How To Sweeten A Smoothie

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Why This Recipe Works

HOW TO SWEETEN YOUR SMOOTHIE NATURALLY

This strawberry smoothie recipe is definitely one of my favorites, especially during the warmer months. Refreshing smoothies with strawberries are rich, creamy and bursting with the bright flavor of fresh strawberries.

I also add a banana to make a thick and milkshake-like consistency. Plus it adds another pop of healthy sweetness to the drink that is great to get your morning going!

When making a smoothie with bananas, I prefer to use coconut milk or almond milk. Using plant-based milks makes this a tasty vegan smoothie recipe, and is a bit easier on your stomach.

I have read that according to ayurveda, eating certain fruits and dairy milk together can create all kinds of digestion problems. For instance, banana and dairy tend to cause gut issues. However, I always find that beverages made with coconut milk or almond milk are lighter and easy to digest.

I have not used any sweetener in this 3 ingredient smoothie recipe, but you can add some sweetener if your strawberries arent quite ripe or you prefer a sweeter smoothie.

Smoothies, fruit juices and milkshakes are terrific to make for a quick and healthy breakfast. Here are just a few Smoothie Recipes I have shared on the blog:

Also Check: What To Use To Make A Healthy Smoothie

Tips For Making The Best Green Smoothie

I used the unsweetened original Almond Breeze almondmilk flavor in this immune boosting smoothie recipe, but you could easily swap it with the coconut or vanilla flavor too.

The key to a well blended green smoothie is blending the liquid with the greens really well before adding the rest of the ingredients. Its the best way to avoid green chunks in your slurping straw and later in your toothy smile.

A lot of smoothies add banana for creaminess, but here simply freezing the fruit before blending does the job. If youre making this smoothie with fresh instead of frozen fruit, simply add 3-4 ice cubes when blending the liquid and greens and blend well.

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References

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Make A Yogurt Smoothie

Yogurts that are made from plant-based food such as beans and nuts are healthier than fruits in the sense that they are rich in protein and calcium, which are macronutrients necessary for maintaining a sound healthy body.

For less than a hundred calories, plant-based yogurts are relatively lower than most fruits in terms of calorie content.

Up to 10% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium can be obtained from soy-based yogurt, and approximately 3 grams of protein per 100 grams serving can be accumulated as well.

Almond yogurt, on the other hand, is usually fortified to contain additional calcium and higher protein content.

Coconut yogurt, while low in protein, is also low in sugar which can help you avoid dangerous levels of blood glucose.

Additionally, though fruits seldom contain healthy fats, plant-based yogurts have them in sufficient amounts to contribute to a sustainable diet.

Since most yogurts are dense, they can lend creaminess and thickness to the smoothies, which is ideal for preventing a watered-down version of the beverage.

So instead of going for water, opt for 1 cup of any of the following yogurts to add into your smoothie.

  • Soy Yogurt
  • Coconut Yogurt

The Best Way To Enjoy A Smoothie Make It Yourself

Easy Sweet Potato Smoothie Recipe

Theyre refreshing, easy to sip on the go, and packed with health-boosting nutrients. But smoothies from grocery stores and quick-service chains often contain ridiculous amounts of sugar and fat. Some have more than 600 calories in one cup, and carbs could easily reach a days total. But the right mix of ingredients can serve up a powerful dose of nutrients and vitamins.

Use the following tips to whip up the perfect drink to flood your body with nutrition without adding pudge.

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Consuming Sugar In Moderation

I think were all aware that excessive sugar isnt the best for your body, but as long as you consume it in moderation, youll be just fine. Ill admit, I love fruit and include quite a bit of it into my weekly meals, but the key is understanding which fruits have higher or lower sugar content. Here is a quick breakdown:

Which Fruits Have High Sugar?

  • Banana
  • Avocado

Natural Ways To Sweeten A Smoothie

Thanks for the comments on my blog/life balance post last week!! The healthy living community is truly an amazing group of people!!

As a thank you I want to share one of my favorite smoothie recipes with you. I smoothies!

There was a time when I used fruit juice or sugar-rich yogurt to sweeten smoothies.

But there are better ways of adding natural sweetness to smoothies other than adding sugar-rich processed ingredients.

The obvious natural sweetener frozen fruit. My favorites are frozen bananas, berries, mangoes, and pineapples. I use half a frozen banana in just about every smoothie I make.

My other favorite natural sweetner a pitted date.

You will LOVE this green smoothie.

