Smoothies are huge at the moment and for good reason. All you need is a decent blender, three or four ingredients and you can make a personalised nutritious drink. Key to most smoothies are fruit and fruit juices but how do you know which ones are the best for your smoothies?
Creating the perfect smoothie
Before you start looking at the ingredients, it is a good idea to understand how to make the perfect smoothie because there is a bit of an art to it. The key is about the ratio of ingredients you put in it – too much liquid and you have a simple juice drink. But too little and you have something too dense to drink. Both are great but for the perfect smoothie, aim for the middle ground.
The aim of the smoothie mix is for it to be creamy, full of flavour and filling. That means balancing the fruit, protein and a little healthy fat with enough liquid to make it into a drink. For the fruit, go for one cup of fruit per single portion. You can use fresh or frozen but if you go with frozen, don’t add any additional ice.
Three-quarters of a cup of liquid will make for a great ratio. There are lots of different options for water and milk to fruit juices. Don’t be afraid to go to a Fruit juice supplier to get something a little different from the standard orange or apple juice and bump up the nutrition.
A tablespoon of something like a nut or seed butter or one-quarter of an avocado can add those healthy fats if you want. Even adding something like chia seeds can be an option and doesn’t alter the consistency of the drink.
Finally, if you haven’t used frozen fruit but you want a chilled smoothie, add a cup of ice. Crushed can be better than ice cubes if you don’t have a high powered blender so you don’t have to wait for ages for the lumps to melt.
Best fruit for smoothies
Any fruit is good in a smoothie and you can combine them in ways to create the kind of flavours you like. A classic is something like strawberry and banana while a tropical option might add pineapple, coconut and mango. Here are some of the crucial fruit smoothie ingredients to try:
· Berries (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry)
· Banana
· Apple
· Mango
· Pineapple
· Peach/Nectarine/Apricot
· Melon (including watermelon)
· Cherries
Green ingredients can also add a huge amount of nutritional goodness to your drink and if you combine them with fruit, the fruit masks the less tasty elements of the greens. Top green ingredients include:
· Kale
· Spinach
· Avocado
· Cucumber
· Cauliflower
Other ‘green’ ingredients that aren’t actually green that can be added to smoothies include carrot and pumpkin. These add their nutritional stuff to the drink and the fruit helps with their flavour. Unless you like the flavour, then don’t worry about the fruit!
Smoothie bowls
If you want to make your smoothie for breakfast but aren’t a big fan of a liquid meal, then another option is to make a smoothie bowl. These work the same as smoothie drinks only you change the balance of ingredients a little to make them thicker. Then you serve them in a bowl and eat with a spoon just like a breakfast cereal. They are also a great option for kids and can be made to look pretty and come in fun colours that will inspire them to eat.
Making smoothies is an easy and tasty way to get those 5-a-day that we all hear so much about. You can add your favourite fruits, use them to mask nutritious but less tasty greens and even transform them into a sit-down breakfast for the kids.
For more information about fruit options from a fruit juice supplier like JC Dudley, feel free to get in touch today!
Creating the perfect smoothie
Before you start looking at the ingredients, it is a good idea to understand how to make the perfect smoothie because there is a bit of an art to it. The key is about the ratio of ingredients you put in it – too much liquid and you have a simple juice drink. But too little and you have something too dense to drink. Both are great but for the perfect smoothie, aim for the middle ground.
The aim of the smoothie mix is for it to be creamy, full of flavour and filling. That means balancing the fruit, protein and a little healthy fat with enough liquid to make it into a drink. For the fruit, go for one cup of fruit per single portion. You can use fresh or frozen but if you go with frozen, don’t add any additional ice.
Three-quarters of a cup of liquid will make for a great ratio. There are lots of different options for water and milk to fruit juices. Don’t be afraid to go to a Fruit juice supplier to get something a little different from the standard orange or apple juice and bump up the nutrition.
A tablespoon of something like a nut or seed butter or one-quarter of an avocado can add those healthy fats if you want. Even adding something like chia seeds can be an option and doesn’t alter the consistency of the drink.
Finally, if you haven’t used frozen fruit but you want a chilled smoothie, add a cup of ice. Crushed can be better than ice cubes if you don’t have a high powered blender so you don’t have to wait for ages for the lumps to melt.
Best fruit for smoothies
Any fruit is good in a smoothie and you can combine them in ways to create the kind of flavours you like. A classic is something like strawberry and banana while a tropical option might add pineapple, coconut and mango. Here are some of the crucial fruit smoothie ingredients to try:
· Berries (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry)
· Banana
· Apple
· Mango
· Pineapple
· Peach/Nectarine/Apricot
· Melon (including watermelon)
· Cherries
Green ingredients can also add a huge amount of nutritional goodness to your drink and if you combine them with fruit, the fruit masks the less tasty elements of the greens. Top green ingredients include:
· Kale
· Spinach
· Avocado
· Cucumber
· Cauliflower
Other ‘green’ ingredients that aren’t actually green that can be added to smoothies include carrot and pumpkin. These add their nutritional stuff to the drink and the fruit helps with their flavour. Unless you like the flavour, then don’t worry about the fruit!
Smoothie bowls
If you want to make your smoothie for breakfast but aren’t a big fan of a liquid meal, then another option is to make a smoothie bowl. These work the same as smoothie drinks only you change the balance of ingredients a little to make them thicker. Then you serve them in a bowl and eat with a spoon just like a breakfast cereal. They are also a great option for kids and can be made to look pretty and come in fun colours that will inspire them to eat.
Making smoothies is an easy and tasty way to get those 5-a-day that we all hear so much about. You can add your favourite fruits, use them to mask nutritious but less tasty greens and even transform them into a sit-down breakfast for the kids.
For more information about fruit options from a fruit juice supplier like JC Dudley, feel free to get in touch today!
