Healthy from a straw
Spring is coming and you’re craving fresh, fruity, vitamin-rich dishes. Loot the fruit bowl and make delicious smoothies yourself.
Puree the fruit with the blender, hand blender or food processor for 1 large or 2 small smoothies.
Top ingredient: mango
This fruit from the tropics is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, such as zeaxanthin, which protects the eyes against macular degeneration and night blindness.
Tropical mango & banana smoothie
- 150 g mango
- 1 small banana
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 100 ml coconut milk
Cut the mango into pieces and the banana into slices. Puree the fruits and lemon juice and stir in the coconut milk. Extra tasty and nutritious with a handful of chopped hazelnuts. You can also use yogurt instead of coconut milk.
Top ingredient: blueberries
Purple and blue are colors that are rarely found in our food. The blue dyes (anthocyanins) act as a powerful antioxidant and are good for heart and blood vessels.
Fresh vitamin smoothie
- 100 g blueberries
- 100 g raspberries
- 4 mint leaves
- 150 ml orange juice
Puree all ingredients and pour the smoothie into a tall glass. The smoothie becomes less acidic with some sugar or honey in it. You make it less thick by mixing a little water or juice.
Top ingredient: avocado
Avocado contains a lot of fat and is therefore nice and creamy. The fat is unsaturated and is healthy for the heart and blood vessels. Avocado also contains a lot of fiber.
Green avocado & spinach smoothie
- 1 ripe avocado
- 100 g cucumber
- 1 kiwi
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach, washed
- 100ml cold water
Clean the fruit, cut it into pieces and puree all the ingredients. Also delicious with lamb’s lettuce or turnip greens. Prefer a slightly fruitier taste? Then add a small banana.
Good to know
Early in the spring there is still little soft summer fruit, but frozen fruit is also fine. Due to the rapid freezing, the vitamins are well preserved. It is not the case that all vitamins immediately evaporate if you leave the smoothies for a while. So you can make them a few hours in advance. The big advantage of a smoothie instead of juice is that all of the fruit is used: nothing is lost, not even fiber. A smoothie with three pieces of fruit in it provides a nice sugar boost. Although it is fruit sugar, it is something to take into account, especially if you are predisposed to diabetes or overweight.
Prefer less sugar? Make a savory smoothie with vegetables, do not use juice but (ice) water for dilution, or take a smaller portion.
Sources):
- Plus Magazine