High Protein Green Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 2 Tbsp. peanut flour 1 Tbsp. chia seeds

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Whats The Best Blender For Making Smoothies

Blenders have gotten so advanced in the past few years, that its hard to pick one that wont blend up a great smoothie! If youre blender shopping, here are the three blenders we recommend for daily smoothie-making:

  • MOST AFFORDABLE: Cuisinart Immersion/Stick BlenderDont let its small size fool you, this tiny handheld blender is packed full of power, and will easily make a smoothie for you every day! Its perfect if youre limited on counter space.
  • MEDIUM: Ninja Professional BlenderFor under $100, you get an incredibly powerful blender that makes a dreamy, creamy smoothie. This was the blender we used in the Wholefully test kitchen for years, and its a great starter-level, but still high-powered, blender.
  • SPLURGE: Vitamix Professional BlenderA Vitamix is the top of the line when it comes to blenders, and its what we use every day in the Wholefully test kitchen. It comes with a hefty price tag , so if youre just blending a smoothie every now and again, there is no need to make the splurge. But if you do a lot of cooking or make a lot of smoothies or blended drinks, you might want to start saving your pennies for a Vitamix. Its a lifetime appliance that is a dream to use!

How To Make A Simple Green Smoothie:

How to naturally sweeten up a green smoothie

Pour the almond milk into a blender container, then add the remaining ingredients. Blend on high until smooth. If you have a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix youll only need to blend for about 30 seconds. Other blenders might take up to 1-2 minutes.

You can drink the smoothie right away, or you can let it sit for up to 1 hour before drinking. If you let it sit, the flax and chia seeds will thicken the smoothie slightly.

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How To Freeze Fruit For Smoothies

To make smoothies even easier, freeze fresh fruit into portions. You can even prepare smoothie packs and freeze them for a grab-and-blend smoothie option.

To freeze fruit for smoothies, rinse and chop fresh fruit into small pieces. Pat them dry then arrange, in one layer, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Slide the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until hard .

When the fruit is hard, divide it between freezer-safe bags and keep it in the freezer for your next smoothie.

How To Make Strawberry Smoothie

Wash 10-12 strawberries well and wipe them using a kitchen towel. Chop off the top leafy part using a paring knife. Then cut the strawberries into pieces and freeze for 5-6 hours.

Peel and chop 1 large banana and freeze it for 5-6 hours too.

Once you are ready to make the smoothie, take out the banana and strawberries from the freezer and thaw them for 10 minutes. Add the frozen strawberries, frozen banana, 1 cup yogurt, ½ cup milk, and honey to taste to the medium jar of a high-speed blender.

Blend until smooth. Pour the smoothie into 2 tall glasses and serve chilled. You can adjust the consistency of the smoothie by increasing or decreasing the quantity of milk.

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Make A Coconut Smoothie

Coconuts flesh is among the most versatile plant-based foods that you can eat, and its also ideal for your smoothies!

While many of you will argue that coconut is a fruit, its variety of applications in meal preparation makes it impossible to be categorized as such.

The fiber content found in coconut meat is comparable to that of most fruits at 14% of the daily dietary allowance.

And despite its 60% fat content, coconut flakes are zero cholesterol and low in sodium.

Protein in forms of 18 amino acids can also be found in coconut meat, further making it nutrient-dense edible plant food.

Depending on how it is prepared, dried coconut can have more or less 130 calories per ¼ cup serving although the other nutrients it contains as well as those of the rest of ingredients can easily offset this amount.

Adding coconut by-products such as butter, cream, shreds, and flour to your smoothies can give you a rich texture that is occasionally grainy, yet easily drinkable.

Below is a list of coconut derivatives that you can add to your smoothie at a ¼ cup per single serving of the beverage.

Healthy Smoothies Have Whole Fruit

Sweet Relief Smoothie

Does your go-to smoothie blend fruit juice instead of cut-up fruit? Youre missing out on a crucial opportunity for fiber, which takes longer to digest so you dont get hunger pangs an hour after eating. Try banana, mixed berries, or apple. Frozen fruit may make your smoothie taste thicker and frostier. You can cut up ripe peaches, plums, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, and apricots, then spread them on a tray and freeze until firm. Store in individual baggies until youre ready to blend. These kid-friendly smoothies are adult approved, too.

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Why You Should Make This Strawberry Smoothie

Ive made a version of this easy smoothie recipe more times than I can count. Its perfect on its own and is the best base recipe for adding more ingredients.

Here are a few more reasons we love it:

  • You need less than 5 minutes to make it.
  • You can use fresh or frozen fruit. In fact, frozen strawberries make the smoothie extra creamy.
  • Its easy to adapt to what you have in the kitchen.
  • This smoothie is perfect for breakfast or a snack.
  • Kids love it!

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Use Whole Fruit Instead Of Sweetened Liquids

Blending juicy, whole fruits into your smoothie adds natural sugar that I prefer to other sweet options. Plus, you get the benefit of taking in whole fruit. I like using oranges, watermelon or pineapple. Even canned pineapple works well, as long as its marked unsweetened. In fact, in this nourishing Green Smoothie from Simply Recipes, its very clear that canned pineapple is a viable optionand how convenient that you can always have it around, even in winter.

Recommended Reading: 10 Day Detox Smoothie Diet

How Else To Reach Your Daily Fruit Goal

For me, the trick is to make the fruit very presentable. The prettier the presentation, the more I eat/drink. This Strawberry Smoothie Without Yogurt worked for me because I beautified it with frozen berries on top. I look at it with hearts in my eyes and then dump it. I guess thats called auto-brain-washing, haha.

