We live in the times when technological advances have simplified our lives in a way unimaginable.
In the modern day, people live fast-paced lifestyles, they rush for work and take kids to school, among other things. There’s little time to sit and have breakfast together as a family, let alone prepare it.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as experts often say. It kicks start our brains, keep them alert throughout the day, and it boosts our energy levels to carry out our daily activities and tasks.
A smoothie has become relevant these days since we consume most foods in just one drink, on the go. It’s less time-consuming and easy to prepare.
All you need is a high-speed blender, your fresh produce, or frozen fruits and vegetables then you’ll have your smoothie in less than 20 minutes.
We don’t get to eat enough fruits and vegetables as recommended by experts due to our busy schedules.
Having a glass of smoothie each morning makes a difference as you’ll get the most nutrients the body needs but it doesn’t mean to skip the other meals as they are just as important to provide the body with the necessary nutrients.
In today’s world, it’s crucial to maintain a strong immune system to protect ourselves from various diseases and illnesses. A healthy immune system is our best defense against falling ill.
It’s vital to take care of our bodies, and in return, they will take care of us. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, we can thrive and live life to the fullest.
A smoothie a day is a way to go, as it can be a delicious and effective way to support our body’s natural defenses and promote overall health and well-being.
How Does A Smoothie Benefit Our Health?
Experts always recommend that eating fruits and vegetables a day promotes health.
Plant food sources are packed with nutrients and phytochemicals needed by the body such as antioxidants and polyphenols, among others.
These plant compounds are thought to boost immunity and thus strengthen our health. When we eat fruits and veggies in a form of a smoothie, our bodies will reap the benefits thus paving the way for good health over time.
It helps to limit the sugar content when we make a smoothie.
Fiber is good for digestion and aids bowel movement. When we drink a smoothie made with fresh produce, especially unpeeled, this will aid digestion and keep us regular.
Fiber-rich foods are satiating, thus decreasing our overall calories as we feel fuller for longer.
Fresh fruits and vegetables supply us with minerals and vitamins needed by our bodies. Vitamin E and C are found in most foods especially citrus fruits and leafy vegetables, respectively.
These nutrients act as antioxidants which are thought to prevent oxidative stress and boost immunity.
“Vitamin E in the tocopherol form is found in edible vegetable oils, especially wheat germ, sunflower, and rapeseed oil. Other sources of vitamin E are green leaves vegetables such as (spinach and chard), nuts (almond and peanuts) and nut spreads, avocados, sunflower seeds, mango and kiwi fruit”
3 Recipes For Smoothies You May Find Useful
1). Beetroot Smoothie
Preparation Time: 5 minute
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Beetroot
- 1 Banana
- 1 Peer
- 1/4 Onion
- Small pieces of ginger (or 1 tablespoon grated ginger)
- Few leaves of mint
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of milk ( any kind of milk, according to your preference)
- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
- 1tablespoon of ground sunflower seeds
Directions
First, wash your fruits and vegetables. Cut beet into small pieces along with peer, and ginger. Chop your onion as well.
Place them inside a blender jar, with water at the base and blend them together. Then place your sliced banana, mint, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds mint into the mixture and continue blending until smooth. Finally, pour in the milk to add more flavor and smoothness.
Voila, Your smoothie is ready for consumption.
Note: You can use any fruit or add other ingredients to customize your smoothie. Too much sugar is not good for your health. It helps to limit the sugar content in your smoothie.
Check out my other favorite smoothie recipes in the video below!
2). Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 250 milk of your choice.
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 1 tablespoon maca powder (optional)
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 1medjool date stoned
- 1 small ripe banana
- Handful cavolo nero/spinach
- A tablespoon of almond butter
Method
Pour the milk into a high-speed blender, then add ground flaxseeds, maca powder (if using) and cinnamon.
Add remaining ingredients then blitz until smooth Pour into glasses and serve.
My other Greem smoothie recipes are in the video below!
3). Banana Cherry Smoothie
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Total time: 8 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup pitted cherries
- 1 large banana
- 1/4 yogurt
- One tablespoon of almond extract (optional)
Instructions
Place the milk, frozen cherries, banana, and almond extract into a blender.
Place the lid on the blender pulse and blend the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can try the cherry smoothie from the video below!
Additional Ingredients to Add To Your Smoothie To Boost Nutritional Value
- Mint
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Peppers
- Onions
- Yogurt
- Almond butter
- Hemp seeds/ Chia seeds/Quinoa seeds/pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds
- Ground flax seeds
- Milk/dairy/soy/almond/coconut
- Oats
A Take Home
Taking care of our health is critical and our lives depend on it. We can do that by doing simple things like drinking a healthy smoothie each day, among other things.
What’s exciting is that we can eat diverse foods in just one drink. It’s imperative though, to use our produce whilst they are still fresh to get the most from them.
Blending has become handy as we can efficiently produce a smoothie in just a few minutes as opposed to normal cooking which appears to be time-consuming especially in the morning since we rushing for work.
A healthy smoothie provides our bodies with the nutrients needed. It boosts our energy levels and paves the way to good health in the long run.
Those products lose their nutritional value when they stay too long even in a refrigerator. We end up throwing them away as they become stale.
Eating them fresh in the form of a smoothie is a brilliant way of eating our produce raw in a very tasteful way.
If we make a smoothie nice and interesting even kids will love it than they would a raw vegetable. This is a strategic way of making them eat fruits and vegetables.
