Best Greens For Smoothies
Greens for Smoothies
Ever wonder what makes a green smoothie green? Well, you came to the right place. Not all greens are created equal and to make the best dang fruit and veggie smoothie, you need to understand the greens! In this article, you will learn about what greens we suggest, how to spice things up with other veggies and fruits, and most importantly why we think a pure vegetable smoothie isn’t a sustainable beverage for the long run for most people.
Before you read further, just because it is healthy doesn’t mean you will like it. Focus on something you will enjoy, not just the pure health benefits. This is one reason we don’t recommend greens supplements as they don’t have the nutritional benefit to justify the taste.
Spinach:
Spinach is a readily available leafy green. Spinach leaves are a great source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium, Iron, and folate. Oh and it is a good source of fiber too! While all of this is great for your body, it is low in calories and fat as well which makes it an ideal food to get in copious amounts!
You will hear spinach referred to sometimes as dark leafy greens, a common term used to describe greens that are perceived as being healthier due to the phytonutrients.
Benefits of this type of leafy greens include that it may help protect against cancer and may improve heart health. It may help to boost the immune system as well as improving vision and bone health.
Kale:
Kale is another leafy green, which is one of the best vegetables for smoothies because it is loaded with beta carotene, Vitamin C, polyphenols and flavonoids which reduce oxidativs stress linked to aging and chronic diseases.
A vegetable smoothie loaded with kale may have a slightly bitter taste due to the nature of the ingredient. The bitterness is offset by the fact a cup of Kale has 20% of the recomended vitamin A, 100% of Vitamin C and Vitamin K, and minerals. It is also a fiber rich ingredient helping aid in gut health and fullness.
Collard Greens
Collard greens are another type of leafy greens that is used in veggie smoothies (we prefer fruit as well). It is loaded with Vitamin A, C, K, Calcium, Folate, fiber and more.
Is it OK to drink a green smoothie every day?
Short answer is yes. The longer answer is that if you are looking for a green smoothie, you might be looking because of fads and trends. Whiile that is okay, if you are not used to having large amounts of greens or fiber, ease into it. Why? Because rapidly increasing greens intake can definitely make your tummy feel different than before!
Veggie Smoothies
Veggie smoothies can be delicious! However, we’d suggest to make a better green smoothie recipe, adding a little fruit, preferably sweet fruits, into the blender. When we made Switchback, we knew that green leafy vegetables were bitter (who doesn’t add dressing to a salad?) and so we added some sweet fruits like mango, banana, strawberry to make the smoothies taste better.
If you are making a pure veggie smoothie at home and looking for the best vegetables for smoothies, look above. Celery, cilantro, and beets are other things we have made fresh smoothies with in the past as well.
The natural sweetness of the fruits we listed help take these veggie smoothies to the next level. Butternut squash is another incredibly delicious ingredient you can add to your smoothies if you are looking for a creamy texture as well. Some ingredients serve multiple purposes!
Raw carrots, beet greens (the top of beetroots), sweet potato, ginger, swiss chard, and raw beets all make great additions, but start small! Do not start with large amounts of these to begging with or you might find yourself disliking your new habit.
Many leafy greens have a slightly bitter flavor, so start small and work your way into a larger and more aggressive morning smoothie.
Veggie packed smoothies have immense health benefits and are something many people have turned to to help increase their veggie intake. A green smoothie is an easy way to increase the amount of vegetables you get without sacrificing time and energy.
Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie
Now you know what greens for smoothies make for an awesome morning routine, lets take that green smoothie and enhance the flavor to make it more palatable in the long run and more sustainable. In this case, that means something you will drink every day, not something that will be a one and done.
A green smoothie recipe is something we will discuss below, or you can snag a Switchback Smoothie packet and take the work out of it!
Smoothie recipes need to have a few things - I like to think that on a cups basis your smoothie recipes should have large amounts of greens or be about 75% in cups form. By weight, this doesn’t work as any delicious green smoothie needs lots of veggies and fruit, but leafy green vegetables simply don’t weigh much so always measure cups until you know how many grams equate to a cup.
One thing you can try to make any fruit and vegetable smoothie taste better is incorporate tropical fruits like mango, bananas, and pineapple. One way to save money is to buy frozen fruit which is far more cost effective than buying all of it fresh and it eliminates some prep time.
Protein?
The best green smoothie for most people isn’t complete without their protein additions! Some of the top additions to fresh or frozen smoothies are almond butter, greek yogurt, almond milk, chia seeds, or your favorite protein powder. Protein powders are excellent, if they are mild. We advise staying away from chocolate protein powder until you are firmly entrenched in the flavors that the smoothies give off! These smoothie ingredients are relatively inexpensive for the most part and make for a quick and healthy breakfast when you add a smidge of protein.
The health benefits of a smoothie with or without protein are similar and this should not be a deciding factor as to whether or not you are going to be adding this into your beverage.
Are Smoothies Expensive?
You don’t need to buy the best vegetables for smoothies, in fact, you can often buy frozen or buy the sale ones and freeze them! That is one money saving hack. Ingredients like sweet potatoes, collard greens, and nut butters are not going to make it too expensive to make your smoothies in the morning!
