Healthy Fruit Smoothies and Their Benefits

We are recommended to have our five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Adhering to this requirement means eating a bowl of salad and having fruit with every meal, a task which most of us find quite daunting. Smoothies provide a great way to make us eat healthy. All we have to do is mix together the servings of fruits and vegetables with some liquid, and drink it.

Because of the ingredients they contain, healthy fruit smoothies are full of vitamins and minerals which are essential for good health. There is no limit to the kind of fruit or fruit combination's that you can come up with; they can be simple or exotic. The choice largely depends on taste and nutritional needs. Using fresh or frozen ones does not matter much since they still have the same nutrients. People may vary in their tastes but some fruits are more commonly used than others. Three of the most popular are bananas, blueberries and strawberries.

\"Smoothie Recipe\"

Bananas are great when mixed with nuts or peanut butter. The result is a very creamy drink which is a favorite for many. To make this banana smoothie, you have to mix 2 medium bananas with raw nuts, vanilla stevia and 1 pear with a half cup of water into a blender and blend for 20 seconds. In less than a minute, a healthy beverage can be enjoyed. This drink is full of potassium, a mineral which has been to help in maintaining a healthy circulatory system and is used in the proper functioning of muscles. It also regulates the acid levels in the stomach and lowers the risk of developing stomach ulcers. The fiber content aids in digestion as well.

Healthy Fruit Smoothies and Their Benefits

Blueberries are one of nature's most powerful antioxidants and their benefits are numerous. This fruit prevents urinary tract infections, prevents macular degeneration of the eyes, slows down aging, promotes brain function, prevents constipation, aids in digestion, prevents and cures cancer and boosts the immune system. This is due to the antibiotic properties of blueberries as well as the carotenoids and flavonoids contained in them, along with vitamins, zinc, phosphorus and selenium. If you want to achieve these benefits, try blending 1 banana and 1 cup of blueberries with vanilla stevia, lemon juice, a cup of water and ice cubes. You can then enjoy your glasses of blueberry-flavored healthy fruits smoothies.

Among the three top fruit ingredients, strawberries are perhaps the most well-known. An easy-to-make smoothie recipe calls for 1 banana, 1cup strawberries, vanilla stevia, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a cup of water and ice cubes. Because strawberry is very versatile, other fruits can be added to this basic mixture. Strawberries are good for the heart. It lowers the level of bad cholesterol and raises the level of the good ones. It regulates blood pressure and keeps it normal. Aside from these properties, the fruit contains antioxidants that combat cell damage. What's more, it is very low in calories and has no cholesterol and sodium.

These healthy fruit smoothies indeed provide us with what our bodies needs. We must be thankful that being fit is within anybody's reach, if only we are willing to commit to living a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Fruit Smoothies and Their Benefits

Fruit smoothies are great for breakfast or any time of the day. Learn the basics of smoothie preparation at http://www.healthyhomemadesmoothies.com/smoothie-how-to-the-basics-of-preparation.html

Breakfast Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss

I love to make breakfast smoothie recipes for weight loss because not only is having a healthy breakfast important for the day, but making it with fresh fruit and greens is an effective and healthy way to get all the vital nutrients you need to start your day and your metabolism! But there are some things you need to take into consideration when making these delicious treats, and that's the quality of the ingredients and the power of the blender you are going to be using. Also keep in mind that the quality of the water or juice you use can greatly affect the taste and health of your smoothie too!

Now the first thing to making sure you have the healthiest weight loss breakfast smoothie is to use only organic ingredients so that you can avoid putting nasty toxins and other chemicals into your food. Organic produce also happens to be much tastier and more dense in terms of nutrients per volume, so you are more likely to get the extra fiber and nutrients you need to help keep your body burning fat longer and and more effectively. They also can be purchased affordably by using frozen produce which is often available year round compared to fresh seasonal produce.

\"Smoothie Recipe\"

Now another important factor to consider is the blender itself, and I like to use high powered blenders made by blendtec or vitamix brands. This is because they provide the highest horsepower motors for there blenders which means the produce gets chopped up a lot better, which makes for a more consistent smoothie. This is not only important for taste, but also for health too because by emulsifying the ingredients you make them more "bio available" or easier to digest, so that your digestive system will absorb more of the nutrients!

