needs. All you need to make a great smoothie is a blender and an idea of what to put in it.
How to Make a Smoothie
Making a smoothie is easy, and once you have an idea of what to put in it, you’ll soon be blending smoothies like a pro.
Basic Ingredients
Your smoothie will consist of 2-3 basic types of ingredients. Some type of liquid, frozen fruits and/or vegetables, and various extra additions are all that are needed to make the perfect smoothie.
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Liquid
When making a smoothie you should begin with 1-2 cups of some kind of liquid. This will be added to the blender first. Adding your liquid first ensures that the blending operation begins as it should. There are a variety of liquids you can choose to put in a smoothie, and your taste and texture will vary with each one.
Dairy Milk is a common choice for those that want a smooth texture and other ingredients to flavor the smoothie.
Soy Milk is a popular alternative to dairy milk and will keep a neutral taste.
Almond & Coconut Milk are both good choices when one wants to avoid both dairy and soy.
Fruit Juices are also a great liquid to add to smoothies. You will want to look for those without added sugar as this will take from the natural sugars of the fruit you add as well as add unnecessary calories. Apple, grape, mango, orange, and pineapple are all popular juices to add to smoothies.
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Fruits and Vegetables
This is where your smoothie will get its rich nutrient content. Freezing your fruits and vegetables will eliminate the need for ice in your smoothies, and will add variety to the smoothie’s texture.
Bananas are a popular base for smoothies. It adds thickness, potassium, and fiber and greatly complements almost all other ingredients.
Berries make delicious smoothies. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all high in nutrition, have powerful antioxidant properties, and taste great.
Tropical Fruits such as pineapple, mango, and guava are wonderful in smoothies as well.
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Extra Additions
There is a huge variety of ingredients that can be added to a smoothie. This is where smoothies get many of their extra benefits such as protein, added vitamins and minerals, as well as their own unique taste.
Protein Powder has been one of the most popular additions to smoothies for years. There is a variety of different companies that make many different types of protein powder, and it comes in a lot of different flavors.
Vitamin Powders add extra vitamins and minerals to smoothies that are essential to good health. There are multi-vitamin powders as well as specific supplement powders.
Spirulina is a wonderful super-food that is rich in protein, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B12. It comes in powder form that can be added to smoothies for extra health benefits.
Peanut Butter and Almond Butter are great additions to smoothies for added protein. These nut butters will also add a thicker texture to smoothies.
Oats are wonderful when blended into smoothies and are a great addition to a breakfast smoothie.
Flavorings like honey, agave nectar, spices, and vanilla will add sweetness or a more complex flavor to smoothies.
Once you know the basics, the fun of making smoothies actually begins. This is where you can begin to experiment with different combinations of items that fit your unique taste. Adding a smoothie into your life every day is a delicious and exciting way of giving your body the nutrients it needs.
