Adding vegetables to one’s diet has numerous health benefits. People who eat more vegetables are more likely to lead a healthy life because increasing vegetable intake reduces the risk of many complicated chronic diseases. The easiest way to consume more vegetables is to have them in smoothies.
If you make a glass of smoothie with a food processor and drink it for breakfast, you probably won’t feel the need to eat anything for hours; this feeling of fullness can also help you reduce weight quickly. Daily consumption of vegetables has remarkable effects on overall health, from lowering blood cholesterol levels to aiding in digestion, purifying the blood, to regulating blood sugar levels. They take care of almost everything.
In this article, we share how these vegetable smoothies will amazingly impact your overall health. Stay with us.
Contents
Best vegetables for smoothies:
1. Broccoli Smoothie:
Broccoli is a fantastic veggie that is a powerhouse of folate and vitamin C. It offers some excellent health benefits and is great for your heart and digestion. However, broccoli has a pretty strong flavor. Therefore, while making a smoothie, if you don’t like this strong flavor, you may add some fruits, honey, ginger, or proteins to mask it. Broccoli can be used alone to make a smoothie but to enhance the smoothie’s flavor. You may add other fruits like bananas, mango, peanut butter, strawberries, or any other fruit of your choice. This fantastic combo of vegetables and fruits together does wonders in terms of health and fitness.
2. Sweet Potato Smoothie:
Sweet potato is a nutrient-loaded root vegetable capable of meeting the body’s daily requirement of potassium, which is around 12% approximately. It is available in various colors and is rich in fiber and antioxidants that safeguard the body from the damage caused by free radicals. It’s pretty safe to use raw sweet potatoes to make smoothies, but certain kinds of yams are safe only when eating in a cooked form. Therefore, it is recommended to use boiled sweet potatoes to make a smoothie which adds a silky, creamy effect to the final product.
Consuming sweet potato smoothies in breakfast is the healthier option, which tastes like pumpkin pie. These sweet potatoes are more likely to retain beta-carotene if consumed after boiling rather than cooking or baking. In addition, they include both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps in lowering the chances of colon cancer and chronic constipation.
3. Cucumber Smoothie:
After a heavy meal, if you want to feel light, then go for a cucumber smoothie. Adding cucumbers to your diet is essential because they are 95% water and a natural antioxidant that detoxifies your body. It is rich in vitamin A, B & C with phytonutrients that exhibit anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Cucumber is rich in nutrients, low in calories, and contains many vital nutrients, vitamins & minerals essential for the body. As it has high water content, that’s why it helps to hydrate the body.
Cucumber has several health benefits; it’s a refresher drink, especially during summers used to beat the heat. In addition, it helps in lowering blood pressure. You can drink cucumber smoothie alone. However, if you want to spice it up, you can add any other veggie or fruit of your choice to make it more savory.
4. Beetroot Smoothie:
Beetroot is a vegetable with bright and beautiful colors and is loaded with tons of health benefits. It comprises immune-boosting vitamin C, iron, fiber, and manganese. The antioxidants in beetroot help get rid of harmful toxins and free radicals. Moreover, beetroots have a low caloric count and are laden with essential beneficial nutrients. In addition, beets are rich in fiber. That’s why they won’t let you constipated by helping in the process of digestion.
This smoothie in the breakfast will serve as a complete meal. Your stomach won’t crave anything for hours after having a beetroot smoothie. Owing to contain iron, it helps regulate blood flow and lowers the risk of cardiac issues and stroke. Beetroot is also a key ingredient in many weight loss drinks. Moreover, the dietary nitrates present in this amazingly nutritious veggie help improve athletic performance and stamina.
Beetroot juice is tasty on its own. However, adding an apple or any other citrus fruit will augment the taste of the smoothie and will take it to the next level.
