Smoothies are a great way to pack your diet with all the good stuff you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Both refreshing and very good for you, a cool nutrient-packed smoothie can give your body a big boost.
To make your drink even more satisfying and to ramp up those health credentials, whizz in a tablespoon of nut or seed butter or a handful of chia or flax seeds. So easy to whip up at home, smoothies are a great way to increase your vitamin and mineral intake every single day, so to make sure you don’t start getting tired of them, here are five ways to keep your smoothie interesting.
Extra thick
Smoothies, particularly those made with certain fruits or a lot of liquid additions like juices, can sometimes be a little watery or liquid making them feel less satisfying, so to add a little body to your beverage, add a little thickener to make it a spoon-able smoothie!
Try food thickener Simply Thick as it doesn’timpair theflavor or do anything to alter the texture, which most other thickeners tend to.
Frozen
On a hot summer’s day or straight after a high-intensity workout, there is little more refreshing than a fruit-packedfrozen smoothie – the perfect way to cool off and replenish nutrients.
Frozen smoothies also help to prevent waste as you can throw any fruit with a short shelf life, such as raspberries, into the freezer, using them all up over a longer period of time.You can also pre-prepare a variety of fruits, chopped bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, and mango are all tasty choices, and freeze them ready to take a portion out as and when you need it.
Oats
An amazing wholegrain and jam-packed with vitamins and minerals, oats are a great addition to your smoothie. You can take the traditional route and simply blitz them into your smoothie for an instant hit of nutrients or, to make a change, prepare your smoothie the night before, pour it over a bowl of dry oats and enjoy as a twist to the traditional overnight oats breakfast the next morning.
Milkshake
If you’ve been good all week and want a treat or you’re looking for a dessert that’s not completely void of goodness, a milkshake smoothie is a good compromise. Make your usual smoothie using milk and add a scoop of your favorite ice-cream. Everyone deserves a treat once in a while!
Veggie
It’s tempting to simply fill your smoothie to the brim with tasty fruits, but if you want to get the best health benefits from it, it’s better to balance the sugar in the fruit with some nutrient-dense veggies too.
The addition of some vegetables won’t affect the flavor, but they will bring a ton of essential vitamins and minerals.Try leafy greens such as kale or spinach, grated carrot, or even zucchini or cauliflower.
Put some imagination into your smoothies, and you will be able to enjoy all the goodness packed into them without getting bored.