5 great smoothie recipes you’ll want to try

Before we look at the 5 amazing smoothie recipes for you to try, let’s cover some smoothie basics.

The reason healthy eating interests me is I am  a hypnotherapist so I work with people’s minds but in many cases, treatment is about the whole person; mind, body and spirit. I like to keep fit and healthy on a personal level so you could say I have a healthy interest!

How are smoothies different from juices?

Juices extract the liquid and nutrients from the produce that you are juicing and leave behind the pulp. This means you end up with a thin juice, full of nutrients. You should include more vegetables than fruit in your juice or it will be laden with fruit sugars and this will affect your blood sugar. There are different levels of juicer depending how serious you are. The leading person in the juice industry is Jason Vale and he offers free juicing programes several times a year.

Smoothies blend the produce to a thicker consistency and there is no left-over pulp. Smoothies you buy in the shops are often full of sugar from the high fruit content and less nutritious than the ones that you can make for yourself.

What can you put in your smoothie?

Smoothies are a good way to bring healthy foods into your diet easily as no cooking is required! You just whack it all in a suitable blender (some people swear by the Nutribullet. And the Vitamix is the Rolls Royce of the blender world) and it’s ready to drink/eat.

Smoothies can keep you full for hours if you include protein. Your body will love the fibre, vitamins and dense nutrients. You could get your 5 a day in one hit (although it’s now thought we should be aiming for 7-10 portions of fruits and vegetables a day).

Once you start ‘smoothi-ing’! You might want to start create your own recipes. Here are some ingredient ideas. Make vegetables the main ingredient, add some fruit for sweetness, a supplement or two of your choice and a protein to keep you fuller for longer:

Vegetables and fruit

Vegetables

• Cucumber and celery both provide a lot of juice and are full of nutrients
• Coconut water which is full of electrolytes or coconut, oat, rice of almond milk.
• Leaves such as lettuce, rocket, kale and watercress (did you know watercress contains lots of vitamin c)
• For the brave – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts which all all very good for removing toxins and providing vitamins and minerals.

Fruit

• Pineapple (reduced inflammation)
• Blueberries – (said to improve memory)
• Apples & Pears  (which are also good for good digestion)
• Lemons and Limes (which help alkalise the body)

Supplements

You can add lots of healthy supplements to smoothies too such as:

• Bee pollen is full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
• Aloe Vera has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
• Supergreens are nutrient packed dark green vegetables.
• Chia seeds are loaded with nutrients and are among the healthiest foods on the planet.
• Flax seeds are full of omega essential oils and are also good for the digestion.
• Goji berries contain a wide range of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
• Raw Cacao is a top source of antioxidants and contains an abundance of magnesium and iron.
• Acai is high in antioxidants and Omega-3 oils.
• Maca powdera is a mineral-rich food supplement powder.
• Probiotics such as kefir to keep your gut healthy.

A great place to get healthy supplies from is Healthy Supplies. They are based in West Sussex.

Protein

You can also add some sort of protein as if you include a protein you will stay fuller longer and protein is particularly beneficial after a workout. Some good proteins for smoothies are:

• Avocado
• Hemp protein
• Pea protein
• Whey protein
• Peanut butter
• Natural live yoghurt

Here are 5 great smoothie recipes you’ll want to try

Berry breakfast
1 cup of frozen berries
1/2 cup of oats
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 scoop of protein powder
1-2 cups of almond milk (unsweetened)

The post workout smoothie
2 cups of almond milk
1 scoop pea protein
1 heaped tablespoon of peanut butter
1/4 cup gogi berries
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1 tablespoon of flax seeds
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1 banana

Energy smoothie

1 tablespoon spirulina powder
Juice of 2 oranges
2 cups frozen berries
¼ cup cashew butter
¼ cup of coconut water
1 tablespoon coconut oil

The Susan special (from Susan Ellis-Saller)
1.5 apples
1 banana
1 heaping tablespoon cashew butter
1-2 handfuls spinach
half a teaspoon of cinnamon
quarter teaspoon of turmeric
shake of fresh pepper
ice

Pure power
1 cup spinach
1 cup kale
1 cup swiss chard
½ cup mango
½ avocado
1 tablespoon of goji berries
1 teaspoon of flaxseed