The best smoothie recipes: 10 healthy smoothies to get in shape.
May 18, 2021
We love smoothies. Smoothies are wellness smoothies, the recipes for which you’re sure to find in this article. But before we post the best smoothie recipes, we’ll tell you why we recommend including ‘fitness’ smoothies in your diet.
A smoothie is a thick drink made from whipped ingredients. It should not be confused with freshly squeezed juice. A prepared smoothie retains 100% of the health benefits of each product. Once the juice is squeezed, the pulp is discarded, as well as the valuable fiber and some vitamins and minerals.
Why are fitness smoothies good for your health?
1. high fiber content.
Fiber is an essential element for gastrointestinal health. Its mechanism of action is as follows: it cleans the villi on the surface of the intestine and thus improves the absorption of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Fiber also “feeds” the beneficial bacteria (probiotics) that participate in a multitude of processes, from the production of enzymes to the synthesis of vitamins, hormones and amino acids.
2. Low glycemic index.
We often talk about the importance of choosing foods and meals with a low glycemic index. The GI shows how blood sugar levels change after consuming a certain food. The more fiber a food has, the lower its glycemic index. Freshly squeezed juice contains almost no fiber: it has a high GI. A fiber-rich smoothie has a medium or low GI, depending on the ingredients chosen.
3. High absorption of valuable elements.
Some substances are better absorbed in chopped form. For example, Omega-3 essential fatty acids. If you grind flax seeds or another source of Omega-3 in a blender, you will get much more benefits. It has also been studied that grated carrots are more effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels than whole carrots.
4. enrich your diet.
One of the principles of a healthy diet is variety. Don’t know how to use healthy foods? Add it to fitness cocktails (you can find recipes with any ingredient). Know you’re not eating enough leafy greens? Add a handful of spinach to the blender: it won’t change the taste of your drinks, but it will make the smoothies healthier.
Other ingredients, such as spices, can be added in the same way. At YARO, we often use turmeric, a hot spice with a strong anti-inflammatory effect. And don’t be surprised if we add ginger to many of our dishes and drinks: it is high in vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium and iron.
5. Functional effect.
The ingredients you use determine the value of your shake, as well as its functional effects. Suppose you want to reduce the pH of your blood to 7.43, creating a slightly alkaline environment in which cancer cells cannot multiply (a discovery for which the scientist Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932). If this is the case, opt for smoothies formulated with green ingredients.
Want to make the best smoothies for your health? Add superfoods – foods with the highest concentration of health benefits. YARO products and drinks contain chlorella, hemp seed protein, açai berries, moringa, spirulina, chia seeds, goji berries and many other superfoods. Each of these can be chopped in a blender – try it!
The composition also determines the best time to consume the drink. A post-workout shake should be predominantly protein, while a pre-workout shake should be carbohydrate-based.
How to prepare the shake:
1. Choose a base for your shake.
Want to prepare a light drink? Mix the ingredients with water. A second option is to make a smoothie with vegetable milk (in this case the smoothie will be richer). Coconut milk for those who like tropical flavor, almond milk for those who like nutty flavor. And don’t be afraid to experiment: you can make delicious smoothies with oat milk, rice milk, soy milk and hemp milk.
2. Add herbs.
Spinach, kale, cucumbers: don’t hesitate to add green foods to your smoothie. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, plant enzymes, antioxidants and essential oils. The main difference of green ingredients is the presence of the green pigment chlorophyll, which oxygenates the blood and removes toxins from the body. Incidentally, it is one of the few compounds that detoxify heavy metals.
We’re all for variety: the more colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet, the better. The fact is that color in plants is provided by pigments, each with its own set of antioxidant properties. Purple plants are rich in anthocyanins.