How to make a vitamin smoothie

The benefits and harms of vegetable smoothies

The main advantage of a smoothie is the preservation of all the vitamins included in the drink. It can combine any vegetables; during cooking you must rely solely on your own preferences. The main ingredients go well with natural juices.

A vegetable smoothie is a vitamin drink based on tasty and healthy vegetables. Regular consumption of juice with pulp allows you to restore water balance and fill the body with missing vitamins and microelements. The drink is suitable for every family member; it is healthy to drink for both adults and children. It can become both an addition to the main meal and a complete meal.

Features of storing freshly squeezed juice

Storage features depend on the specific type of fruit or vegetable. Moreover, some can be kept in the refrigerator for several days, while others begin to oxidize after 2-3 hours. It is important to initially know how long a particular type of juice can be stored. Otherwise, you can not only then drink ordinary nectar, practically devoid of vitamins and beneficial elements, but also harm the body.

Typically, the shelf life of freshly squeezed juice is 24 hours. After this time, you should not drink such a drink - there will be no benefit left in it. But the vitamin bomb will have the greatest positive effect on the human body 10-25 minutes after spinning. But also, not all juices are most beneficial immediately after pressing.

For example, beetroot infusion should be cooled for several minutes before use.

The juice is stored in the refrigerator on the bottom or middle shelf. It must not be allowed to freeze, so do not place it on the top shelf or close to the cooling device. If you plan to take a delicious drink outside on a picnic, then you need to take care of a portable refrigerator or thermal bags or thermal bags. Such equipment will help keep the juice chilled, so all the vitamins will remain in it and it will retain the best consistency. If you plan to keep the juice for more than a day, then you should add a few drops of lemon to it. This fruit will reduce oxidation and improve flavor and color. But you shouldn’t use this method often, because in any case, if stored for more than a day, there will be little beneficial properties left in the juice.

Video: best green smoothie recipes

Modern smoothie recipes allow you to choose interesting and nutritious preparation options for every day. You can choose the best option based on the personal preferences of each person. Most importantly, you don’t have to follow the recipe presented. Smoothies involve creating your own culinary masterpieces by mixing vegetables, fruits, dairy products and herbs.

• 100 ml beet juice;
• beet;
• dandelion root;
• 100 g carrots;
• 100 g spinach.

What is the shelf life of vegetable smoothies?

How long can you store ready-made vegetable smoothies? How to properly store vegetable smoothies? Can it be frozen?

A smoothie is a small mixture of pureed vegetables and fruits, and it comes frozen. To put it simply, mix a large amount of fruit. And fruits are carbohydrates, which means they won’t be filling. If you store them for at least half a day, they may lose their taste. The result is a drink that consists of water and carbohydrates. To keep it for 24 hours, place it in a container, cover it with a lid, and put it in the refrigerator. You can freeze them. Only fruits and vegetables should be fresh, and if in winter, frozen fruits and vegetables are better.

How long can you store ready-made vegetable smoothies? How to properly store vegetable smoothies? Can it be frozen?

Everything is stored the same

It is a common belief that you can store food longer by lowering the refrigerator temperature. Not everyone pays attention to the manufacturer’s instructions on how long it is allowed to keep the juice open. Before drinking a drink, people rely on its taste: whether it is sour or not, fermented or moldy.

However, most manufacturers indicate on the box that opened juice can be stored in the refrigerator for only a day. There is also an opinion among consumers that if you pour a drink from a plastic bottle or tetra pack into a glass container, the contents will be stored longer. This common misconception is dispelled by chemists and biologists.

Juice from the refrigerator

Storing an opened drink does not depend on the type of packaging or temperature in the refrigerator. The period indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer is how long the product should be stored, according to scientists. You should not drink from the neck of the bottle, so that a large number of microorganisms, along with saliva, do not get inside the drink and lead to a rapid souring of the product.

Compared to packaged juices, freshly squeezed juices contain a higher concentration of unique elements, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh juices are healthy and popular all over the world. The first written mentions of fruit and berry squeezes belong to the ancient Greeks, who used them not only as a refreshing drink, but also as a cure for certain diseases. For those who do not always have the opportunity to quickly prepare fresh juice, information about how long freshly squeezed juice can be stored will be relevant.

Vitamin smoothies for the whole family

Posted on August 13, 2015

“Most of life’s problems are solved as algebraic expressions: by reducing them to their simplest form.” — L.N. Tolstoy. In our hectic times, this brilliant postulate can rightly be attributed to issues of healthy eating, especially in cases where traditional family meals are often forced to be replaced by hasty snacks. Products that do not require long preparation are used, and the very idea of ​​healthy eating is often sacrificed. Under such stressful circumstances, preparing a vitamin smoothie can be a healthy alternative to fast food and a reliable help for super-busy people who care about the health of all members of their family. Summer is a great time to try new fruit and vegetable flavor combinations. That’s why this issue is entirely dedicated to recipes for nutritious green smoothies that are good for the whole family.

