Super Smoothies

In a busy world smoothies are a great way to energize yourself and add more nutrients to your diet. For a long time we’ve known that we should consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Smoothies can be a fast and easy way to do just that! 

By the way, even though it is very popular with some smoothie recipes to combine fruit and vegetables, this is not the best for your digestion, as it tends to make your system more acidic. For optimal digestion, it is better to have your fruit and vegetables at separate meals. 

Below are a few smoothie recipes that will be sure to get your day off to great start.
 

Tangerine Bliss Smoothie¹

5 Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
10 tangerines peeled
1 tray ice cubes (about 16 cubes)

Place the dates, and milk, n a blender and blend until smooth. Add the tangerines, then blend until smooth. Finally add the ice cubes and blend until smooth again. Serves 7.
 

Strawberry Fields Smoothie²

4 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
5 leaves fresh basil or mint
1 cup vanilla almond milk

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 4-5.
 

Tofu Fruit Smoothie³

1/2 cup lite tofu
1 medium banana
2 cups orange-pineapple juice, chilled
8 ounce can unsweetened crushed pineapple, chilled

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
 

Pineapple-Turmeric Smoothie⁴

1 cup [soy or almond] milk
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 banana
1 tbs. fresh turmeric, grated (or 1 tsp. ground turmeric
1tsp. fresh ginger, grated (or 1/3 tsp. ground ginger)

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend for 30 seconds on high, or until creamy
 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie⁵

2 bananas, broken into chunks
2 cups [soy] milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

Place all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.
 

Almond Berry Smoothie⁶

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbs. almond butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth, adding more almond milk for a thinner smoothie.
 

Mango-Peach Smoothie⁷

1 peach, sliced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup orange juice, or as needed

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth, adding more soy milk for a thinner smoothie.
 

Something to Chew On

While smoothies can be a fun and refreshing way to boost your nutrition they should simply be an accompaniment to more solid food and not a replacement. This is because digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and consuming solid food allows for the greatest absorption of nutrients. With this in mind you may want to have something like a bowl of cereal with your smoothie if you are consuming it for breakfast.  Or, if you’re having a green vegetable smoothie later in the day for lunch, you could also include a grain and a protein, such as rice and beans. Enjoy!

Sources:

1. Tami Bivens, R.D., From Plant to Plate, Life and Health Network, 2013, p. 100.
2. Ibid., p. 103.
3. Whole Food Recipes for Better Living, Vita Mix Corporation, 2004, p. 52. 
4. Lisa Bryan, downshiftology.com.  
5. Becca, allrecipes.com. 
6. Alli Shircliff, Ibid.
7. OC, Ibid.

Photo by: Denis Tuksar