Smoothies are more beneficial than juice. They are a richer source of fiber and other essential nutrients than juice and many other breakfast foods too. Make smoothies a part of your diet every morning . Having a smoothie for breakfast provides you all the essential nutrients to kick start your day in a great way. The high water content of smoothies aids digestion and if your digestive system is working well, it is a sure way of starting your day in a healthy way.

Blueberry smoothies are not just great in taste they are highly nutritious too. Try different fruit smoothie recipes to add a refreshing change to your routine. Fruits such as blueberries, citrus fruits, grapes and kiwi provide all the essential nutrients required by the human body. Blueberry is supposed to be one of the richest source of nutrients. It ranks above apples, carrots, broccoli and squash. Citrus fruits are not just a rich source of vitamin C but also have important phytonutrient properties. They provide essential fiber, folic acid and calcium. Grapes are another essential source of nutrients, known for their anti-ageing and anti-carcinogenic properties. Kiwi provides vitamin C, E and A, fiber and potassium.

Spinach is one green vegetable that can be added to the smoothie to pack your smoothie with nutrients. It is a super source of essential nutrients and is packed with vitamins K, A, B12, B2, C, B6, Calcium, potassium, manganese, folate, iron and magnesium. It is also an important source of dietary fiber, protein, phosphorous, copper, zinc and Vitamin E.

Add greens to fruit smoothies

Before I begin listing the advantages of greens, which are well known, let me first list all the greens you can add to your smoothies. One of them is cabbage, this vegetable comes in two colors green and red and can blend very well with the flavor of the smoothie. Some other greens would be collard greens, kale, lettuce, radish greens, spinach etc. Keep the percentage of greens to a ratio of 40:60. Where greens should be 40 percent of the smoothie ingredients. This way you get all the required nutrition without the overpowering taste of the greens. This would make you avoid smoothies. It is essential to keep the taste factor in mind while making your smoothie. It should be a fine blend of taste and nutrition.

Green smoothies can be great for children too. In fact if you have a brat in the house who just won’t have his greens try healthy smoothies by adding some exciting greens. Make sure you add some delicious sweet fruits to disguise the flavor of the greens. Here are some benefits of having green smoothies:

It provides you all the benefits of greens in a delicious way.

Vegetables used in smoothies are raw so, you have no risk of the vegetable losing its nutrition.

You get all the required fiber which is great for digestion.

Helps you in strengthening your immune system.

Green Smoothies Recipe

Creating your own green smoothie recipes can be a daunting task. I suggest using the recipe mentioned below as a base to create your own collection of smoothie recipes. People generally use this recipe as a breakfast smoothie, but then you really do not need an excuse to have a healthy smoothie.

Earlier I used this as a blueberry smoothie but then I learnt about the benefits of greens and decided to add them to the recipe.

1 cup orange juice

½ cup water

1 cup blueberries

1 banana

1 cup chopped parsley

Blend well and serve chilled .

Here’s how you can add some fun element to your green fruit smoothie recipes.

Most blenders have a narrow bottom so it makes a lot more sense to pour in the liquid first. Using the pulse button in the blender will ensure that the solid ingredients are close to the blade so that they get blended well. Occasionally blenders come with a ready smoothie button, which cuts half of the blending job.

Orange juice is a rich source of nutrition. One can’t deny the fact that freshly made juice is any day better than canned juice. You can make use of a manual juicer to make fresh orange juice. You can even purchase orange juice cartons which would also work out cheaper. Make sure you pick a carton that has no additives.

Let us accept it, the taste of greens can be a little overwhelming. Many people may not take to it easily, to nullify this, try adding an additional cup of berries. You could use blueberries or raspberries or mulberries or even blackberries for this purpose.

Once you build the habit of having green smoothes, you will start stocking the ingredients.

Bananas perish fast so try freezing them after they are peeled. Break them into pieces before you add them to a smoothie. If the cold taste of the frozen banana appeals to you, you can even add some ice to the smoothie to make it a little colder.

If you are bored with the taste of bananas, I honestly don’t like their taste much, substitute them with other interesting fruits like peaches, papayas, mangoes or any other fruit that you like.

Try using as many greens as possible, I mean do not stick to just one green as each one provides different nutrients. You can substitute parsley with dill, kale ( green or purple), rapini, dandelion greens, carrot top greens, beet top greens and spinach.

Smoothie Supplies

The basic equipment for making smoothies is blenders. You can check out smoothie equipment online or in your local electronic store. Some modern blenders come with a smoothie button, which means everything is pre-programmed. This may reduce some of the steps involved in making smoothies. When looking for best blenders for smoothies look for the following features.

Is it easy to clean? Most blenders are easy to clean, just run them under the tap and add a dash of soapy liquid. You could also clean by pushing the cycle button on the blender a couple of times.

Check at what speeds your blender can operate. It should be able to operate at high speed, crush and smoothen solid matter and crush ice.

Check the power level of the blender. Usually high power blenders do not come with many features but they are heavy duty and hence have less chance of breakdowns.

Blenders are of two types basically those that come with a jar and immersion blenders. Immersion blenders are quite convenient when making smoothies. One reason why immersion or hand held blenders are great for making smoothies is they are light weight and portable.

When looking for a smoothie blender size is an important consideration. While for the average home a medium or small sized blender is fine, occasionally some families might prefer the large blender.

A smoothie blender usually comes with all the relevant accessories, please check all the accessories that come with your blender before you settle for one.

To create perfect blender smoothies, you also need to take the blender jar into consideration. They come in a variety of materials, such as, glass, plastic, steel. While plastic containers are light weight they can be easily scratched. They also often retain food odor. Glass containers are easier to maintain and they do not absorb food odor but they have the risk of breakage.

Stainless steel jars can prove to be a good bet, but they also have the risk of being dented.

Pick a blender that suits your needs and whip up some delicious smoothies to kick start your day in a great way.

An important tip for those who are faced with a health related issues, please check with your doctor before making any drastic change to your diet.