Regarding smoothie, there is such a prejudice: the fact that it is supposedly a sweet drink, which is for children, or hipsters in coworking, or just people who are very hot in the summer. But recently, this stereotype about smoothies is hopelessly outdated.
Today, people often talk about smoothies as a drink for people who lead a healthy lifestyle. It can be prepared based on ice cream and, for example, based on healthy fruits and vegetables. And, in general, do not confuse a good smoothie with some ordinary milkshake. Because if the milkshake may not have very good ingredients, including the same sugar. Then in this article, we will talk about a healthy smoothie. Which, of course, will not include sugar. But it will have a huge benefit, a solid dose of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and everything that we need for a healthy and happy life.
What is a Smoothie?
A smoothie is a cocktail that is whipped together with ice until it has a fairly uniform texture. And of course, for this, we will need a blender. Where did this term come from? It comes from the word smooth, a synonym like “soft, pleasant, homogeneous.” And if we are talking about healthy smoothies, then, first of all, they are, of course, prepared based on vegetables, especially leafy vegetables, without any added sugar. And in general, in general, with a minimum amount of simple carbohydrates.
Then you will ask – why do I need this smoothie because I can eat all these leafy vegetables and so on? Yes, in principle, you can, but there is one caveat. Try eating a few hundred grams of greens. Ok, yes, of course, you can do that too. But how much time and effort will you spend chewing on it? It will be such a solid plate that you will have to chew for 10 minutes and maybe 20.
You will say that this is also not so difficult.
But if you chew it every day every morning for 10 to 15 minutes, then over time, this idea can get a little tired. But the smoothie has an excellent plus that we instantly grind all this food. And we make a nice cocktail that you can drink in the background. For example, we work at the computer and drink smoothies. Or if we added not very much ice and the drink is not very icy, we can drink it literally in one gulp.
Benefits
Of course, this benefit is very well regulated and managed by you. Because you can add any ingredients there. It has long been known that every person should consume at least 5 vegetable foods during the day. And be sure to eat leafy vegetables. Because they contain phytonutrients, a large portion of vitamins and minerals. We can also add chia seeds, or flaxseeds, which are very rich in omega-3. and it, in turn, is beneficial for:
the cardiovascular system
the immune system
the nervous system, too
Also, vegetable smoothies will contain a good portion of the fiber. A healthy adult should eat at least 30-40 grams of fiber every day.
To find out more:
Fiber: The most important component of a healthy diet.
And very often, we do not reach this standard. At the same time, smoothies are very healthy and easy to help us with this.
Also, by mixing many vegetables, we get a very good portion of vegetable flavonoids. And here, it is worth mentioning separately about flavonoids. Which of them is the most necessary, necessary, and useful? Experts most often talk about such a substance as quercitin. it is especially abundant in plants such as:
- broccoli
- cabbage, whether it is colored or white cabbage
- vegetables of red and purple color
- and also in nuts
And quercitin is very healthy heals our blood vessels, normalizing their permeability.
So, where can you get this very quercitin? this is for example:
- capers
- sorrel
- dill radish
- leaves
- kale cabbage bell
- pepper
Again, of course, we can make ourselves this in the form of a salad and eat it. It will be much easier, faster, to experience and assimilate in the form of a smoothie.
Recipe for a well-balanced smoothie
Well, what is a ready-made recipe for such a good balanced smoothie? So that it is delicious and healthy and all the necessary substances are contained in it. There is a trendy set that will most likely suit you. and it consists literally of the following:
- banana
- one or half of the avocado pulp
- one portion of chopped leafy vegetables
- add one spoonful of chia seeds or flax seeds
- if desired, you can also add powdered protein. If you do not want it is not necessary
- and all this is poured either milk or vegetable milk.
What is vegetable milk? It is, of course, not formally a dairy food, not even a dairy food at all. It is made based on nuts, as a rule. They are ground, and it turns out quite a pleasant-tasting drink, also white. For the taste, almond milk is most suitable.
Then the whole thing gets mixed up. You can mix it with or without ice. If you mix it with ice, the drink will be thicker, and you will drink it much more slowly. If without ice, you can drink it literally in one gulp.
How to make a smoothie?
But how do you still properly prepare a smoothie so that everything turns out fine? First of all, of course, we will need a good blender. Blenders are different, including if we take the most economical option. It may not grind the components very well.
Therefore, in a good way, of course, you need to take a reasonably productive model. You also need to consider that some foods are combined better or worse in terms of taste.
For example, very often prepares smoothies with oatmeal. So it will not be quite bad to combine with a banana. But if we decide to combine it with leafy vegetables, it will not be very healthy.
In general, you can certainly experiment and throw your options and find what you like.
Milk replacement for smoothies
Instead of milk, use either vegetable milk or, for example, yogurt. since recent studies show that, after all, the milk sold in our supermarkets is not the most useful food. For every liter of liquid that you pour into your smoothie, you should use no more than three or four vegetables. Otherwise, the consistency will not be very good.
If you want to make a healthy vegetable smoothie, it is recommended not to salt it. Instead, add a little seaweed, or you can add a little spice, whether it’s cinnamon, turmeric, and pepper.
If you want to add a little protein, then it is quite appropriate to add whey protein. We must understand that an adult should consume at least 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of his body weight. But if you are engaged in sports, you need to consume 1.5\2 grams of protein for each kilogram. Therefore, drinking only a smoothie for breakfast without protein will be a little less than a full meal for an active person. Still, you need to add protein.
And one more nuance when you drink, it is still necessary to have a fairly wide thick tube. Because you probably won’t be able to pull it out of a thin one.
By the way, friends, and write in the comments, have you ever drunk a smoothie? or maybe you want to try it? Tell us. It will be interesting.