5. Carrot Smoothie:
Carrot is one of the most popular veggies to be considered for a smoothie because of its fantastic health benefits. Like all the veggies listed above, carrot is another superfood that you should include in your diet to keep yourself healthy, fit, and in shape. Unlike some other vegetables, carrot has a strong flavor. However, the hint of sweetness in carrots makes them a suitable option for smoothies. Carrot is a veggie famous for making juices and smoothies due to its sweet taste, accessibility throughout the year, and high vitamin content.
Vitamin A-rich veggie helps improve eyesight, whereas beta-carotene, vitamin K, and B6 help boosting energy and strength. In addition, carrots help boost immunity, regulate blood sugar levels, and improve heart health and skin.
Carrot smoothie tastes delicious on its own. However, to make it more yummy and tasty, you can add lime juice or apple juice to it.
6. Spinach Smoothie:
If you are planning to start having smoothies, go with the leafy green veggies first. Spinach, in this list, is one of the best options to begin with since it is mild in flavor and to have a stack of health benefits. In addition, these green leafy vegetables are loaded with the goodness of nutrients and minerals required by our body to perform daily functions. Therefore, it should be a part of our daily diet. Spinach is one such power-house option. Tossing spinach in a smoothie is one such convenient way to do it.
Spinach is believed to be one of the best sources of iron. It also contains fiber, antioxidants, and several valuable nutrients. In addition, it helps in regulating blood pressure and is also beneficial in improving eyesight.
7. Winter Squash Smoothie:
Squash is a vivid and beautiful vegetable, which offers a lot of health benefits. They are equipped with vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and numerous other valuable, healthy nutrients like magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, and copper. In addition, it also exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties because of having carotenoids in it. As they are loaded with these nutrients, therefore help enhance and improve the eyesight and skin. Furthermore, they help reduce the chances of cancer. Not only this, but they aid in lowering blood pressure and boost immunity. This diabetic controlling veggie is not merely creamy and light, but it will also provide your body with essential nutrients.
The Squash smoothie is light and creamy with a mild flavor. But, there is always room for improvement. So, you can add cinnamon, ginger, lime juice, or nutmeg to bright the smoothie. Any fruit of your choice in these smoothies will also help in accentuating the flavor of the smoothie.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
Q1. Is it safe for pregnant women to have smoothies?
Ans. . A pregnant woman needs to take a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, proteins, antioxidants, healthy fats, and electrolytes. Smoothies is the most convenient option to add all these beneficial nutrients and minerals to one’s diet. Furthermore, these loaded smoothies benefit pregnant women and will also impact the fetus’s overall health.
Q2. What vegetables are best for the smoothies?
Ans: You can try just about any vegetable to get a smoothie. Always attempt to try something new with new spices and recipes with complementary flavors. Don’t bound yourself with some traditionally and conventionally used ideas. From spinach to bottle gourd, from beetroot to squash, every fruit is eligible to be blended as a smoothie.
Q3. Is it safe to make a vegetable combo with fruits or any other vegetable for a smoothie?
Ans: It is pretty OK to mix any vegetables and fruits to get a smoothie of your choice. Instead, combining two or three veggies or fruit is suggested to get a combo smoothie drink that pleases your taste buds.
Q4. What would be the best ingredients to make a perfect smoothie?
Ans: You can add any of the ingredients of your choice to the smoothie. However, certain elements are commonly used in most smoothies: plain yogurt, plain milk, different flavored kinds of milk like soymilk, almond milk, natural almond butter, and natural peanut butter, etc.
Q5.What vegetable to avoid for juicing?
Ans: Although most of the vegetables are good-to-go for the smoothies. However, certain veggies are better to be avoided, which are coconut, kale, and pears.
Final thoughts:
There you go. After going through this article, I hope to convince you to add fresh vegetable smoothies to your diet as an integral part of your daily routine. Don’t try to make merely liquid salads out of these veggies. Instead, try some new veggies with new recipes, and don’t limit yourself with already available and so-called tried & tested options. Create a new smoothie recipe by making one of your choices or by blending a couple of veggies.