Smoothies are a fantastic way to get a quick health kick. They’re easy to make, taste great and can be modified to suit the needs of your own diet. Our very own smoothie bar service offers a range of smoothies that everyone can enjoy whilst knowing that it’s good for you! We’ve kept health at the forefront of our recipes, making sure to tick all the boxes that help to contribute towards a healthy, well balanced diet. Not all smoothies are created equal however, and some can be packed with added sugars and preservatives. It’s important to be selective with your ingredients when making smoothies at home, making sure to always include the all important four – fibers, fats, proteins and greens. Here’s five ways smoothies can benefit your health and overall diet when made with this in mind!
Drinking smoothies increases your fruit and vegetable intake
This may seem fairly obvious, but it’s true! Packing smoothies with lots of good fruit and veg will naturally up your intake. By doing this, you can provide your body with a wide array of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants. All of which can help to lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease and obesity. Many people replace meals such as breakfast with smoothies, because of the convenience of being able to consume it quickly and on the go. This can be great but always remember to mix an equal quantity of fruit and veg when making smoothies, to keep the overall sugar content down. If you’re finding you’re not eating enough fruit and vegetables, this can be a great way to pack more into your diet.
A great source of fiber
Packing your smoothies with high fiber ingredients such as strawberries, raspberries, whole grains and seeds can help support an adequate fiber intake. Many people, especially with more western diets, are not meeting their fiber needs and can be prone to suffer negative effects such as poor digestion. By consuming more fiber-rich foods in smoothies, you are promoting better bowel health in your body, and can reduce your risk of various chronic diseases.
Enhances immunity
Feeding your body with the right foods can help to boost your immunity and a great way to do this is through drinking delicious smoothies! Ingredients like citrus fruits, ginger, kale, broccoli, spinach and yogurt with live cultures can all aid in naturally boosting your immune system. These foods contain a healthy mixture of flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C and vitamin E which all help to support your immune system. They also contain useful antioxidants, such as sulforaphane which can benefit your diet when consumed regularly.
Here’s a useful recipe for our in-house smoothie, Immune Booster:
Ingredients –
A medium bunch of fresh kale and spinach leaves (approx 200g)
Kiwi
Pineapple
75ml oat milk
1 teaspoon of honey or agave syrup (for vegans).
Method –
Simply whack the kale and spinach leaves into a blender with the oat milk and blend until smooth. Now add the additional fruit and honey before blending. If the smoothie is too thick, add one tablespoon of oat milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency! As mentioned, we use this delicious smoothie on our menus at our smoothie and juice bar for events. With our in-house smoothie bar service we can work with you to tailor smoothie recipes that reflect you and your brand.
Aids with digestion
When you begin consuming food your body is working away quietly breaking down food and turning it into useful energy for your body. Your digestive system allows vital minerals, vitamins, fats, carbohydrates and proteins to access the parts of your body that require them, before efficiently getting rid of the stuff you don’t need. Certain vegetables and yogurts which contain healthy bacteria can aid this complicated process and making smoothies with these will help to maintain great digestive health! We can often take good health for granted and aren’t really aware of these systems within us until something goes awry! Having poor digestive health can lead to common problems such as nausea, heartburn and bloating developing. But we can all take steps to prevent these from occurring, such as implementing key ingredients into our diets through smoothies.
A natural source of energy and protein
Some of our favourite smoothie ingredients like bananas and leafy greens are delicious ways to give your body the energy it needs in a healthy, balanced way! Maintaining a good level of protein in your diet is vital to your overall health. Protein is a nutrient responsible for many important bodily functions such as cell growth and repair, hormone development and muscle building. Ingredients such as almonds and greek yogurt are a great way of giving you that much needed protein hit, without taking any additional supplements.