Making a healthy smoothie is not hard, but unless you know how to make smoothies, you can end up with some not-so-tasty results if you get the ratios wrong. Also, it’s easy to put a lot of things in your smoothie that will make it unhealthy for you as well. (This something that you might run into in restaurants or shops that make smoothies. You might find that they put sugar or other sweeteners in the smoothie mix or even use artificial flavorings instead of actual fruit.) We’ve put together a few tips and an infographic to help you out.
Smoothie Making Tips
Smoothies are a terrific way to get a lot of nutrients in first thing in the day. If you play your cards right, you can get at least a serving of fruit, veggies, protein and healthy fats. There are a few tricks to getting it right. Here are a few tips.
- Put the greens, other veggies or harder things like nuts in the bottom of your blender pitcher or cup with liquid and blend them up first. Then add the rest of your smoothie ingredients and finish blending them.
- Peel bananas that are nearing the end of their life and keep them in a bag in the freezer for a quick smoothie add in.
- Make sure not to go too crazy with the greens. That can throw off the flavor of your smoothie.
- If you are new to green smoothies start with spinach or cauliflower. It is relatively mild in flavor.
- JuicePlus+ Complete is a great way to pack more nutrition into any smoothie. It is packed with prebiotics, fiber, protein, greens, and a superfood blend of essential nutrients.
- Add ice to your smoothie to make it more like a shake.
- Bananas or dates are a great natural sweetener.
Layer the Ingredients in the Right Order
Adding ingredients into the blender in the right order is key for breaking down those tough, fibrous, leafy, or icy ingredients into a smooth consistency. According to Vitamix, this is the recommended way to layer in each ingredient, depending on the size of your kitchen blender:
- Large containers (more than 20 ounces): First add any wet ingredients (liquids, yogurt, sweeteners), followed by dry goods, leafy greens, fresh fruits/vegetables, then frozen ingredients last.
- Small containers (20 ounces or less): First add frozen ingredients, fresh fruits/vegetables, leafy greens, dry goods, and wet ingredients last.
Some Tasty Combinations to Try
Ready to Try Making Some of Your Own?
Want to try your hand at creating some of your own smoothies? We created this handy graphic to show you how to create amazing smoothies yourself. We’d love to see what you come up with! Share your recipes on Facebook.
