Three Steps to Making Smoothies Like a Pro

Posted on 16 November, 2016

Smoothies have been uber cool ever since the mason jar made its way onto Instagram a few years ago.

And since then? Many of us have been happily blending our way to good health. The smoothie trend is in full swing.

There are recipe books, blogs and Instagram accounts solely dedicated to smoothies. The magic bullet – now called the Nutri-bullet – capitalised in on the trend by marketing their product as a nutrition extraction system and if you Google ‘smoothie’ and ‘weight loss’ together the number of programs, products and diet plans you’ll find blows my mind.

So, are smoothies a healthy way to eat your food? Do you need a nutrition extraction system? What foods should you blend and how often should you drink them? Shall we just get stuck into it?

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is best described as a diet that contains a wide variety of whole foods, particularly fruit and vegetables, consumed in the portions that are right for the individual in a way that allows them to consistently do so every single day. I reckon I can sum it up in three points. Healthy eating is:

1. Giving your body energy to function, grow, move and repair.
2. Providing all the essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals and fibre) and other health-promoting chemicals that your body needs.
3. Helping you manage a healthy weight, one that’s right for you.

Deciding whether a certain food is healthy or not needs to be done in the context of your whole diet. If your smoothie is part of a diet consisting of a variety of whole, fresh foods and provides an additional opportunity for nourishment during the day with whole food ingredients then it’s definitely healthy and you can go right on drinking them!

Would I build my whole diet out of smoothies? No, I wouldn’t. There’s actually a lot of merit in chewing your food. Smoothies are easy to consume, as you don’t have to bite and chew. Also, depending on what you add to them, they can make foods easier to over consume. Especially foods that would normally take a decent amount of effort to chew like fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Let’s take fruit, for example. You can easily add 3-4 serves of fruit into one smoothie, but if you had to bite, chew and eat these fruits without blending them, would you eat so much? Fruit is great for you, but like anything, too much fruit may not be such a great idea. For most people, who live sedentary lives, two serves of fruit a day is plenty. The same goes for nuts and seeds. Blending 1/2 cup of almonds is a completely different story to sitting, eating and chewing them whole.

If you like blending your fruits and vegetables, just ensure that you’re also consuming them via other methods as well. Eat them whole, raw, cooked and blended, so you’re still getting good variety.

Nutrition extraction

“Turn regular foods into super foods!” It’s the marketing message of the century! Think about it – how good does it sound? All you have to do is chuck your food into an appliance and it’s nutrition extraction capabilities instantly makes it healthier. And you’ll glow and shine and feel super energised and super healthy! The ads for these appliances couldn’t use any more buzz words even if they tried!

Do you want to flat out truth? You don’t need a nutrition extraction system to get the most from your food. Just chew it well, with your teeth, and your gastrointestinal tract, with its acid and enzymes, will do the rest.

Blending is not going to do you any harm. I’m not trying to talk you out of it. I drink smoothies regularly. But don’t drink them because you feel they’re superior to other ways of eating, because they’re not. Drink them because they’re fun, delicious and ONE way of getting whole fresh foods into your day.

Three steps to blending like a pro

Before you start: Decide on the purpose of your smoothie.

You might be thinking that this is an odd step, but there’s method to my madness.

Before you make your smoothie, you’ve got to articulate what it’s for so you can create it accordingly.

For example, if you’re making a smoothie for breakfast, you need to ensure that it contains a good source of protein and high fibre carbohydrate. Otherwise, you’ll find it very unsubstantial. I’ve met lots of clients over the years who drink a fruit and vegetable smoothie for breakfast and then wonder why their energy levels are low in the morning and that they’re starving two hours later. You need something with a little more oomph if you’re making a smoothie for a meal. If you’re just wanting a snack or to boost your fruit and vegetable intake, then fruit and vegetables on their own are totally fine.

You might also like to think about your overall goals. Putting that smoothie into the context of your goals is also important because smoothie recommendations for weight loss and sports performance look very different.

Step One: Pick your liquid base

This is the part that makes your smoothie a drink! Of course Kate. Duh.

I like to stick to water (for fruit and vegetable smoothies) or milk, because it’s a whole food. Milk alternatives are highly processed and often contain added sugar. If you can’t consume dairy, I’d recommend an unsweetened, calcium-fortified soy milk. See a professional for help on choosing a milk that’s right for you. If you like using milk alternatives, it’s completely fine to include them as part of a balanced diet, they can add great flavour!

Here are some liquid ideas:

• Milk (pick your preference skim, lite or full cream)
• Soy milk (unsweetened, calcium fortified is a good option)
• Milk alternatives: coconut, almond, rice, oat (these often don’t add much in the way of protein but can add nice flavour)
• Coconut water (an expensive way to stay hydrated but can add nice flavour if you can afford it)
• Plain water (this is what I use – works a treat!)

Step Two: Add whole foods

This is where you get to add your nutrition. Great whole food groups to add include dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. The types of foods you add will dictate the type of nutrients you add.

Here are some whole food ideas:

• Natural yoghurt (add calcium, protein, probiotics and other nutrients)
• Almonds or other nuts (add fibre, healthy fats and lots of nutrients)
• 100% peanut butter or other nut butters (add fibre, healthy fats and lots of nutrients)  – you’ll need a powerful blender for these
• Chia seeds or other seeds (add fibre, healthy fats and lots of nutrients) – you’ll need a powerful blender for these
• Psyllium husk (add soluble fibre, which is great for helping you poop and can assist with managing your blood sugar levels)
• Rolled oats (add fibre and carbohydrate)
• Fruit – mango, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, kiwi, orange, pear, apple (add fibre, carbohydrate, vitamin C and lots of other phytonutrients)
• Vegetables – baby spinach, cucumber, celery, beetroot, carrot, kale (add fibre, vitamin C, folate and lots of other phytonutrients)

Step Three: Add flavour

This is the part that helps make your smoothie taste great. You can use spices, sweeteners (natural or processed), essences and others. You’ve got to enjoy it! If you add a sweetener, whatever it’s origin, add a maximum of 1-2 teaspoons per serve. This will be enough to sweeten it, but not add too much sugar to the whole smoothie! Go for quality over quantity!

Here are some flavours to try:

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Vanilla (bean or essence)
• Peppermint essence
• Ginger
• Fresh mint leaves
• Cacao or cocoa powder
• Drinking chocolate (you only need 1 tsp per serve for good sweetness but very minimal sugar)
• Honey (you only need 1 tsp per serve for good sweetness but very minimal sugar)
• Maple syrup (you only need 1 tsp per serve for good sweetness but very minimal sugar)
• Flavoured protein powder

If you’re still stuck for ideas here are three smoothie combos that are my absolute faves!

Click here for a downloadable version of the recipes at The Healthy Eating Hub.