ARE SMOOTHIES HEALTHY?

Smoothies are receivingmore appreciation for their usefulness in human health. You can modify them to suit your dietary needs and taste preferences.

More than ever, smoothie industriesare becoming one of the most appreciated businesses in the health food section.According to market research, the juice and smoothie industry is growingdue to its deliciousness, a wealth of nutrients, portability, and modifiable taste and dietary requirements. What’s more satisfying than making your healthy drink, using your desired ingredients that’ll meet your favorite flavor and nutritional needs.For a while, smoothies’ benefits and side effectshavebeen in a gray area, with some people claiming they’re not healthy.

What’s a Smoothie?

This powerful drink is creamy and thick and prepared from different ingredients that make itdelicious. These ingredients are blended till a smooth concoction is created. An excellent feature about smoothies is that you can decide what they’ll contain. Some of the common ingredients to make sweet smoothiesinclude vegetables, fruits, seeds, yogurt, juice, nuts, water or milk, spices, and protein powder.

Types of Smoothies

Smoothies are groupedaccording to the ingredients they contain. The three main types of smoothies include;

Protein Smoothie

It includes main protein sources like protein powder, cottage cheese, or greekyogurt, one fruit or vegetable, and your preferred liquid.

Fruit smoothie

It features a fruit blend with milk, icecream, or water.

Green Smoothie

It’s a mixture of leafy green vegetables and fruitsblended with milk, juice, or water. Often,they’re thicker than other types of smoothies.

Benefits of Smoothies

Provides a NutritionalBalance of EssentialNutrients

You can use a smoothie to boost yournutritional profileif you use healthy ingredients.You can enhance your drink and make it more nutritious by adding nuts, protein, and seeds. For anyone looking for healthy ways to add weight without losing shape, smoothies have healthy fats to help you achieve your thickness goals.

Helps Manage Your Cravings

There is a good reason why most individuals prefer to take their smoothies in the morning. Having such a nutritional drink as breakfast will provide you with protein, agreat energy source to keep you energetic throughoutthe day. High protein intake makes people feel full for longer hours and minimizes food cravings during the day. Proteins usually take a long time to break down into carbohydrates, thusproviding long-lasting energy. It also helps minimize muscle loss that usually occurs while following a calorie-restricted diet or losing weight. A high-proteinsmoothie is a powerful weight-loss food. You can add protein powder derived from eggs, milk, or plants to your smoothies. High protein ingredients you can use for good results include soy milk, tofu,flax seeds, peanut butter, and almonds.

Serves as a Meal Replacement

Smoothies offer essential nutrients, meaning those in a weight loss program can use them to replace their main meals. Theyare easy to prepare and the bestoption for those with busy schedules. It’ll help avoid fast foods, makingyou unhealthy and undoing your weight loss progress.

Increases Your Fiber Intake

Fiber is linked to a healthy digestive system. It also decreases the risks of colon cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases. The best fiber foods to add to your smoothie include blackberries, pears, bananas, raspberries, apples, dark leafy green vegetables, almond butter, and chia seeds.

Maximizes Consumption of Vegetables and Fruits

Good healthcalls for adequate vegetables and fruits in your diet. Taking twocups of each can reduce the chances of developing certain types of cancers, maintain the right blood sugar levels, and minimize risks of stroke and cardiovascular issues.

Any Side Effects of Smoothies?

Green smoothies are healthy but may come with some healthred flags. Overconsuming leafy green vegetables, which may have high thiocyanates compounds, can interrupt iodine absorption. It’snecessary to be reasonable with your consumption when getting into the green smoothie diet. Other disadvantages include;

Risks of taking too much sugar.
Smoothies add calories to your body and can make you gain weight if you’re not mindful of the portionyou take.
Relying too much on smoothies can make you ignore other nutritious foods.
Some smoothies maynot be healthy, depending on the ingredients you use.

Difference Between a Shop-Bought and a Homemade Smoothie?

Most shop-bought smoothies are prepared from highly processed and cheaper ingredients like fruit juices and purees. Most of theirnutritional valuesare removed. Opting for shop-bought smoothies will deny you vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. Making your drink is also better because some shop-bought varieties are packed in larger sizes than the recommended portion. Homemade smoothies have all fiber and vitamins that are freshly made.

Fresh or FrozenFruit Smoothie?

According to researchers, some nutrients like vitamin C are high in frozen fruits than in fresh varieties. Another constituent is beta-carotene, which isconverted to vitamin A. This compound isreducedif the fruit is frozen, but this depends on the vegetable or fruit in question.

What’s The Right Portion of Smoothies?

The right portion is 150 ml a day. For a child, the portion depends ontheir activity levels and age. An effective tip to apply is using the amount of food your child would eat if it was wholeand blending it.

How Often is it Safe to Drink Smoothies?

Smoothies are safe to be added to a balanced diet. However, ensure you usefruits with lower sugar, whether it’s frozen or freshlyproduced. For good results, consume one portion of smoothie in a day.

Conclusion

Healthy smoothies offer essential nutrients, easy to prepare, aids in weight loss, and protect you from chronic diseases. You can use your recipeto create a delicious drink orfind great ideas to try online. The great news is; all smoothies are yummy! You only have to find your favorite flavor.

Author
Recent Posts

Elena elena

What’s a Smoothie?