Fruits And Vegetables for Healthy Smoothies
Making healthy smoothies is easy! Just use lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. These are some favorites that work really well in smoothies:
Bananas
Bananas are a suberb ingredient in smoothies for kids. They give the smoothie a creamy taste and texture – just like the taste of ice cream without all that nasty saturated fat! Make sure your bananas are very ripe (they will have black sugar spots on them) so they are naturally sweet.
Bananas are best when frozen (peel them first) but are also fine if added unfrozen alongside ice cubes. I often buy discounted overripe bananas for freezing.
Use about one banana per smoothie.
Bananas contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.
Berries
We buy berries fresh when possible but buying them frozen from the supermarket is also good and so convenient. Buy berries cheaply in bulk when they are in season and freeze for use when fresh berries are not available. Try strawberries, blueberries (check out our blueberry smoothie recipe), raspberries and blackberries.
Use about 1/2 cup of berries per smoothie.
Berries are nutritional powerhouses – most contain vitamin C, varying amounts of the minerals calcium, potassium, folate and magnesium, and phytonutrients.
Pears
Make sure your pears are very ripe so they have loads of sweetness and flavor.
Use about 1 pear per smoothie.
Pears are useful sources of coppe, vitamins C and K and dietary fiber.
Avocado
Ripe avocados make for a deliciously creamy smoothie.
Use about 1/4 avocado per smoothie.
Avocados are rich sources of vitamins K, B6 and C and minerals potassium, folate and copper.
Kiwi
Kiwi (or kiwifruit) give a delicate flavor to smoothies so it’s best not to overpower them with other strong fruits or vegetables.
Use 1 kiwi per smoothie.
One kiwi provides all of your recommended daily value of vitamin C!
Green leafy vegetables and herbs
Any green leafy vegetable or herb can be blended up into a smoothie… I regularly give my kids spinach, kale, swiss chard, parsley and lettuce.
How much to use will vary greatly depending on what else is in your smoothie and how many greens your kids will drink! If your children are older I suggest starting off slowly by adding a small amount of greens to a fruit smoothie and working up to a fully green one. My 2 year old has been drinking green smoothies from 8 months old and will drink and enjoy a very green one! This is our green smoothie recipe.
Leafy green vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
No related posts.