Making smoothies more wholesome
There's something about drinking a smoothie that feels like we're instantly nourishing every one of our 37 trillion cells. Here areour 5 favouritetips to pump up the nutrition of smoothies even more!
1. Nature's candy
Consider skippingadded honey, syrup, or sugar. All you need is some of nature's candy: fruit! Not only does it make it sweet, but it also addsfibre, which helps to keep our digestive system ingood shape. Weusually use frozen bananas as a base because they makesmoothies super creamy and frosty. If a banana isn't your thing, frozen zucchini or some coconut milk also helps to make for a creamy smoothie.
2. Liquid nourishment
Water on its own ishydrating, and coconut water offers loads of electrolytes, but welike to add plant-basedmilk to smoothies for the added calcium.We oftenuse soy milk, which also adds more natural proteincompared toalmond or rice milk. Ifour main focus is calcium though, any plant-based milk fortified with calcium would do.Be sure to check the label, or read more in our PUL article oncalcium.
Aim for plant-based milk that offers about 120 mg calcium per 100 mL, or about 300 mg (30% DV) calcium per 1 cup.
3. Get veggie with it
Adding vegetables is a great way to get in more vitamins and minerals. They're loaded with fibre and a variety of nutrients for all sorts of health benefits. Vegetables like kale, spinach, beets, and carrots are commonly used insmoothies. For extra hydration, cucumbers or celery work wonders.
4. Oh-omega
Some of us may know theimportance ofomega-3 fats. If you follow a plant-based lifestyle and don't eat fish, try to getomega-3 from a whole foodfat source at least twice a day. Our go-to's are ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts. We typically add a tablespoon to a morning parfait, but a smoothie is also an easy way to boost up our omega-3 intake. Using these ingredients also gives the added benefit offibre!
5. Get nutty
The addition of nut butter can change the taste of smoothies just slightly. Adding nut butter,whole nuts, or even seeds is a great way toaddwhole-food fat sources andfibre to help keep us feeling fullfor longer. This is especially helpful ifwe're alwayshungry and constantly turn to snacks when we don't feel satisfied.
We hope you found these tips helpful -happy sipping!
Summary
- We can't go wrong with fruits and vegetables. Theyhelp add flavour, creaminess and an abundance of vitamins and minerals.
- Cheers to calcium. Fortified plant-based milks can be added to our smoothies for a boost of calcium.
- Add some nut butter, nuts, orseeds if desired.These are whole food fats sources and can help us stay full for longer.
Hungry for more?
Try these 5 nourishing breakfast smoothies for some inspiration and to seethese tips in action!
