Wish you could make the perfect, healthy and delicious smoothie at the touch of a button? Frustrated that your homemade smoothies never taste nearly as good as those you get at smoothie chain franchises? Smoothies can be an incredibly nourishing addition to your diet as they allow you to cram as many vitamins and nutrients as possible for breakfast or a quick afternoon treat. With that said, just because your smoothie is healthy doesn’t mean that it can’t taste amazing at the same time. Today, we have a look at 7 tips for adding some magic to your health smoothies, so read on to find out more!
1. Turn It Into A Fancy Smoothie Bowl
Most of us have come across incredible looking smoothie bowls whether it is at a local brunch spot or whilst you’re scrolling through Instagram. Smoothie bowls are all the rage at the moment and are a fantastic way to enjoy your smoothies in style. All you have to do is throw your ingredients into a blender, blend till smooth and then pour your smoothie out into a bowl. Next up, top your delicious bowl of health with a variety of toppings including freshly cut fruit, toasted coconut, muesli, granola and chia seeds. One thing to note is that when you’re making a smoothie bowl, you want your smoothie to be thick enough to support your toppings without having them sink into the bottom of the bowl, so reduce the amount of liquid you use when blending!
2. Use The Freshest Produce
The quality of the produce you use will obviously mirror the overall quality of your smoothie, so always use the freshest fruit and veggies whenever possible. At the risk of sounding oxymoronic, frozen fruits are often a fantastic option. This is because most frozen fruits are picked at their ripest and instantly flash-frozen in order to retain the best flavour, vitamins and nutrients. Keeping a stash of various frozen fruits will also allow you to switch up your smoothie flavours and reduce the number of times you have to head to the grocery store to stock up on your smoothie ingredients.
3. Experiment With Different Types of Milk
Experimenting and changing up the type of milk you use in your smoothies is a fantastic way to add a little flair to your morning blend. Some healthy and delicious alternatives to dairy milk include Almond Milk, Oat Milk, Coconut Milk, Hazelnut Milk and Rice Milk. This is also a great way to reduce any potential bloating or indigestion that occurs to a small percentage of people who are lactose intolerant. Why not make a Pina Colada smoothie with fresh pineapple, coconut milk and vanilla? No one said smoothies had to be boring!
4. Sweeten The Natural Way
If you’re not the biggest fan of how green smoothies taste but are looking to include them in your diet for the sake of health, all is not lost. Sweetening your smoothie with natural, low-calorie options such as stevia, monk fruit or erythritol is a great way to balance out the bitterness of greens such as kale, spinach and silverbeet. You could also opt for maple syrup, honey or evaporated cane juice that are perfect, refined sugar-free options that you can include in your perfect blend.
5. Make It Creamy
Wondering how you can make your smoothie creamy without having to add unhealthy ingredients to it? Well, we’re here to show you the way. Frozen bananas are a great way to make your smoothie thick, creamy and reminiscent of a milkshake. You can either purchase frozen bananas or simply buy fresh ones, allow them to ripen and then peel, chop and freeze. Another great way to add creaminess to a smoothie without adding extra sugar is with the help of frozen cauliflower or avocado. Trust us, you won’t even notice the taste in your smoothie because you’ll be distracted by how creaminess and richness these ingredients add to your smoothies.
6. One Cup of Greens
We all know how beneficial leafy greens are to our overall health, but it can sometimes be a little confusing knowing how much to add to your smoothie. Adding too much may result in an unappetising result that closely resembles mud water, which is why one should always follow the rule of thumb: 1 cup of greens for each smoothie. This amount of greens will offer you all the vitamins and minerals your body so needs without causing you to hold your nose whilst chugging your drink. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
7. Choose Tasty Superfoods
Superfoods are another on-trend topic these days and thankfully most of them are as tasty as they are beneficial to our health. Delicious blueberries are incredibly high in antioxidants and can fight free radical damage, whilst maca powder is touted for its hormone regulation abilities. Raw cacao is a great way to add a burst of chocolate to your smoothies and coincidentally it also happens to have cancer-fighting abilities. When it comes to superfoods, we recommend exploring your options and finding the ones that you feel taste the best!
And there you have ot — 7 tips that will allow you to make cafe-worthy and (healthy) smoothies in the comfort of your own home. We hope that this article has inspired you to go out, buy a bunch of various ingredients and get experimenting with your blender in the kitchen!