The Healthy Scoop: Juice and Smoothie Recipes that Will Get you Glowing

Fri, 30 November 2012 11:00AM

What can I say? Celebs just love their juice. These days holding a ‘freshly-pressed’ in Hollywood is as important as booking in for your regular spray tan and being spotted at Ivy. The good news: this health craze can benefit us all.

Blake Lively, Nicole Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Szohr and Olivia Wilde (below) are all fans of drinking their fruit and veg, and for you at home, juicing (or smoothing) is a wonderful way to get a stack of nutrients into your diet. Not to mention glow like crazy.

First up, there are some things you need to consider.

1. Juices vs/ Smoothies: Juicing has come a long way since the days of sugar-filled poppers and preservative-packed bottles. These days juicing machines have sophisticated designs that help retain as many nutrients as possible from the raw fruit and vegetables. Juicing is a great way to get a big nutrient hit into your body and is done with a juice machine and a variety of fruit and vegetables. Smoothies on the other hand are made with a blender, allowing the nutrients to be whizzed into really easy-to-absorb pieces. They also have the additional benefit of fibre and are made with anything from a mixture of fruit to leafy greens. Thus, the green smoothie was born!

2. Ingredients: What you put in your smoothie is just as much about health as it is about taste. Starting your day with a big hit of nutrients and vitamins will sustain your body for hours on end, and with the addition of healthy fats like coconut or nuts, you’ll be sure to last until lunchtime. The more vegetable dense your juice or smoothie the better, as it will have lower levels of natural sugars, but it’s often the taste of berries, apple or banana that bring that can’t-stop-drinking goodness to each sip. Play with recipes and formulas to find what works best for you. Mushy fruits like berries, banana, kiwis and avocado are best left for the blender as they don’t juice well, whereas leafy greens and watery fruits (like apple and watermelon) are great in the juice machine. Pick seasonal produce or frozen options for a super-chilled result.

3. Dairy or non dairy: Whether you eat dairy or not, when it comes to choosing dairy milk over non-dairy options like coconut water or almond milk for your smoothie, there is something worth considering. Dairy blocks the absorption of antioxidants into your body, so when you’re adding a stack of antioxidant rich foods into your recipe, you want to get the maximum benefit. Personally, I always pick non-dairy options for my smoothie as I want to absorb every last bit of goodness, but the choice is entirely yours.

4. Protein: Want to add some protein to your breakfast shake? While this doesn’t really work for juices, you can add protein power (preferably all natural Pea Protein or Whey Powder), as well as chia seeds to get that extra dose of goodness in  your day. I like The Healthy Chef’s options.

Here are three of my favourite recipes for you to try at home…

1. Health Is Happiness’s Raw Chocolate and Green Smoothie

I originally discovered this smoothie recipe on Pinterest. It comes from HealthIsHappiness.com and I have loved it since the first sip.

Here’s what you’ll need to blend together…

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1 banana
• 1/4 raw cacao nibs
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 pitted medjool dates
• 2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk) – or more
• 4-6 ice cubes
• 1 teaspoon maca powder (optional)

2. With Style and Grace’s Green Refresher

What I love about this recipe is that you can either juice or blend it and it’s zingy flavour instantly wakes you up. Try it, you’ll love it. I’m sure!

You’ll need to blend or juice…

• 4 romaine leaves
• 3 sticks of celery
• 2 green apples, cored and cut into large pieces
• 1″ of fresh ginger
• 3/4 – 1 whole english cucumber, cut into fourths
• 1 lemon, quartered

3. Emma Seibold’s Super Green Smoothie

Since Em founded Urban Remedy Cleanse she and I have become friends. I love her juicing recipes and general lust for life as she embarks on one amazing business venture after another. She’s currently killing it in Melbourne with her Barre Body studio. If you live down there I highly recommend popping in for a class. Your bum will thank you! This is her favourite smoothie recipe.

You’ll need…

• 1/2 cup apple juice (freshly squeezed or bottled if you’re short on time)
• 1/2 small avocado
• 1 banana
• A handful baby spinach
• 2 or 3 cos (romaine) lettuce leaves
• A handful of ice
• A tablespoon of chia seeds

 

Posted by: Yasemin Trollope

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Tags: featured, green smoothies, healthy breakfast options, juice recipes, smoothie recipes