Breakfast Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss

A great starter recipe is a strawberry banana weight loss smoothie. The basic recipe is:
-2 cups filtered water
-3-4 fresh strawberries
-1 whole banana in frozen chunks
-1 cup of non fat organic Greek yogurt
-1 tsp of organic ground Stevia for a safe and natural 0 calorie sweetener

Then all you have to do is toss your water into the blender first, then add in your Greek yogurt next. Follow that up with the fresh strawberries and then finally add in your frozen banana chunks and sweetener. Then all you have to do is blend until you get your desired consistency and enjoy!

Breakfast Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss

Visit my smoothie recipes site for more free smoothies!

I also have another smoothie recipe site that has some more yummy smoothie recipes that can help you lose weight.

Should You Juice Or Should You Blend? The Case For Whole Fruits and Vegetables

To Juice Or Not To Juice...

I've been down the juicing road. Load up the juicer squeeze out what seems like a tiny bit of juice for the amount of fruit I had used. Then one day I was looking at all the pulp that is left behind and it hit me! That pulp is full of vitamins and fiber, and I'm just throwing it away! Well that stopped my juicing days and started my blending days. Fruits are almost entirely sugar (fructose) but a whole fruit also contains plenty of fiber and vitamins that are lost when you just use it for the juice.

\"Smoothie Recipe\"

Once I stopped juicing and started blending I realized that I could mix and match fruits and vegetables into fantastic smoothies that could satisfy my nutritional needs in one great drink! Spinach is especially well suited to a fruit blender drink. It's delicate flavor blends right in and you really can't tell it's there. Mixed with berries, carrots and banana, spinach adds a good dose of the greens you really need but don't always take the time to eat. If you buy spinach in large packages, it's less expensive and can be put directly in the freezer and used as needed in your blender drinks. It freezes perfectly into little spinach chips and is a snap to toss right into your drinks. You can also use broccoli, tomato paste, pumpkin, sweet peppers, parsley, cabbage and beets. Just about any fruit or vegetable is worth a try. Go for a wide variety and get the most nutritional bang for your buck.

Should You Juice Or Should You Blend? The Case For Whole Fruits and Vegetables

Juice is one of those drinks that many people perceive as healthy, especially when it's labeled natural or organic and it says it's made from all natural ingredients. Lets be clear about this right now, juice is NOT part of a healthy eating plan. It is a much better idea to use the whole fruit or vegetable. Aren't we all trying to get enough fiber in our diets? Why throw those vitamins out?

So here's how you do it. Choose your fruit. Blueberries are fantastic and you won't have the seeds found in raspberries or blackberries. Bananas give the smoothie a creamy texture. Peaches, strawberries, melons, are all good. The fruit you use is a personal choice. I recommend buying fruit in season and chopping it up and freezing it for your drinks. Start with spinach and then experiment with other greens. Decide what you like, you can add as much or as little as your want. Put it all in the blender and use the liquid of your choice to blend it up. Here is where you might want to indulge in a little grape juice. Some people like it blended with just water. Others enjoy using soy or rice milk and adding cinnamon. Yogurt is also a great addition. Use just enough liquid to blend and enjoy! Using frozen ingredients creates a delicious frozen drink like a fruit milkshake. What a great way to get all the fruits and vegetables you need, and your kids will love it too!

Should You Juice Or Should You Blend? The Case For Whole Fruits and Vegetables

Kristin Alexander is a writer, web designer and marketer

Reach Her at Kristin@ireviewebooks.com

Visit [http://www.fastwaystoloseweightguide.com/] for more information on weight loss, book reviews, and recipes. While there be sure to get you FREE copy of the E-booklet "The Best Smoothie Recipe In The World And Why YOU Should Be Drinking It!" A great way to get all your necessary fruits and vegetables in one delicious drink!

How to Make the Perfect Frozen Fruit Smoothie Recipe

At my house, we just love frozen fruit smoothies. They are simple to make and are actually good for you. You can make these delicious cool drinks with just about any type of fruit or even combine different types of fruit. Let me explain exactly how to make a frozen fruit smoothie. It is quite simple.

To Make These Amazing Smoothies You Will Need:

\"Smoothie Recipe\"

We'll start with the equipment. You will need a blender to make good smoothies. A regular blender will do the job. A small, personal blender like the magic bullet is nice to have because you can customize each smoothie. Of course regular blenders work just as well, plus you can make more servings at a time.