Why green smoothie?

Just one daily serving of smoothies or juices made from fresh vegetables (such as cucumbers, kale/kale, celery or spinach) can have a positive effect on the functioning of many body systems, including the immune, digestive, and endocrine systems. Did you know that vitamin therapy and numerous nutritional supplements are essentially based on the same principles as treatment with healing juices? Leaving this topic for other publications, here I will just remind you of the undeniable benefits of a diet that includes fresh green fruit and vegetable smoothies and juices:

1. The nutritional value of the diet is improved by increasing the amount of fresh green leafy vegetables. Other technological methods of food processing cannot guarantee the same effect. Natural sources of nutrients created by nature, as a rule, provide better bioavailability of vitamins and minerals for the body, compared to synthetic drugs.
2. By including foods rich in vegetable protein and fats (such as avocado, flax or chia seeds, nut oils) in the smoothie recipe, you can easily prepare a complete, balanced dish that can take its rightful place on the menu as a breakfast, afternoon snack, or even dessert.
3. Juicing and high-speed mixing of finely chopped vegetables and fruits makes it easier to extract beneficial nutrients from fiber fibers and improve their absorption during digestion.
4. Smoothies and juices made from green leafy vegetables can successfully serve the purpose of detoxifying the body. Cleansing processes are necessary for its normal functioning and are an integral part of many wellness programs (including weight loss). For example, it is known that the phytoelement sulforaphane, found in green cruciferous plants, promotes the metabolic cleansing processes that occur in the liver. At the same time, both toxins that enter the body from the outside (from the environment) and those formed during its functioning are neutralized. Sulforaphane also plays a significant role in the subsequent removal of toxin neutralization products from the body. And one more advantage - it has been established that the protective effect of sulforaphane can last for several days!
5. It is expected that by regularly consuming such smoothies and creatively creating new flavor combinations, you will soon be able to significantly expand your diet by including different types of vegetables and fruits. This means that in general your diet will become even healthier.

Frozen smoothies: easy, simple and delicious!

Maria Fetisova

I write about smoothies all the time, and LookBio was no exception. What if you'd like to make these green smoothies regularly, but you don't have time to search for recipes online or come up with your own combinations while standing in front of the refrigerator in the morning? Then frozen smoothies will help you - special fruit and vegetable preparations that you can prepare in advance and then use any time you come to enjoy a healthy natural drink!

Why is this even necessary?

Purely to make life easier! Frozen smoothies make life much easier for a busy person, whether he is a knowledge worker sold into slavery, vegetating in the office during the summer, a stay-at-home mom, or a freelancer.

Photo from hellonatural.co

If you want to quickly refresh yourself or cheer up, all you need to do is take out a bag containing all the necessary ingredients from the freezer, throw it into a blender, and voila!

What are green smoothies?

It's the same as the regular ones, plus greens! But seriously, a smoothie is a mixture of berries and fruits, crushed in a blender or mixer with the addition of liquid and ice.

Green smoothies usually consist of 40% greens and 60% fruits, but this is a flexible rule, so it is not forbidden to experiment and look for the flavor option that suits you personally.

What products are used for green smoothies?

Greens: chard, spinach, different types of cabbage (browncolour, kale, Chinese cabbage) and lettuce (romaine, etc.)

Fruits: berries (blueberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), pineapple, mango, citrus fruits, avocado, pears, apples, bananas, melons, watermelon, etc.

Vegetables: cucumbers, celery, dill, tomatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkin puree, etc.

Liquid: water, coconut water, natural milk, non-dairy milk (coconut, soy, oat, nut), juice, tea, fermented drinks (kefir, kombucha, whey, etc.)

Nutritional Additives: Chia seeds, flax seeds, acai powder, maca powder, spirulina, wheat germ, cocoa powder, spices, whole nuts, etc.

How to prepare frozen green smoothies?

Buy groceries

For our purposes, you'll need a lot of ingredients, so to avoid going broke, you need to look for places where ingredients don't cost like a trip to the moon.

And, of course, you need to pay attention to the seasonality of fruits and vegetables.

Choose the right package

There are two options - you can buy special bags for frozen foods or regular bags with a “clasp” on top. Bags with a zipper on top are more convenient because they do not allow excess moisture and foreign odors to penetrate inside (and they are also reusable). The size of the bag should be such that it can accommodate a set of greens, chopped vegetables and fruits for one time. If you are going to prepare smoothies for several people, then increase the number of ingredients and the size of the package.

