Smoothie 101

What is a Smoothie?

A smoothie is a thick beverage made from blended raw fruits and/or vegetables. Based on the ingredients, it can be an excellent low calorie, convenient and easy-to-prepare meal substitute or snack.

How to make a smoothie

Raspberry banana smoothie from bakerbynature.com

Start with a liquid base of 1 cup of water, coconut water, fruit juice, milk or milk alternative such as soy, almond or coconut milk.

Next, add 3/4 cup of one or two of your favorite fruits/veggies (fresh or frozen). Banana, mango, peach, and pear add great flavor and a creamy texture. Berries, plums, dates, nectarines and water melon are also good choices.

Apples, spinach, kale and celery are excellent ingredients in cleansing and detox smoothies.

Men can add a handful of shelled pumpkin seeds to improve prostate health.

Add spices like cinnamon and ginger for extra flavor.

Blueberry mango smoothie from munchyy.com

Boost the energy content of your smoothie with chia seeds, coconut oil, avocado slices, flax seed oil or ground flax seed, maca, spirulina or wheat grass powder.

The nutritional value can be increased by adding protein as whey powder.

If desired, you can sweeten your smoothie with honey, maple syrup or agave syrup. Add a handful of ice for a cold, frosty taste.

The beauty of making your own smoothie is that you have complete control over the ingredients and can therefore tailor it to your specifications in order to achieve your goal, whether it be weight loss, cleanse and detox or meal substitution.

Experiment with different ingredients until you find a few that you like, then have a different one each day.