How to Make the Perfect Frozen Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Frozen fruit comes next. Frozen smoothies can be made with all sorts of different fruit and and feel free to mix and match as well. Great fruit to start with is strawberry, peach and banana.

Yogurt makes another great addition to just about any smoothie. They give it a nice tangy flavor and creamy texture. Low or non-fat yogurts are the most figure-friendly, but you can use any type of yogurt as well as any flavor. You can also use Greek yogurt which is thicker and has more protein per serving.

The last ingredient you need in your smoothie is a liquid to thin the drink out and make it blendable. You can use water, milk or your favorite juice. Add just enough liquid to get the smoothie to the consistency you like. A good ratio to use is 2-1-1 (frozen fruit - yogurt - liquid). A good example would be 2 cups frozen strawberries blended with 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt and 1 cup skim milk.

Add more or less liquid until your smoothie gets the consistency you like best. You can also throw in a few ice cubes and blend them into your smoothie

Time to Blend:

Let's talk about blending. Start by blending the fruit and yogurt a little, then add your liquid and blend away. If your blender has a pulsing function (most do) use it. It allows any larger piece of fruit to sink back down to the bottom and get chopped up. That way you will end up with a nice smooth smoothie.

If your blender starts working too hard, it's time to add a little more liquid to make sure everything moves around well.

For smoothie recipes that call for ice in it, start with the ice and chop it up in your blender before you add the remaining ingredients. It will help mix the other ingredients together.

I tend to make most of my frozen fruit smoothies with only frozen fruit, but you can also use a combination of fresh and frozen. You can purchase the frozen fruit at the store, or freeze your own when it is in season. It is very easy to freezer berries for example. Just put them in a freezer bag and freeze them whole.

Slices of frozen banana make a great addition to just about any fruit smoothie. Whenever you find yourself with a banana that's getting a little too ripe, peel it, and then slice it. Put them into a freezer bag and freeze until you need them for a smoothie. Adding them gives your smoothie a nice creamy texture and adds some sweetness as well.

How to Make the Perfect Frozen Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Make the perfect smoothie with this strawberry smoothie recipe. Try it and you can find more smoothie recipes at http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/category/recipes/smoothies

6 Healthy Banana Smoothie Recipes

Are you a smoothie lover? Looking for some new smoothie recipes that use bananas? If so, I would like to share 6 of my favorite banana flavored smoothie recipes with you.

Why are banana smoothies good for you? Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium making them the ideal healthy fruit. Bananas are great for reducing depression, achieving bone and intestinal health, and for regulating high blood pressure.

\"Smoothie Recipe\"

All of these smoothie recipes use bananas, along with some additional ingredients. If you are looking to cut calories, you can substitute the milk with skim milk, or the ice cream with low-fat yogurt.

6 Healthy Banana Smoothie Recipes

If you like your smoothies really sweet, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey to your recipe. I always serve my smoothies in a chilled glass but you can serve them any way that you like. You can drink them straight from the glass, use a straw or eat them with a spoon. It is best to always serve your smoothies immediately.

Banana Mango

1 c. cubed peeled ripe mango
3/4 c. sliced ripe banana
2/3 c. milk
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

1 medium banana
1 1/4 c. milk
1 c. chocolate ice cream
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Cut the banana into 1" pieces. Wrap pieces in foil and freeze. Unwrap the banana pieces. In blender container combine banana, milk, chocolate ice cream and peanut butter. Cover and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Nana

5 oz. Frozen blueberries
2 bananas
2 c. ice
1 c. water

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Kiwi Banana

1 c. milk
2 scoops vanilla ice-cream
1 ripe banana, sliced
2 Kiwi fruit, peeled and finely diced

Blend the milk, ice-cream, and banana together in a blender till smooth. Add the Kiwi fruit, blend briefly, then pour into glasses.

Banana Cantaloupe

1/2 sliced cantaloupe melon
1 peeled banana
1 c. vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp. honey

Mix all of the above ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.

Boysenberry and Banana

3/4 c. boysenberries
1/2 c. low-fat boysenberry yogurt or vanilla yogurt
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 c. grape juice

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until well blended (about 1 minute).

6 Healthy Banana Smoothie Recipes

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989. Shelly is a Manager with Tupperware. You can contact Shelly at:
Web: http://www.classybusinesswomen.com
Recipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com