Store-bought smoothies are loaded with sugar and artificial flavoring and these are not healthy stuff. This article has curated several ...
Store-bought smoothies are loaded with sugar and artificial flavoring and these are not healthy stuff. This article has curated several easy and healthy fruits smoothies recipes for you to try at home. Recipes that have low sugar and calories so you can still enjoy and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Are Fruit Smoothies Healthy?
Yes, they are healthy provided you packed it in with healthy ingredients. Stuff that gives vitamin, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, phytonutrients, and fiber. So you need to know what to include and what to limit. Throw out the excess sugar and fat in your homemade fruit smoothies, which are plenty in the store-bought smoothies. Commercial smoothies whether it is pre-made or store-bought are made with sugar laded fruit juices, artificial flavoring, and cheap protein powder or milk. It may taste nice but it is high in calories.
Since smoothies are blended, it is easy on your digestive system. The high fiber fruits will also slow down the digestion so your blood sugar will not spike so fast.
How to Make A Healthy Fruit Smoothie at Home
So, forget the commercial fruit smoothies from fast food outlets or supermarkets. They are too high in calories and sugar. Create your own easy to drink fruit smoothies that are healthy and portable for your on-the-go breakfast or snack. Follow these simple tips when you go out shopping for ingredients for a healthy fruit smoothie.
- Choose Fruits With Lower Sugar Content
Berries - blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries, are low in sugar. So are kiwifruits, grapefruit, avocado, cantaloupe, watermelon, papaya, guavas, fresh cranberries, and peaches. These fruits have between one and 13 grams of sugar for one serving (as in the fruit smoothie recipe).
Fruits with moderate sugar content are pears, apples, oranges and other sweet citrus fruits.
Fruits that have higher sugar content are fresh figs, grapes, mangoes, bananas, cherries, pineapple, and pomegranates.
Dried fruits are extremely high in sugar and should be avoided in your fruit smoothie recipes. Examples are raisins, apricots, dates, figs, prunes, and other dried fruits. Although dried cranberries and blueberries have lower sugar content, sugar is added to reduce its tartness.
- Thicken Smoothie with Frozen Fruits
Based on the study published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition people who had denser and thicker smoothies felt fuller than people who had the thinner version.
Banana is usually added to make smoothies thicker. But banana has a high sugar content. Instead, use frozen healthy fruit that has a high soluble fiber content and pectin such as frozen blackberries. So, thicken your smoothie with frozen fruit instead of banana.
Banana is usually added to make smoothies thicker. But banana has a high sugar content. Instead, use frozen healthy fruit that has a high soluble fiber content and pectin such as frozen blackberries. So, thicken your smoothie with frozen fruit instead of banana.
Chia seeds will also thicken smoothies, and add fiber, healthy fats, and protein. Finally, add more ice as ice is the best way to thicken your smoothie without adding other flavors and calories.
- Use Water, not Store-Bought Juice
Some recipes include fruit juice in their smoothie recipe. It is OK if you juiced it yourself - provided it is the low sugar fruits. But avoid store-bought fruit juice as they are loaded with sugar. Other healthy alternatives are coconut water, unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, flax milk, regular milk, and hemp milk.
- For A Complete Meal, Include Protein and Fats
Proteins are essential to your diet and avocado and Greek yogurt are good ingredients that give protein, low in sugar and has antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and also good fats.
Other sources of proteins and good fats are whey protein, pea protein, and nut butter.
- Need to Sweeten It?
If the low sugar fruits are depriving you of the enjoyment of fruit smoothies, don't add spoonfuls of sugar or honey. Go easy with them or try a dash of vanilla extract, nutmegs or cinnamon to spice up the flavor and not the sweet sensation.
Easy Fruit Smoothies Recipes
A lot of the fruit smoothie recipes you find online uses fruits with moderate to high sugar content. Banana, apple, pineapples are among the top favorites. It is tough to sieve through and find smoothie recipes that use the low sugar fruits. I did, however, found a few and some of these recipes I had to tweak to lower the sugar and fat content. Try these fresh healthy fruit smoothie recipes that are easy and with doses of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants but without excess calories. Tweak it if you like but remember not to overload with sugary and fatty stuff. Share your version of these fruit smoothie recipes here.
1. Dragon Fruit Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Photo and Recipe Source: The Grateful Grazer
This exotic fruit is low in sugar and looks like a pineapple with soft spikes. The flesh is white or red but the red flesh is healthier. Raspberries and blackberries are added to this dragon fruit smoothie to sweeten the flavor. So, the next time of think of fruit smoothie, try this exotic dragon fruit smoothie for a change.
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| Healthy Fruit Smoothie with Dragon Fruit |
Ingredients
2 packets frozen dragon fruit about 200 grams1 cup frozen raspberries
½ cup frozen blackberries
5.3 ounces strawberry yogurt (150 grams)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ lime for a 1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
Add all the fruits, yogurt, lime juice, ginger, chia seeds and almond milk and blend at high speed for about a minute. Add ice for a thicker smoothie. For a thinner smoothie, add more milk.Pour this dragon fruit smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy.
