I know what you’re thinking: A green smoothie? It’s green and full of vegetables, therefore it must taste terrible. I thought this too yet I have intended to try them for ages, just to see what they’re like. I finally tried my first green smoothie a couple of weeks ago and I was very pleasantly surprised; it was delicious! I can see why people would be put off trying green smoothies but I really encourage you to give them a try.
Not only are green smoothies delicious and very easy to make, but they are extremely nutritious. The amount of vitamins you’ll get depends on which ingredients you use, but most fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins A and C. Many people struggle to eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, and green smoothies are a way of easily adding more fruit and veg into your diet. Furthermore, green smoothies will give you energy and help to keep you full without consuming too many calories. Therefore, as well as keeping you healthy, they may assist with weight loss. They are also better for you than green juices as juices lack the fibre that smoothies retain. Furthermore, making your own green smoothies is cheaper and healthier than buying them at juice bars.
There are several factors that will make your green smoothies taste delicious, rather than just tasting of vegetables. First, ensure that you have the correct fruit: veg ratio; the usual ratio is 60:40 but you may wish to start off with a ratio of 70:30. It is best to use sweet fruits such as pineapple or strawberries, as you will then be able to enjoy the smoothie without adding any sort of sweetener. Some greens also have a stronger taste than others, for example the taste of spinach is easily masked by the fruit, but other greens such as kale have stronger tastes. You should still include kale but in smaller quantities. Using ‘creamy’ fruits will make a big difference to the texture of your smoothie, so try to include something creamy like banana, peach, pear or avocado. It’s best to follow recipes for your first few smoothies, as they are likely to contain ingredients which complement each other and so should taste good too! Here are a few recipes to get you started.
Recipes
Fruity spinach and kale smoothie
This was my first green smoothie, and it’s a good one for beginners as it just tastes of fruit! If you have never tried kale before, I would really recommend it. Kale is low in both calories and fat, but high in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, making it a really healthy food which everyone should try include in their diets and this is the perfect way to do just that.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
1 cup of spinach
1.5 cups of kale
10 strawberries
1 chopped mango
Juice of 1 orange
1/3 of a cup of greek yoghurt
1/4 of a cup of water
Peel, wash and chop all of your fruit and vegetables. Put it all into a blender- liquids first, followed by leaves, and finally add the fruit. Blend it up and it’s ready to drink!
Ava-banana-kale smoothie
The fruits in this smoothie have less of a strong taste but the flavours complement each other, and it has a nice creamy texture. Furthermore it contains avocado. Avocados contain monounsaturated fats (healthy fats) and have been shown to keep your liver, brain and heart healthy as well as being good for your skin.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 cups of fresh kale
2 cups of water
3 bananas
½ of an avocado
Chop the bananas and scoop out the avocado. Blend the kale and water first until smooth, then add the fruit and continue blending.
Green kiwi and strawberry lemonade
This is another simple, delicious recipe which is great for those who are new to green smoothies.
Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 kiwis
1.5 cups of strawberries
1 cup of fresh pineapple
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups of spinach
2 cups of water or coconut water
Wash, peel and chop your fruit. Again, add your liquids to the blender first, followed by spinach, followed by fruit. Blend until smooth and enjoy!
I hope I have convinced you to give green smoothies a try and I hope that you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. Aim to have one a day to improve your overall health and maybe even aid weight loss.
By Kerry Williams
Image sources
All images are my own