Smoothies are revolutionizing the world of healthy beverages across the world together with green tea, fresh fruit and vegetable nectars where they are sold in fancy juice bars in malls, fitness centers and spas.

1. Smoothies are revolutionizing the world of healthy beverages across the world together with
green tea, fresh fruit and vegetable nectars where they are sold in fancy juice bars in malls, fitness
centers and spas.
These ice-blended, optionally sweetenedbeverages are predominantly fresh fruit-based though
variations include chocolate,coffee and even vegetables. It is called such because of its very thick
consistency achieved with the addition of milkor yoghurt.
It originated in the United States(bellini cocktail)
in the 1960s and rapidly grew in popularity and
distribution and is now sold in cafes, juice bars
and restaurants where they continue to be
marketed as healthy drinks boosted with
nutritional powders and supplements. Vegan
versions are made with soy, rice or coconut milk
instead of dairy.
When preparing smoothies at home, a good
quality blender is ideal if you want to achieve a
fine homogenous texture especially if ice and
green leafy vegetables are included in the blend.
Hand held immersion blenders are sold
everywhere and are cheaper than heavy duty high-speed versions that come with a pitcher.
Not all smoothies can be considered healthy. Heavily sweetened drinks flavoured with powdered
artificial flavors provide virtually no nutrients. On the other hand, a health buff can get easily
carried away with by adding super foods from exotic countries like antioxidant-rich acai from
Brazil to spirulina and chlorella, two kinds of blue-green algae harvested from clean water sources
in different parts of the world.
When preparing these drinks for kids, go easy on the greens
and use more colorful and naturally sweet fruit like
mangoes and bananas. Tart berries and citrus fruits provide
contrast. Rather than refined white sugar, go for honey
and other natural sweeteners.
Raw vegans even replace entire meals with what they like
to call breakfast or lunch smoothies,depending on when
they take it. More than the usual recipe of fruit, ice, sugar
and milk, raw smoothies eliminate any form of animal
products and instead uses fruits with a high fat content such as avocado and coconut meat.
These are powered up with greens like kale and spinach and sweetened with honey, stevia,
coconut or palm sugar, or agave extract, all healthier forms of sugars.
Tip: If the smoothie already has a sweet fruit like mango, you may do away with any sweetener.
Add a teaspoonful of super food to kick up nutrient content several notches higher. Lastly,
consume it right away as these tend to spoil quickly having no preservatives. Nutrients are also
lost as the smoothie sits in the refrigerator.