If you are choosing to add some form of protein, or juice like orange juice, you can expect it to ad a little bit of cost over a standard smoothie. Orange juice, greek yogurt, chia seeds, almond milk, baby spinach, kale, and lemon juice are all relatively affordable, particularly if purchased at a big box store.
On a per smoothie basis, we have found vegetable smoothies, or fruit and vegetable smoothies to be around $2.75-3.50 per smoothie to make at home if you are making a large 4+ cup smoothie. Now, not everyone does this, so you can lower costs if needed by making smaller smoothies as well.
What fruits and vegetables blend well together?
Taste is highly subjective, so please take that into consideration! Not to mention, when we are talking about awesome greens for smoothies, things can get a bit…. Bitter. Green smoothies with baby spinach, and kale tend to be a bit more palatable to the crowd than green smoothies with things like dandelion greens, collard greens, cilantro, or a celery smoothie.
We suggest pairing fresh ginger to make a more mild taste of the greens. Not to mention, the health benefits of ginger are incredibly powerful, however many people are fresh ginger adverse so it may be tough to get everyone onboard!
Try adding things like frozen carrots to your greens or romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce isn’t a favorite at Switchback because we love items that are nutrient dense and packed with flavor, however the health benefits of romaine are proven and something to be considered if that is your veggie of choice!
Is kale or spinach better for smoothies?
Trick question - as long as you have some fresh greens (or frozen) you are in good shape. Both are excellent picks for your delicious smoothies!
What vegetables are good in smoothies?
Fresh beets, baby spinach, kale, green peas, frozen riced cauliflower, canned pumpkin, frozen greens, winter squash, swiss chard, collard greens, sweet potato, dandelion greens (yuck!), butternut squash, and veggie blends can all be used. Experimentation is key!
Is it OK to drink vegetable smoothies everyday?
Yes. There is no evidence to show otherwise. A healthy smoothie recipe is a great way to start your morning… or afternoon… or evening.
What frozen vegetables are good for smoothies?
Froze swiss chard, kale, baby spinach, kale, or any leafy green vegetables.
What is a good blend of vegetables?
We suggest any copious amounts of greens. Remember, you are adding greens to make sure that you get these vital nutrients that you may be missing throughout the day.
Can you get your daily vegetables in a smoothie?
Yes and no. While it is easy to get 3-5 cups of greens in green smoothies, it isn’t something we suggest. According to the USDA you should get a varied number of vegetables and colors. If you are relying solely on smoothie, other than for health reasons, you should look at increasing your vegetable intake. Not a huge fan of veggies? Start with sweet potatoes as a quick and easy way to get something delicious and nutritious in your stomach! https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables
What veggies are tasteless in smoothies?
This is subjective and up to your palate. There is no hard and fast way to say that you can make tasty green smoothies without tasting the veggies. If you are noticing the veggies and it bothers you, try adding fruit to increase the natural sweetness, a protein powder, or greek yogurt. A word of caution, adding greek yogurt or protein powder will change the flavor significantly!
Is it safe to drink green smoothies everyday?
Yes, according the Mayo Clinic: "It's really fine to have a smoothie every day. It can be a convenient meal replacement as long as you're making sure that it really is replacing the meal. Not too few calories, but not too many calories," says Fye.
What are the healthiest things to put in a smoothie?
Again, this is subjective! Staying away from added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and high calorie, low nutrient dense foods is key.. Many smoothie recipes call for leafy greens / healthy greens, lemon juice (or lemon), nut butters, and fresh fruits.
Are green smoothies actually healthy?
YES! Resoundingly yes. According to the academy of nutrition and dietetics, they are a great way to increase your vitamin c, fiber, and vital mineral intake. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/03/green-smoothies-nutrition/2518141/
Is blending vegetables still healthy?
Yes. According to food scientists as well as doctors and registered dietitians, when you blend vegetables you do not lose any nutrients or fiber. In fact, one of the biggest myths by influencers is that a green smoothie doesn’t deliver nutrients like eating raw veggies. Leafy greens, fruits, and other vegetables simply do not get destroyed by blending. That being said, cooking or pasteurizing these vegetables will remove some of their nutrients. Research has shown, fiber stays in tact and does not deteriorate in the blending or grinding process.
Can I Put Protein In A Green Smoothie?
Yes. High protein items frequently added are almond butter, other nut butter, protein powers, sweet potatoes, and of course plant proteins. We suggest starting with something mild before going for the gold with the “ultra” healthy proteins…
Closing
There are many greens that are amazing for a smoothie and most vegetables can be added to them. Make sure that you properly wash and rinse your veggies before adding as there is no cooking in the process. Focus on things like baby spinach, kale, swiss chard, for your greens. Add vegetables like broccoli, raw zucchini and beet root to expand into a more earthy tasting smoothie. For smoothies similar to what we make at Switchback, focus on adding in fresh fruits, tropical fruits, or frozen. The biggest thing we want you to know is that making a green smoothie from scratch is a journey and one that is meant to be enjoyed. Experiment, take notes, and find what you like.
Simply because it is healthy does not mean it will be something that is “sustainable” in your life! Having vegetable smoothies doesn’t mean you will come back for more tomorrow, which is the most important habit to create. Having a smoothie with a balance of healthy greens and natural sweetness from fruits is an easy and sure way to sustain your health and keep you coming back for more.
