As we look ahead to 2025, choosing to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables is a great resolution. An easy way to accomplish that is by a morning smoothie.
Smoothies are a great way to start the day with multiple servings of fruits and veggies, which most people are sorely lacking in their diets. They're easily customizable to your preferences, and are simple to throw together in the mornings (you can even prep your smoothie ingredients ahead of time, Liz uses reusable silicone bags to portion out her smoothie ingredients ahead of time, which is a great idea).
There are lots of smoothie recipes online (we also have a recipe posted at the bottom of this newsletter), but remember, they don't need to be at all elaborate, all you need is some frozen fruit and a liquid to blend it up. It's also a great way of using up odds and ends in your refrigerator or freezer (If you have any fruits that are starting to get a bit too soft, throw them in a bag in the freezer to use for a smoothie).
If you're going to commit to drinking smoothie in 2025, we'd recommend getting a single serve blender that blends your ingredients in the same cup you drink from. They're so much easier to use and clean, but any blender will work.
These are a few of our favorite smoothie add ins, with some of their benefits:
Matcha powder: Matcha is ground green tea leaves and since you're getting the whole leaf it has much higher antioxidants than drinking green tea. Also, for whatever magical reason, adding a teaspoon of matcha powder to a smoothie does not seem to change the taste. It just makes it a nice green color so you can feel extra healthy when you're drinking it. I don't really like drinking green tea, but I'm definitely a fan of matcha in a smoothie.
Collagen: Our Collagen Peptides powder by Nature's Plus is completely tasteless and is an amazing smoothie addition. Collagen is greatly lacking in our modern diets and can help with bones, connective tissue, skin, and even digestive health. It's also a good source of protein, which makes it a perfect addition to a morning smoothie.
Fish oil liquid: I know this sounds crazy, but we have flavored fish oil liquids at the store that taste great (the orange in particular is great in smoothies) that are high potency and give a great dose of omega 3s in just one teaspoon. We have free samples at the store for you to take home to try on your smoothies, so just ask us for one at the register!
A few other great additions are moringa, creatine, flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia, and protein powder.
Smoothie Sweeteners:
If you're mixing your fruit smoothie with water, it may not be sweet enough for most people's liking. We'd recommend adding a bit of maple syrup for sweetness (start with just a touch, because it's very sweet). Maple syrup has been in the news lately for being a beneficial sweetener, you can read the article here, but keep in mind that it still is a sweetener that contains sugar, so it should be used in moderation.
Another idea is liquid stevia extract, since it's a natural sugar free sweetener it will give a bit of sweetness without raising blood sugar. I'd recommend starting with half a dropper worth since too much stevia can add a weird aftertaste and adjust from there. Stevia doesn't taste exactly like sugar, but it has zero calories and is sugar free, so I feel like it's a good option for that reason.