Get all of your 5-a-day in one hit.

Are you like me, you find it irritating to be kept being told the same anything over and over again? Yes, yes, yes, yes I know I should be eating 5 –a- day (fruit and veg). I’m trying my best but I can’t remember how many of my 5-a-day I’ve had. Do I count chocolate as a fruit or veg because it comes from a bean. Or is it a salad???  I really like fruit but you can get too much of a good thing.

I have found a really simple way to get your daily quota in one go, a smoothie.  Smoothies can change your health. I’m not talking about those sugary processed milkshake-like ones that are basically a dessert and contain sweetened fruit juice, sugar and even ice cream. Especially that crap we can get from all good fast food outlets, 2500 calories of emptiness!!!

But rather whole foods smoothies that are full of fruit and vegetable goodness!

Of course, smoothies alone won’t fix a poor diet, but they will make a good start towards a healthy diet. Adding smoothies to your diet is the single most effective drink you and your family can enjoy.  Again, it’s also a good way to start your healthy diet journey.

By adding them to your diet you can get many of the nutrients your body needs in one hit. Most of us aren’t eating enough fruit and vegetables so by adding a smoothie it’s an easy way to up your intake. Having them in the morning for breakfast will set you up for the day.  Then any other fruit or veg that you have during the day is a bonus. Yay I’m up for that. 

So what does that mean?

Here are some of the ways smoothies will improve not only your health but also you well-being.

1. Energy and Vitality

By adding smoothies to your diet, you will increase your energy and vitality. Theories that RDs (registered dietitians) put out are that the vitamins and minerals in the smoothies are immediately absorbed by the body. They are full of the vitamins and minerals the body needs to function properly.  

It’s funny every time you look for energy or vitality images it seems as if we are all going to become gymnasts. Having a smoothie probably won’t enable you to do a cart wheel if you couldn’t do one before!! Although it might make you feel like you could.

2. Get Lots of Nutrients at Once

Because they’re blended, smoothies provide a lot more nutrients than you could otherwise get in one sitting – a whole lot of fruits and vegetables. It will be easily absorbed by your body too, without the chewing.

3. More Fruits and Vegetables

Fewer and fewer people are getting enough fruits and vegetables, despite the recommendations of at least five servings per day. With a smoothie, you can easily incorporate 1-2 cups of greens and 1-1.5 cups of fruit – and it’s a fast and easy way to eat your fruits and vegetables!

4. Antioxidants

Antioxidants may prevent or delay cell damage, and fruits and vegetables offer rich sources of them. The best way to get your antioxidants is from whole foods. You can pack plenty of vegetables and fruits – and therefore antioxidants – into your smoothies. Berries have been shown to be particularly high in antioxidants. So add plenty of berries.

5. Fiber

Fiber is a vitally important part of any diet. It prevents constipation, lowers cholesterol and makes you feel full longer. In juice, the fiber has been removed. However, since a smoothie is just blended fruits and vegetables, smoothies still contain valuable fiber! This is ideal if you have a smoothie for breakfast, as you’ll feel fuller longer. No mid-morning snacking, always a good thing.

6. More Fun (For You and the Kids)

Smoothies, with their creamy, milkshake-like texture are more fun to make and eat – especially for the kids! You might not be able to get your kids to eat a big bowl of spinach, but sneak it into a berry smoothie, and they won’t even notice! If you don’t normally drink green smoothies, try starting off with incorporating just a little bit of greens with a lot of fruit, and increasing the amount you add each time you make the smoothie – you won’t even notice the difference.

If you have any questions at all on what we have talked about, definitely reach out to us in the comments of this post and we will get back to you! 

I need to go now, I’m going to experiment with different combinations of fruit and veg. Just remember your smoothies don’t have to taste like grass. It’s the nutrients you want, not a medal for drinking the worst tasting concoction, like some people think that you need to do!!!  Check out our smoothie recipes.

Happy cart wheeling, Tee hee!!