Beetroot Smoothie high in folate, iron, manganese, Vitamins A and C
I am a big fan of fruit and vegetable smoothies! These days it’s almost a fad with all health gurus raving about freshly blended smoothies or freshly pressed juices. Many have healed their own physical ailments or improved their general health and wellbeing by proactively taking responsibility to better their diets and lifestyles. Smoothies and juices have become part of the natural lifestyle of healthy and wholesome eating, as much as detoxification, an active lifestyle and the healing of emotional wounds and restructuring of empowering mindset becoming a conscious way of living.
When I was self-healing from my past mind and body imbalances, smoothies played a huge part, as they were easily digestible, packed with nutrients and minerals, plus were simply super delicious. I preferred smoothies to juices mainly because it was more like a meal than a drink and also enjoyed the textural quality of them.
Basically you can smoothie just about anything, the combination used can be very simple to quite elaborate. The picture of the beetroot smoothie at the top of this page is bright pink because it’s just a simple blend of whole beetroot in a base of coconut water, then with chia seeds stirred in just before drinking.
A few general tips for a perfectly nutritious and delicious smoothie:
Use a plain liquid as base eg. pure coconut water (high in energy), freshly squeezed lemon, orange or apple juice, or cooled tea. I often have a bottle of my Oz Green Tea with lemon myrtle and a Luscious Berries tea in the fridge. Oz Green tea is an excellent base for vegetables and Luscious Berries (caffeine free) for any fruit smoothie blends. They add an elegant flavour to your smoothies plus enrich them with antioxidants. If you prefer a thicker, creamier base, use coconut milk or almond milk. Avoid cow’s milk as dairy products are not really suitable for the human gut. If you run out completely of any of these bases, just normal spring/filtered water is fine too.
If blending stalky or chunky hardier vegetable pieces like carrots, celery, beetroot, etc. blend them up with a small amount of base liquid first, before stuffing in the rest of the fruit or leafy vegetables in with more liquid. This will avoid lumpy chunks in the smoothie when you drink it.
Generally I try not to blend more than three different kinds of vegetables or fruits, or any combination thereof. This ensures the taste and flavour stays fairly pure, and prevents the blend turning a muddy brown, which is fine too. You may add additional goodness like a high protein powder (for vegans), a raw free range egg (for non vegans), aloe vera gel (good antiinflammatory for the digestive system).
Always allow half the blender to be filled with ice blocks as a smoothie is most delicious when drunk icey cold. The ice makes up the other half of the liquid. To thicken a smoothie that you may find too watery, you may add a couple of dollops of plain yoghurt to a milky base smoothie or simply stir in a spoonful of chia seed to any kind of smoothie. Chia seeds has a gel like thickening effect, and packed with protein, fibre and antioxidants.
Fruit smoothies generally don’t need any sweetening as the fruits themselves are naturally sweet, however vegetables sometimes may be a little tart or tasteless, for e.g. kale in a green smoothie. This can be overcome by using a sweeter freshly squeezed fruit juice as the base, or even dropping in a banana to the blend. I blended half a dozen of kiwifruit in coconut water one night last week, and when I took a sip afterward, my face screwed right up. I had to blend it again with two overripe bananas and it tasted yummy!
Bananas are always handy to have, especially overripe ones. As a bonus I often get them specially discounted from my farmer at the market as people generally won’t buy spotty bananas. However, overripe bananas have been hailed to contain anti-cancer properties. Those dark spots on bananas apparently produce a cytokine called TNF (tumour necrosis factor) that counteracts inflammation and the formation of tumours. Plus bananas are high in potassium and Vitamin B6. Peel their skins off and keep them frozen in the freezer. Adding a couple of frozen bananas into your smoothies is ideal. They go well with almost anything.
Always try and use organic fruits and vegetables as you’ll be consuming them raw. If you can’t then make sure they are peeled or at least washed properly.
Herbs and spices are excellent addition for flavour but also nutrition. A handful of mint always uplifts any fruit or vegetable smoothie. Coriander is a great for the digestive system, also excellent for detoxifying, if you like its taste.
Well there you go, if you still haven’t tried smoothies, or it’s been awhile since you last made them, now is the time! It’s as easy as 1-2-3 no extensive chopping nor cleaning. Often it may be an easier and more delicious way to drink all the goodness of fruits and vegetables rather than sitting there with a mountain load of greens chomping away like a rabbit! Also, they are super excellent for detoxing when you feel like you’ve simply indulged in too much foods and/or alcohol.
Smoothies are best as a cold drink in the warmer seasons though they can be made into warm ones, using warm (not boiling hot) Tuwawi tea blends as a base. It makes the smoothie into a warm nutritious drink on a cool night.
For something different try…
Using Restoration Blend tea as a base with some beets, carrots and celery, add half a teaspoon of turmeric and stir in some raw honey to taste. It will warm you up and nourish your immune system in the cold winter nights.
Restoration Blend: Immune strengthening blend of organic Chai, Rooibos and Yerba mate
If you have an excellent smoothie blend of your own or any thoughts and tips, please share in the comments box below. Would love to hear it!
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[…] So if you haven’t tried any of these, it’s time to whip some up! Guaranteed to thrill the kids, and maybe the husband and partner too. To check out some other Smoothies click here. […]