Why Smoothies?
Smoothies have become increasingly popular and for good reason. For many, they are the perfect, healthy beverage that can serve as a snack or meal replacement. Let’s look at some reasons why smoothies are the perfect super superfood.
Delicious and Healthy
Let’s start with the most obvious reason to enjoy smoothies, they are delicious and good for your health. Afterall, who doesn’t want something that tastes great and is great for them at the same time? According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, smoothies are a nutrient-dense beverage that can contribute to an overall healthy diet. They are also a great way to add superfoods to your diet, which are generally lacking in many people's diets.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Smoothies include fruit, vegetables, and other superfoods that are generally lacking in diets. This makes smoothies a perfect way to jack up your fruit and vegetables intake and also get some superfoods that you generally wouldn’t get in your normal diet.
Omitting fruits and vegetables from your diet can make your body more prone to deficiencies and a variety of diseases and health problems. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins A, C, E and K and minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium. They’re also a great source of dietary fibers and possess antioxidant properties. It’s impossible to get all these nutrients from a single fruit or vegetable so it's necessary to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Smoothies are perfect for this since you can mix and match the produce in your smoothie for your dietary needs and taste preferences.
Great On-The-Go
Smoothies are convenient and easy to consume on the go. You can prepare your smoothie at home and take it with you as an on-the go meal replacement or snack. They're great because you don’t need to worry about making a mess and can enjoy a full meal just about anywhere. This makes them great to grab and go with you in the car on the way to work or packed up in your kids lunch box for school. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that individuals who consumed a smoothie for breakfast were more likely to maintain their weight loss goals than those who consumed a solid meal.
Customizable
Smoothies come in many flavors and can be customized to suit your taste preference and dietary needs. You can add or remove ingredients as you wish, experiment with new flavors and combinations, try new superfoods and play around with the consistency. Smoothies come in flavors like popular flavors like Strawberry-Banana, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Ginger Greens but also can come in infinite flavor varieties. Play around with some different ingredients and come up with the perfect custom smoothie recipe for you.
Goal Oriented
Smoothies are the perfect food to support a fitness or lifestyle goal such as adding muscle or losing weight. They can be equally great after that hard workout or as a healthy snack to keep you on track with your diet. Depending on your goals, you can customize your smoothie to help optimize your development. Want to add more muscle? Add some extra protein or creatine to your smoothie and enjoy a sweet post-workout smoothie. Want to lose weight? Enjoy a healthy green smoothie that’s low in calories and has ingredients like spinach, ginger and chia seeds. Whatever your goal you can come up with the perfect smoothie to help you achieve it!
Perfect for Kids
If you’re like most parents, it can be hard at times to find something healthy that your kids love to eat. Many times it's too easy to just give them pizza or fries and chicken nuggets just because some of your little ones eat a meal. But smoothies offer a perfect alternative to those unhealthy, low nutrient foods. They are sweet, can be loaded with fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods and are filling. Also, you can pour them into a great kids travel cup so there’s no mess!
A recent study found that among children 1-5 years old, 1 in 2 did not eat a daily vegetable and 1 in 4 did not eat a daily fruit while 57% drank a sugar-sweetened beverage. Smoothies are a great way to increase your kids fruit and vegetable intake, so that they can get the needed nutrition to support optimal growth, development, and health but also in a yummy way they’ll love.
Quick and Easy
Smoothies are quick and easy to make. All you have to do is throw your ingredients in a blender and you can enjoy a delicious smoothie in a few minutes. No baking, grilling or cooking and very little prep for most smoothies. If you want to get super deep into smoothies, sure you can start doing stuff like making your own almond milk and butter. And sure it takes a little effort getting your ingredients but if you want something fresh and delicious you have to do a little work. For most smoothies though, it's as quick and easy as blending and serving.
Low Waste
Smoothies are low waste and use whole foods. One of the overlooked benefits of smoothies is that they are very low waste. Way too much food is wasted each year. Ever make a meal at home or order a meal at a restaurant and see how much food gets wasted? That’s often not the case with smoothies. With smoothies, whole ingredients are used with very little waste. This is great because you get all the nutrients and help the environment by consuming all the food. And as for any leftover smoothies, they are great to freeze and enjoy later as a popsicle or ice cream replacement.
Summary
Why Smoothies?
Delicious and Healthy
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Great On-The-Go
Customizable
Goal Oriented
Perfect for Kids
Quick and Easy
Low Waste
