What are smoothies? How to do it and unique benefits
It is quite likely that today you can find them in a great diversity of cafes, bars and restaurants. Although in reality we are facing a concept that originally was born in the 1960s in California, at which time there was an authentic boom of people who felt the imperative need to take care of their body in gyms and opting for energy drinks and low in both calories and fat.
We are talking about the smoothies, that were popularized at the end of the decade of the 60s in the United States, along with the expansion of stores specializing in natural products, as well as sellers of ice cream.
A smoothie is a delicious fruit smoothie that instead of being sold as a fruit smoothie in itself is sold with the smoothie appeal. Something that would not really be a mistake if we take into account that tends to have a somewhat thicker and thicker consistency compared to smoothies. That is, it differs from smoothies in its creaminess, being also very common its preparation with pieces of frozen fruit. Said another simpler way: a smoothie is a creamy smoothie that is made up of fruit.
At the time of preparing it, you will dream to add milk, soy milk or natural yogurt in order to enrich this protein drink, although there are also those who make it directly by combining fruits with apple juice or ice cream.
Currently it is possible to find a wide variety of brands that sell smoothies on the shelves of supermarkets, but as the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) said in 2009, the consumption of industrial smoothies is not really the same as eating fresh fruit. , although its manufacturers say that the product would be equivalent to a serving of fresh fruit.
Therefore, the recommendation is clearly clear: always choose to prepare or consume smoothies with fresh fruit just at the time of taking it, either in a cafeteria or in any other establishment specialized in its preparation, or even do it directly at home.
Benefits provided by the smoothie
The smoothie becomes a naturally simple option to enjoy most of the nutritional benefits that the fruit brings. In fact, as you probably know, frozen fruit does not tend to lose qualities when properly frozen and at its opportune moment.
Therefore, we are faced with a drink full of vitamins and minerals, whose composition will obviously depend on the fruit we have chosen for its preparation. So, for example, if we choose the strawberries we will find a drink full of vitamin C and antioxidants.
This time it does not happen as with most juices and fruit juices, whose fiber and most edible part is removed, and we only consume the liquid itself. In the case of smoothies we also consume the fiber of the fruit, and usually the fruit used is therefore much smaller than when we made a simple juice.
Some useful tips when making smoothies
The preparation of a smoothie is actually very simple, in addition to stand out for being a very versatile drink, so that it can be prepared in very different ways and the ingredients to use in each of the recipes is equally varied.
To get the perfect smoothie it is necessary to put the fruit we have chosen first in the blender and beat it well, then add cold milk (or some vegetable drink, ice cream or plain yogurt) and continue beating until all the ingredients are integrated for a few seconds until obtaining a smooth, creamy and homogeneous mixture.
On the other hand, it is advisable to serve it always cold, although it is not advisable to pour ice in the glass when drinking it, but crush it before when we are beating the fruit, otherwise the water that results from the ice will end up distorting the original drink and it will lose flavor.
How to make a simple fruit smoothie
As you will discover below, the truth is that the preparation of a fruit smoothie It is extremely easy and simple, even more so when they have become so popular that lately it is very common to get packages or frozen fruit containers in the refrigerators of most hypermarkets and supermarkets.
Therefore, we really only need to choose between the frozen fruit with which we want to make our smoothie. And get to work!. Take note.
Ingredients:
- A handful of frozen fruit: strawberries, red fruits, pineapple, mango ... whichever you prefer.
- A glass of apple juice (preferably cold).
Elaboration of the fruit smoothie:
- Put the apple juice in the blender jar (if possible, choose an ideal blender for smoothies, although most may be worth).
- Add the frozen fruit that you like most.
- Beat everything well, until the fruit has been crushed completely and you obtain a mixture as homogeneous as possible.
- Serve it in a glass and enjoy.
As you see, we have not added any sweetener because in reality the smoothie is already sweet enough, not only for the fruit you have chosen for its preparation, but for the apple juice itself, which is usually sweet thanks to the sugar that already owns the apple
In addition, we tell you that it is preferable to choose blenders specially developed to make smoothies, because these, when we select the option, have the peculiarity of beating the fruit first slowly, to shred its frozen parts, to then become faster until the mix is finished. altogether. But, as we've told you, in reality any blender with enough power is enough. This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist.
