Steven / Published on October 13, 2014
After a fun filled weekend, the guilt can start to kick in as we remember the overindulgence of tasty treats and tipples!
But at the start of a new week we’re feeling fresh, focused and ready to get back on living a healthy lifestyle.
So what better way to give our bodies a much needed boost of vitamins and nutrients than with a delicious, homemade smoothie?
Smoothies are without a doubt one of the greatest ways to fit high quality nutrition into your day whether that be for breakfast or as an afternoon snack to tide you over until dinner time. However it is important to remember that not all smoothies are as healthy as they may first appear; most pre made smoothies are often filled with processed sugars, pesticides and enough calories to fuel your entire day making each sip far less nutritious than you originally expected.
The key to finding that perfect balance is to create your own smoothies, homemade is key and is by far the best way of ensuring that they are packed with fresh ingredients. So to help you on your way, here are some of our top smoothie secrets that will help you feel healthier than ever!
Smoothie Sweetness
Generic fruit juices are often the most popular liquid base for smoothies but are they healthy? The answer is no. Many fruit juices are pasteurised in order to eliminate any bad bacteria, however during this process the amount of vitamins and nutrients found in fresh fruit is dramatically reduced leaving us with what can only be deemed as sugar water - not quite the healthy kick start to the day we were looking for. So what should we be using? The obvious answer is water and is by far the lowest calorie option however, opting for liquids such as unsweetened almond milk, coconut water or cold pressed juice will add to the vitamins and nutrients of your smoothie as well as making them even more delicious.
Veggie Delight
Now we know this may sound strange at first but some of the tastiest smoothies out there have veggies in them and this way we are able to mix a whole new variety of vitamins into the end result. Not everyone is a veggie person but we guarantee that the majority of the time you can’t really taste them, it all depends on which ingredients you choose; as a newbie you may want to start with ingredients such as spinach, avocado or carrots. Spinach has a mild leafy taste almost unnoticeable by taste, avocado provides smoothies with a rich buttery consistency whilst carrots offer a slightly sweeter flavour.
Fresh Is Best
The fresher your ingredients, the better your smoothie will taste and the higher the quality of nutrition; using organic ingredients in your smoothies not only increases nutritional value but also avoids the consumption of pesticides. Of course, frozen fruit is just fine but for the ultimate taste sensation we recommend sourcing the freshest ingredients you can. If it’s that cold, slushy texture of frozen fruit that you love then why not try using ice as a base for your smoothie instead? This will provide you with the texture you love while reducing your smoothie by up to 100 calories per glass.
So there we have it our top secrets for making smoothies that provide you with an abundance of essential vitamins and nutrients without having to compromise on taste.
What will you be adding to your smoothies?