Another way that works great for me is a pretty fruit platter. Ive got tons of tips onhow to arrange a beautiful fruit platter.

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How To Make A Smoothie Thicker Without Bananas

Triple Berry Banana Smoothie Recipe – How to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth Healthily

There are many ways to thicken up your smoothies without bananas. Along with the avocado I mentioned are these yummy replacements:

  • Silken tofu doesnt change the flavor too much but does make a smoothie nice and creamy
  • If you are making a meal replacement smoothie, add quinoa to the blender with your other ingredients
  • Try adding your favorite nut butter for a thicker smoothie and a deliciously nutty taste
  • Protein powders can add a healthy punch and add a bit of consistency to a smoothie
  • Coconut meat can be bought frozen and thickens your smoothie with a coconut-y taste
  • Freeze almond milk into ice cubes and add them to the blender
  • Pitted dates add sweetness and thickness to smoothies

Ill give you 10 ways to make banana free smoothies below. Just remember, when making smoothies, almost anything goes, as long as you like the final taste!

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Healthy Smoothies Arent Afraid Of Veggies

Unless youre already on board with green juice, it may seem odd to add veggies to your smoothie. But leafy greens like spinach and kale blend into smoothie beautifully and contribute many disease-fighting compounds. Plus, the sweet fruits mask any lingering tang from the lettuces, so youll never know theyre there. Of course, theyll turn your beverage green, so if youre trying to sneak a few past a toddler or kid, consider mixing them into a smoothie with cocoa to hide the hue. Give green a go with these 9 green smoothie recipes.

What Do I Use To Sweeten A Smoothie

All of these smoothies here use frozen fruit as a base, which adds a nice baseline of sweetness that you can build on if your tastebuds would like. My recommendation is to blend up your smoothie without any added sweetener, then taste. Add in honey or maple syrup to taste. Many times, I dont need to add anything! Another great natural option for sweetening: pitted Medjool dates. Throw in one or two of those bad boys and let the blender do its thing. Youd be amazed at how sweet your smoothie will be!

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Health Benefits Of Strawberries

Strawberries are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

They are good for your heart, help in regulating blood sugar level, boost immunity, known to have anti-cancer properties, regulate blood pressure, and aid in weight management.

The antioxidants and polyphenols in strawberries are good for heart health and prevent cancer.

These are good for skin and hair health.

What Can I Eat Instead Of Banana

A Green Smoothie For Fall

A lot of us eat bananas because we know they are good for us and that they are packed full of potassium. What does potassium do for the body? Well, its one of the most important nutrients and works toward lowering your blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Fruits that have a healthy amount of potassium are:

  • Avocado

You can also fill up on black beans or edamame.

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How To Make A Strawberry Smoothie:

  • Combine all of your ingredients in your blender.
  • Blend until smooth and serve to the folks who have probably formed a line behind you.
  • Smoothie Pro Tip: Be sure to put the liquid ingredients in first, and then the frozen ingredients. The liquid helps with the blending process and prevents your blender from locking up on the hard frozen fruits!

    Alternative Sweeteners For Your Smoothies

    Health Coach at TheHouseofHealthy.com and author of the books Detox 101 and The Smoothie Life.

    Sugar is one of the most talked about foods in both the healthy and not-so-healthy food worlds. Sugar is made from the sugar cane plant and is a natural sweetener. It will sweeten your dish and can be used in so many things. That is the problem.

    Because sugar sweetens so well, it is often manufactured and processed in mass and in less than natural ways that strip any nutritional benefits that might belong to it. The process of making sugar “white” strips any nutrients from it and allows for mass production and super cheap sweetener. This means that most foods and drinks that contain added sugar are laced with the kind that spikes your blood sugar, causes you to crash and leads to weight gain.

    This even extends to smoothies. There are some smoothies, especially those with a yogurt base, that contain added sugar and starches to get the right amount of texture and sweetness. Fortunately, there are quite a few other ways to sweeten your smoothies a bit more naturally, with a few extra nutrients to go along with the sweetness.

    Natural sugars contain things like iron, potassium, good bacteria, fiber and magnesium in addition to sweetness. These are things like raw sugar, molasses, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, dates and bananas. While some of these do still have similar glycemic-index to regular sugar, they also contain those nutrients that make them a bit healthier for you.

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    Power Up With Protein:

    Amount: 1 tbsp 1/2 cup

    Adding protein to your smoothie is a great way to make your smoothie more of a meal. Protein helps us feeling fuller for longer, and is used for so many processes in our body. Protein can come from a bunch of different sources. Read more about protein in our Spotlight article!

    When all your ingredients are added, blend up! You can adjust the amount of liquid if your smoothie is too thick to blend.

    To make a smoothie more like a meal, we also suggest topping your smoothie with granola , or enjoying some toast, oatmeal, or cereal on the side.

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