Step Up Your Smoothie Game
By Fran DeNunzio
I am a big smoothie fan. Smoothies are one of my favorite things to make because they’re refreshing, healthy, super versatile, and great for on-the-go. Last semester, however, I found myself still feeling hungry after having a smoothie with breakfast or as a snack. I wasn’t sure why that was, considering that I tried to pack my smoothies full of fruits. I then realized that while fruits are a super important part of a healthy and balanced diet, the problem was that my smoothies didn’t contain any additional nutrients that are necessary to help sustain me. After having this realization, I did some research to see what additional ingredients I could add to my smoothies that would maintain the delicious taste, but actually provide me with proper nutrients so that I was left feeling satisfied.
A good method is to try and include fruits and vegetables, a source of protein, and a source of healthy fat in your smoothie to reap all the benefits! My biggest struggle was meeting the vegetable, protein, and healthy fat components. Here is a list of smoothie add-ins that will allow you to maximize the nutrition benefits so that you actually feel filled when you drink a smoothie during a meal.
1. Protein
Peanut butter powder: This has become one of my favorite additions to my smoothies. Just 3 tablespoons of this powder add around 9 grams of protein to your smoothie. In addition to being a great source of protein, the flavor of PB powder complements the flavor of the fruits in the smoothie perfectly.
Kefir: Kefir is a fermented milk beverage, with a taste similar to yogurt. One cup of Kefir adds about 10-11 grams of protein to your smoothie. It’s a great liquid base to add to help blend the thicker components of your smoothie together. Kefir comes in different flavors too, which also adds nicely to the flavor of your smoothie!
2. Vegetables
Frozen cauliflower rice: At first glance, this might seem like a really weird addition to a fruit smoothie. But, what’s great about this is that you can’t even taste the cauliflower rice! Cauliflower is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Adding about ¾ of a cup of frozen cauliflower rice will provide you with those important nutrients as well as add a nice frozen component to your smoothie to help with the thickness!
Spinach (frozen or unfrozen): Spinach is another one of my favorite smoothie vegetable additions. Spinach is a pretty common element of smoothies these days, for a number of reasons. You cannot taste the spinach, which is a major plus for people who don’t want to compromise the fruity taste of their smoothies. Spinach is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, iron, and calcium, all of which are essential to your overall health! Adding ¾-1 cup of spinach to your smoothies is a great way to get a decent helping of vegetables in!
3. Healthy fats
Avocado: Avocados are one of the most versatile foods. These are such a great addition to smoothies because they contain high fiber, a healthy amount of monounsaturated fats (the recommended kind of fat to intake), and lots of important vitamins and minerals. Adding ¼-½ of an avocado to your smoothie provides you with about 5-10 grams of monounsaturated fats. Lastly, an avocado will add a creamy flavor and consistency to your smoothie as well!
Chia seeds: Chia seeds are also a great source of healthy fats to include in your smoothie. Just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds can add about 9 grams of polyunsaturated fats to your smoothie. They are also a great source of fiber and protein, with those 2 tablespoons also containing around 4-5 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber. The nutty flavor of chia seeds also complements the flavor of other ingredients in smoothies super well.
I hope this list helps to give you some inspiration for new ingredients to add to your smoothies so that you can glean the maximum nutrition benefits you need to feel satiated and energized until your next meal!