Photo from hellonatural.co

It's a good idea to put stickers on the bags that list the ingredients and the date so you don't forget when you froze the food. Remember that even in the cold, vegetables and fruits cannot be stored forever, so try to use them within a few months.

How to make a smoothie kit

Use proven recipes and the proportions of fruits or vegetables that you like. First, put the greens in the bag, and then the vegetables and fruits cut into pieces. For example, 2 cups of spinach leaves and 2.5 cups of fruit (pineapples, bananas, blackberries and blueberries).

Photo from hellonatural.co

It's best not to add flax or chia seeds to the bag because they may freeze to the bag and be difficult to remove. Unless you plan to completely defrost the bag before using it.

Experiment with shape!

Since the products will be crushed in a blender in any case, you can try freezing ready-made purees, for example, from bananas, mangoes, watermelon or melon. The greens can be chopped, added a little water and frozen in ice cube trays.

Some people don't like frozen greens, so you can make fruit and vegetable bags and add fresh greens!

Tell frost - no!

Before closing the bag, try to remove as much air as possible from it to avoid the formation of frost inside.

When it's time to cook...

When you decide to make a smoothie, take your smoothie out of the freezer, put it in a blender with a glass of liquid, and go! Greens will grind faster than fruits, so you may need a little more water than a fresh smoothie.

Experiment!

Examples of combinations of greens and fruits:

• Blueberry Banana: 1 large banana, 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups spinach.
• Banana with Berries: 2-3 cups mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 2 cups spinach.
• Pineapple with Blueberries: 1/2 banana, 1 1/2 cups pineapple, 1/2 cup blueberries, 2 cups spinach.
• Pineapple with Banana: 1 large banana, sliced, 2 cups chopped pineapple, 2 cups spinach.
• Kiwi with Watermelon: 1 chopped kiwi, 1 cup chopped watermelon, 1 cup grapes, 2 cups spinach.
• Melon with berries: 1 cup melon, 1 1/2 cups mixed berries, 2 cups spinach.

You can find out more recipes in our articles under the tag “smoothie week”!

Source: Lindsey Johnson

What is the correct composition of a smoothie?

There are a few simple rules that will ensure you the best results:

• No more than two medium-sized fruits per liter of finished drink. The fact is that fruits contain a lot of sugar. This is why a fruit smoothie is not the best start to the day. The trick again is to stabilize blood sugar. It is necessary to avoid a sharp release of glucose into the blood, which is exactly what happens when eating fruit. Therefore, the “apple-banana-melon-milk” option is absolutely not suitable for a “proper” smoothie.
• At least three large handfuls of greens or vegetables per liter of finished drink. For what? It is from these foods that we get the healthiest things, and they are what make smoothies so healthy. If you eventually fall in love with smoothies that contain no fruit at all, then your health will only benefit from this. The point, again, is a large amount of fiber, beneficial microelements and stabilization of blood sugar.
• Amount of liquid: all solid ingredients are filled 2/3 with water or other “correct” liquid (more on this below).
• Fats are a must! To further stabilize blood sugar, you need to add sources of fat to your smoothie: vegetable oils, coconut milk/cream, avocado. For 1 liter of the finished drink, use: 100 ml of non-light coconut milk OR 2 tbsp. any vegetable oil OR 1/2 medium avocado
• Additives such as ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper (Chili), cinnamon, lemon will not hurt at all. All these ingredients have a lot of beneficial properties. The main thing is not to overdo it with the quantity. For example, for 1 liter of smoothie I add 3-4 cm of ginger root, 1 small lemon (right with the peel, but this is not for everyone, it’s just that the peel contains bioflavonoids, which improve the absorption of vitamin C ). Seasonings - no more than 1-2 teaspoons per liter, otherwise it will be too spicy.
• Berries are not classified as fruits because, unlike them, they stabilize blood sugar and have a different acidity. Therefore, the good news is that you can add berries to smoothies indefinitely.

To make it easier to understand how this works in practice, here are a few recipes for the “right” smoothies:

What changes to what in a smoothie?

The rules here are very simple: everything is replaced according to the principle of colors. Everything red turns into red, orange turns into orange, and green turns into green. For example, spinach can be safely replaced with parsley or cilantro. Beets - bell pepper and apple. Banana - pineapple... In general, I advise you to experiment. Everyone's tastes are different, and my favorite green smoothie with lemon makes a lot of people gag. But I can’t imagine life without him! Why do I recommend substituting ingredients based on the color of the food? It’s just that certain colors carry certain microelements that are similar to each other or interchangeable. So, all greens are rich in calcium, folic acid and chlorophyll (a substance that helps in detoxifying the body ). All citrus fruits contain vitamin C and bioflavonoids, which improve the absorption of vitamin C (how wise nature is!). Everything orange contains beta-carotene, which gives the skin a healthy color and protects it from aging .