It’s no surprise people can’t seem to squeeze in their recommended daily fruit & vegetable intakes – busy lives mean dinner on the go, and dinner on the go doesn’t often include one vegetable let alone three. And no, in most circles, French fries are not considered a serving of vegetables.
Canada’s Food Guide recommends the average 19-50 year old female eat 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables and men eat 8 – 10 servings. One serving is equal to one cup of leafy vegetables, ½ cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables, or 1 piece of fruit. Dark green vegetables are preferred, so choosing broccoli, lettuce, spinach, or kale is your best bet. For veggies, you can also go orange for the best nutrition – including carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, and winter squash.
So how can you fit in your veggies when you don’t have time to prepare huge meals or you don’t even like veggies to start with? The solution is simple – vegetable smoothies. If made correctly, you can mix up 4 or 5 daily servings of your daily fruits and vegetables requirements in one delicious drink.
Vegetable smoothies are a great alternative to your daily mid-morning snack or when you’re feeling hungry in the late afternoon. Because they’re full of healthy ingredients and contain fiber, you’ll feel full longer and have energy to spare.
To get started, all you’ll need is a good blender with a smoothie option and a powerful motor. Here are a few great vegetable smoothie and vegetable juice recipes to get you started on the road to meeting your daily fruit and vegetable intake:
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1 banana (ripe, frozen bananas are best in smoothies) 1 spinach leaves (big heaping cup clean) 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp green (amazing grass, powder) 1 cup almond milk (cold) |
Super Spinach Smoothie
Popeye was right – spinach really does give you energy. One glass of this every day in the mid-afternoon and you’ll notice the difference when your late afternoon ‘lag’ passes you by. Servings of fruit & vegetables – 2
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1 banana (sliced, frozen) 1/2 tbsp peanut butter 1/2 cup non fat greek yogurt 1 tbsp honey (or agave) 1 cup almond milk 4 cups baby spinach (or kale, or to taste) |
Green Monster Smoothie
Monsters are usually scary, but this one isn’t. The Green Monster Smoothie has 5 servings of fruit and vegetables and is so good, you won’t be afraid to drink it down.
Servings of fruit & vegetables – 5
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2 1/2 cups mango 3/4 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (divided) 1/4 cup honey (divided) 2 tbsps water 1/2 tsp lime rind (grated) 3 kiwifruit (ripe, peeled and quartered) 2 cups ice (cubes) 1/2 cup baby spinach (packed) 2 tbsps green tea (bottled) 1 slice kiwifruit (optional) |
Green tea, kiwi, and mango smoothie
Mango is my favourite fruit to add to a smoothie, and it’s great way to offset the taste of a lot of spinach or kale.
Servings of fruit & vegetables – approximately 5 ½
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1 granny smith apple 2 cups spinach 2 cups kale 1 lemon 1 lime juiced 1 handful cilantro 1/2 cup orange juice 2 tsps ginger 1/3 cup banana |
Green Machine Smoothie
Your body will be a lean, mean, working machine when you drink the Green Machine Smoothie every day. The combo of apple and orange juice is delicious.
Servings of fruits & vegetables – approximately 6 ½
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2 clementines peeled (and seeded) 2 bananas (small, peeled) 2 cups blueberries (frozen) 3 ozs baby spinach leaves (about 2 packed cups) 3 dried dates (pitted) 2 tbsps ground flax seeds |
Orange Blueberry Green Smoothie
Why struggle to get your daily 8 fruits & veggies when you can drink them up in one delicious shot?
Servings of fruits & vegetables – 8
Staying healthy is something we all need to focus on, and part of that is modifying your diet so you get more fruits and veggies and less processed foods.
You can get started on the road to good health by drinking a vegetable smoothie every single day – they taste great, are full of nutritious ingredients, and give you a much needed energy boost during a busy day.
