Natural, Healthy and Easy Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies
Smoothies are a simple, colorful and flavorful treat that appeal to almost everyone. Healthy smoothies can include just about anything to give you a perfect balance of both taste and nutrition. But that’s not all they offer…
Often packed with a blend of fiber, protein and other vital nutrients, fruit and vegetable smoothies can increase satiety, improve digestion, support weight loss efforts, boost immunity and help detox the body among other benefits.
How to Make Healthy Smoothies
Making a healthy smoothie comes down to choosing the right ingredients for your nutritional goals. If you want it to be a meal replacement or you’re more fitness-minded, you’ll want to make sure it has plenty of protein, calories and fiber for long-lasting energy and satiety. If you’re looking for more of a sweet afternoon treat to keep you and your kids from munching less healthy alternatives, then flavor may be your biggest consideration.
It’s really a matter of taste, as long as you’re not loading your smoothie with lots of processed sugars, syrups and other unhealthy ingredients. To nutritionally supercharge your smoothies, use any of Nature’s Sunshine’s protein powders as a base and add your choice of fruits, vegetables and other ingredients for added nutrition, flavor and color. If you don’t already own a blender then it’s about time you got one like those in this article about the best blender for juicing and smoothies! There are plenty of different brands out there to choose from. Generally, people choose between magic bullet vs nutribullet as these are the most popular. Some people also tend to worry about how much to spend on a blender and you may be one of those kinds of people. One common piece of advice is to buy on the higher end of the price scale as these blenders can last much longer than a cheaper one. They are also built to be compartmentalized, meaning that if they do break you can buy a replacement part or seek the help of a repair service similar to https:www.BeachwoodApplianceRepair.com
to get it working again. Ultimately it is up to you on what kind of blender to get, and it may be one of the best purchases you’ll ever make.
Nature’s Sunshine Protein Pros
Protein powders offer a simple, quick source of this essential nutrient to support healthy growth and metabolism. Nature’s Sunshine offers only the highest quality proteins enriched with vitamins, minerals and other healthful ingredients from a variety of sources and in several flavors.
Vegetable Proteins
- Nature’s Harvest
- Love & Peas
- INFORM: Vanilla & Chocolate
Soy Proteins
- SmartMeal: Vanilla, Chocolate & Chai
Whey Proteins
- Nutri-Burn: Vanilla (link) & Chocolate (link)
- INFORM: Vanilla & Chocolate
Note: If you’re trying to minimize sugars in your diet, then fruit juices and even whole fruits may be too much for you. Also be careful with yogurts as they often have more sugar than you realize. Or use Greek yogurt with twice the protein and half the carbs of regular options.
Easy Smoothie Recipes for Everyone
One of the best things about smoothies is how easy smoothie recipes are to follow. Here are a number of recipes to get you started, but feel free to experiment and make your own delicious blends.
Healthy Breakfast Smoothies
Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day so start your day off right with some hearty, healthy breakfast smoothies!
Banana Chocolate Almond Smoothie
- 2 frozen bananas
- 2 scoops Chocolate protein powder
- 1 cup Almond Milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
Combine ingredients in blender and mix until smooth for an easy protein-rich breakfast smoothie.
Bright Berry Smoothie
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 ½ cup strawberries
- ½ cup raspberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 cup crushed ice
Combine yogurt, almond milk, protein powder and fruit in blender. Cover and blend until smooth, then add ice and mix until almost smooth for a perky, colorful breakfast or snack.
Veggie Smoothies & Green Smoothies
Not everyone thinks of blending vegetables and leafy greens into a smoothie, but they offer some seriously healthy benefits with seriously great flavor. Try out these fruit and veggie smoothies!
Green Pineapple Smoothie
- 2 cups kale
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 cup cubed pineapple
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup frozen seedless grapes
- ½ cup chopped apple
- ½ cup water or apple juice
Combine ingredients in blender and mix until smooth for a healthy green smoothie to start your day.
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Combine ingredients in blender and mix until smooth for a flavorful, seasonal smoothie! Feeling ambitious? Serve topped with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a great visual presentation.
What Makes a Superfood Smoothie?
The idea of superfoods is a hot topic in the health world, and generally speaking, a superfood offers something beyond calories and basic nutrition. Superfood smoothies feature things like kale, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, banana, turmeric, ginger and chia seeds.
These ingredients pack in vitamins, antioxidants and other important nutrients that dramatically impact health and fitness. Bananas, for example, are a common inclusion in many smoothies. They add to the creamy texture and give a slightly sweet flavor. But they’re also high in fiber, which supports healthy digestion and elimination, and they’re rich in potassium, which helps support healthy heart, muscle, nerve and kidney function.
Chocolate Powerhouse Smoothie
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 banana
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 cup ice
Combine ingredients in blender and mix until smooth for an energy-rich, chocolatey smoothie.
Peach Mango Bliss
- 1 cup peaches
- 1 cup mango
- 1 banana
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ginger
Combine ingredients in blender and mix until smooth for a creamy, fruity smoothie enhanced with ginger and turmeric.
In case you didn’t notice, the directions on each of these recipes were to put the ingredients in a blender and mix. That’s it! That’s how to make healthy smoothies …and it couldn’t get any easier. Enjoy these recipes, search online for others, and experiment with your own to find your favorite healthy smoothie.