Smoothie Recipes for Health

Smoothie recipes are something everyone can enjoy. Most of us love fruits and vegetables, but it can be difficult to eat the recommended servings each day.
Now imagine blending your favorite fruits and vegetables together in tasty smoothie recipes. Smoothies are a fantastic way to get in your full servings of fruits and vegetables each day with very little effort. The prep is quick, the smoothie itself can be easily consumed or put into a container to be enjoyed later, and the cleanup is a cinch.
Smoothies are great for people with compromised digestive systems, or those just wanting to get a boost of nutrition because they break down the food to an easily digestible form so nutrients are readily available for the body to use. Here are some tips for preparing your smoothies:
1. Purchase a good blender; you’ll be glad you spent a little extra to get one that will make your smoothie experience more enjoyable. The Blendtec and the Vitamix are the two top blender brands and can be purchased at discounts online. I have owned both but favor the Blendtec because it has a larger carafe available; it takes up less space on the counter, and is easier to clean. If you already have a blender by all means use it until you can upgrade. It’s better to get started now with your smoothie recipes than to wait until everything is perfect.
To get more information, read reviews, compare blenders, or purchase the Blendtec click here now. 2. Fresh is best. Always select the freshest ripest ingredients for your smoothies. During the winter months you may have to use frozen or dried fruits, but when you do choose quality, the best ingredients will provide the best building blocks for a healthy body.
3. If available use organic fruits and vegetables. They contain more nutrients and have not been treated with toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Go organic, be healthy.
4. Add your juicy fruits first. Start with grapes, oranges, or cucumbers and then add your dryer more dense fruits and or vegetables. Add water as needed, although I rarely ever add much water to my smoothies.
5. If you use dried fruits make sure they are not sulfured or treated in any other way, and soak them in water over night to rehydrate before use.
6. Although fruit smoothies can be really tasty, I feel it’s best to mix fruits and vegetables, particularly leafy greens. Adding greens adds minerals and dilutes the sugar content of the fruit so it’s easier on your system.

7. Leave the skins on your fruits and vegetables; that’s where much of the nutritional goodness lies.
8. Blend in short bursts as you mix ingredients and add more. Keep the total blend time under 60 seconds as not to overheat or oxidize ingredients. Over blending smoothie recipes will result in a loss of nutrients.
9. Sneak in some extra nutrition by adding some chia, flax, or hemp seeds. A teaspoon or so will boost your omega 3 fatty acid intake and make the smoothie a little creamier. You can soak the chia or flax for as little as ½ hour or overnight. The hemp seeds don’t need soaking.
10. Vary the ingredients by eating with the seasons. Be creative with your smoothie recipes and experiment with a wide variety of ingredients. Fresh herbs from the garden can add to the nutritional profile and change up the flavor. Experiment and have fun. The healthiest individual is one who partakes of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to glean their individual nutrients.
If you’re trying to get your kids, (even grown up kids) to eat more vegetables, then smoothie recipes are just the ticket for you. By blending sweet fruit in with leafy greens like collard or kale that may not be all that tasty by themselves, you create a wonderful new tasty meal that just about everyone will enjoy. The trick with getting kids to drink green smoothies is to add just a few greens in the first smoothie so that it’s mainly fruit and just a little green. Each week add a few more greens into the smoothie until you’re up to about 50% fruit and 50% greens. If at first the smoothie is too green the kids can be put off by the color more so than the taste.
There's no hard-and-fast rule on making smoothies. You can try different fruits and vegetable mixes, get used to the taste and experiment with the variety of flavors and sensations they provide. Here are some smoothie recipes to get you started. Enjoy!