Smoothies are a great addition to your diet, especially if you need a quick meal for on the go.
Smoothies are a great way to increase your intake of nutrient-rich foods, but not all smoothies are inherently healthy.
I discuss smoothies often with people and when I ask about how they like to make them, the most common reply is, "juice and fruit."
Sounds delicious! But... lacks the nutrition and is based solely on sugar.
In showing people proper nutrition, I like to point out how our bodies need the right balance of proper protein, fats, and carbs. I don't necessarily count each one at each meal but like to show the importance of including each with 3 meals per day.
A fruit smoothie with a 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 banana, a 1/2 cup of mangos, and a 1/2 cup of strawberries consists of 43 grams of sugar. That equals 11 teaspoons of sugar.
Even though the juice smoothie comes from natural sugar, it is still too much sugar and lacks that good, healthy balance.
How we like to build a smoothie is by including the following:
·Protein
·Non-dairy milk
·Veggies
·Fruit
·Chia, hemp, or flax
In this way, you are getting a well-balanced smoothie.
There are many delicious smoothie recipes in all of my cookbooks including, chocolate almond, chocolate cherry, strawberry banana, blueberry, and even a mocha coffee smoothie! Each of them include the above type of food groups/ingredients.
It is fall, and in keeping with our pumpkin theme, I make this smoothie regularly in our house.
Enjoy!