How healthy is your smoothie?

Who doesn’t love a good smoothie? The only problem is, many of us are tossing ingredients into the blender that are not exactly good for us.

A new article explores this topic – highlighting the fact that adding flavoured yoghurt or ice cream is not the best approach when trying to make a ‘healthy’ smoothie!

Here are some points from the article, in which Candice Kumai shares her tips for making the ultimate smoothie:

• Start with a solid base – Avocados are great for consistency and are full of fibre, potassium, vitamins, good fats and virtually no sugar. 
• For extra sweetness, slice some bananas into small pieces, and freeze in an airtight sealed bag. Fresh pear and frozen mango can also create a smooth ice-cream-like texture.
• Organic silken tofu is also a great option for a smoothie base and it’s packed with organic plant-based protein.
• Add some frozen berries – blueberries, acai berries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries – for antioxidant goodness.
• Greens – be sure to pop some green leaves into the mix such as kale, spinach, baby spinach, watercress or spirulina powder.
• Add liquid – but make sure it’s not the sweetened variety (stick with water, or unsweetened almond milk).
• Avoid adding agave nectar, honey or any other products to make it ‘sweet’.

In terms of fruit in smoothies, everyone is different and it depends on your metabolic health and level of activity but we recommend only adding the amount to the smoothie that you could normally eat in its whole form. Those that are insulin resistant or looking to lose weight should use small amounts of fruit. We often just add some blueberries or half a banana for sweetness.

Follow the link to read the full article.