2. Frozen Fruit Smoothie - Strawberry Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 1 serving
Photo Source: Eating On A Dime
This is an easy recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie using only one fruit - strawberry. The unsweetened almond milk and strawberry yogurt provide the creaminess to this strawberry smoothie.
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| Frozen Fruit Smoothie - Strawberry Smoothie |
Ingredients
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk or milk of your choice1 cup of frozen strawberry
1 cup (8oz) of strawberry yogurt
Instructions
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend at high speed until you get a thick, smooth strawberry smoothie.Add ice for a thicker smoothie. Pour this frozen fruit smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy
3. Avocado Fruit Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Recipe Source: BBC Good food
Photo Source: Upstate Ramblings
Avocado fruit smoothie uses only two fruits and 5 minutes to prepare for a quick breakfast on the go. It also makes a healthy snack or even for lunch or dinner!
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| Healthy Fruit Smoothie with Avocado Fruit |
Ingredients
½ avocado peeled and cut into small pieces150g (5.3 ounces) strawberry cut into halves
4 tbsp low-fat strawberry yogurt or natural yogurt
200ml (1 cup) semi-skimmed milk
lemon or lime juice, to taste
honey to taste (optional)
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until you get a smooth, thick consistency. If it is too thick, add a little water.Add ice for a thicker smoothie. Pour this avocado smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy
4. Mixed Fruit Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 1 serving
Photo Source: AllRecipes
The original recipe for this mixed fruit smoothie uses honey crisp apple but because apple has moderate sugar content, I replaced it with strawberry instead. The combination of grapefruit, strawberry, kiwifruit, and lime gives a tangy and sweet flavor to this mixed fruit smoothie.
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| Mixed Fruit Smoothie |
Ingredients
1 cup filtered water½ ruby red grapefruit
½ lime
4 strawberries
½ kiwi
Instructions
Remove the skins from the grapefruit, kiwis, and lime. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed until you get a nice consistency. Add ice for a thicker smoothie.Pour this mixed fruit smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy.
GOOD BLENDER FOR SMOOTHIE
A satisfying and delicious smoothie needs a good high-speed blender to give the right consistency and texture. The following recommendations are a mixture of high and low-priced blender that typically received positive reviews and highly recommended for your smoothie recipes.Amazon has several other high-speed blenders but these are value for money:
5. Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Photo Source: Jennifer Murch
The standard ingredients for tropical fruit smoothie will include coconut water, banana, pineapple, passionfruit, and mango. These are all great tasting ingredients but these fruits are in the moderate to high sugar content. Typically, tropical fruits are higher in sugar except for watermelon, papaya, guavas, dragonfruit, starfruit etc. For this tropical fruit smoothie recipe, I use starfruit or carambola, dragon fruit or pitaya, papaya and coconut flesh. Pineapple will give this recipe a better bite but was excluded as sugar is higher!
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| Tropical Fruit Smoothie |
Ingredients
1 starfruit or carambola - cut into small pieces and remove all the seeds1/2 small sized papaya - remove the skin and seeds then cut into small pieces
1/4 cup coconut flesh cut into small pieces
1 dragon fruit (red flesh variety) - scoop out the flesh
1 cup low-fat natural yogurt
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Add ice for a thicker smoothie. Pour this tropical fruit smoothie into a tall glass and drink immediately.RELATED POST: Healthy and Delicious Matcha Smoothie Recipes
6. Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Recipe and Photo Source: The Iron You
I was raised with the notion that fruits and vegetables should not be taken together but in so many smoothie recipes you will find the fruit and veggie combo. Why bad? - both fruits and veggie require a different digestive process. But if you don't give a damn about the issue, try this fruit and vegetable smoothie recipe that has the superfoods - blueberries, avocado, spinach and chia seeds.
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| Healthy Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie |
Ingredients
½ cup crushed ice1 cup frozen blueberries
½ ripe avocado - remove the skin and seed
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup / 250ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Add more ice for a thicker smoothie. Pour this fruit and vegetable smoothie into a tall glass and drink immediately.7. Another Frozen Fruit Smoothie - Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 1 serving
Recipe and Photo Source: Lil Luna
This is another favorite frozen fruit smoothie featuring strawberry and blueberry. I know I had a few smoothie recipes with strawberry as one of the ingredients but research shows that it is one of the top ingredients in many of the fruits or veggie smoothies. I wonder why! Give this strawberry blueberry smoothie a try and maybe you might know the reason why.
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| Strawberry blueberry smoothie |
Ingredients
½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or you can use skim milk instead)½ cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
6 ounces non-fat natural yogurt
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Add more ice for a thicker smoothie. Pour this strawberry blueberry smoothie into a tall glass and drink immediately.8. Peach Smoothie
Total Time: 5 mins
Servings: 1 serving
Recipe Source: EatingWell
Photo Source: PaleoNewbie
In this delicious one fruit smoothie, I introduce one of my favorite fruit - peach. This healthy fruit smoothie recipe is combined with peach yogurt for a creamy peachy flavor.
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| Another Healthy Fruit Smoothie with Peach |
Ingredients
1 cup skim milk2 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 cup peach fat-free yogurt
1 cup crushed ice
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