Green smoothies are the most convenient health hack I stumbled upon years ago. Since then, rarely do I go a day without one, even when temps drop below freezing. Smoothies are a staple to my diet because they’re quick and easy to make and are a convenient way to eat enough fruits and vegetables, making them an incredibly healthy addition to any diet. It’s a win-win all around. How to make the perfect smoothie for you is easy, and if I can do it so can you!
Why Drink Smoothies?
If you struggle to eat enough vegetables, smoothies are an easy fix to that problem. When you’re super busy without much time to spare, smoothies are a great alterative to cooking, chopping and prepping, making it easy to stick to a healthy diet.
The one vegetable I used to struggle with eating and meeting the recommended daily amounts of were leafy greens. Now I enjoy most greens, but once upon a time, I didn’t. I despised salads and most of the time, I missed out on all the nutritional benefits that greens hold. Cue the smoothie. Now, eating the right amounts of greens and other vegetables and fruits is much easier. If you’re struggling with eating your greens or the proper amount of any fruit or vegetable, I hope you’ll give smoothies a try.
Eating the proper serving size of fruits and vegetables everyday helps you to feel good, have more energy, mental clarity and focus and look amazing too. Read on to find out how to make your perfect smoothie combo!
Steps for Making Amazing Smoothie Combos
When you first start out, it’ll probably be easiest to follow a recipe. But as you gain more experience, play around with the ingredients. Get creative and have fun with it!
Basic ingredients and smoothie template:
- Leafy greens– 1-2 cups (spinach, kale and romaine lettuce are popular options, though you can certainly use any leafy green vegetable or herb). When using a bitter vegetable, choose a sweeter fruit such as pineapple, mango or strawberries to balance out the flavors.
- Fruits– 1-2 cups (frozen or fresh). Adding a variety of fruits will add to the nutritional profile of your smoothie. Berries are not as sweet, so when pairing with bitter greens, add in a sweet fruit like pineapple, mango or even orange juice to offset the bitterness of the greens.
- Other fresh or frozen vegetables: Carrots, cucumber, avocado, coconut or pomegranates- the possibilities are endless!
- Base– What liquid will you use? Think almond milk, orange juice, low sugar fruit juice or water.
- Protein– if you’re looking to up your protein, add protein powder or yogurt
- Creaminess– nut butters, such as almond or peanut butter, avocado, coconut cream or yogurt
- Spices– Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and turmeric are a few popular choices. Anything in your spice rack will do, and you can even add in fresh herbs for an additional nutritional boost
- Superfood add ins– Think chia seeds, flaxseeds, matcha, coffee, maca, kefir (probiotic boost). There are so many options, so load up and have fun with it!
- Sweetness– If you want the smoothie a bit sweeter, honey, agave, stevia, vanilla extract, dates or pure maple syrup will do the trick. Just be careful about adding too much, as extra sugar is a source of unnecessary calories.
Making your favorite smoothies is an easy way to get more nutrition into your life, and the results go beyond just the taste. You start feeling better, looking better, gaining more energy to get your stuff done, and these are just a few of the already known benefits. I’d love to hear how you fit smoothies into your life, what’s your favorite combo and what results have you noticed? Comment below 🙂
