They’re tasty, colorful and ““ usually ““ made with healthy ingredients. But, your daily smoothie can be hiding calories and contaminants. Try these six tips to keep your smoothie tasty ““ and healthy:
- Use fresh, local fruits and vegetables when possible. They contain the most nutrition and taste better.
- Wash your fruit and vegetables in a mild soapy dishwashing liquid and rinse thoroughly to eliminate bacteria, fungus and insect larvae. That includes bananas!
- Choose frozen items that do not contain sugar or preservatives if you crave an ingredient that is not in season.
- Thicken your smoothie with coconut milk, almond milk and live-bacillus yogurts. These ingredients have heart and vascular benefits from the Omega 3 content that cow’s milk does not. Yogurts with live bacillus also rebalance the natural environment in your gut and can offset the effects of the sweet fruits. Remember, a little bit goes a long way.
- Consider the calories of your concoction. As the adage goes, “too much of a good thing is still too much of a good thing.” If you were eating each item in the smoothie separately, would you really eat a banana, strawberries, papaya, cucumber, broccoli and carrots in one sitting? Take a look at the calorie content of each item then add them together to find the total number of calories in your smoothie. The blending process can mislead you into thinking you are consuming fewer calories than you actually are.
- Use fruits wisely. They are one of the most common smoothie ingredients, however, fruits can raise your blood sugar rapidly. Keep your blood sugar in check by adding fiber to your smoothie. You can toss in flaxseed, vegetable and fruit peels, cooked oatmeal, an oat-based cereal, nuts and seeds without impacting taste.
Smoothies are also a great way to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables.
