One of the more interesting health benefits that you get from drinking smoothies, either fruit smoothies or green smoothies made with kale or spinach, is that your heart benefits.
You know that vegetables and fruits are heart healthy, and one of the reasons for this is that they are rich in soluble fiber. This is one reason that people prefer smoothies over juices.
When you make a juice you don’t get the same fiber. The juicers extract the liquid and you get only the juice (which is healthy and rich in nutrients) but you don’t get the fiber. For this reason, it’s probably best to mix in both smoothies and juicers.
Fiber has long been known to be extremely beneficial in regards to heart health. The popular suggestion is to get around 20 to 30 grams of fiber in order to reap the benefits for your heart.
If you eat a bowl of oatmeal, or rice and beans for dinner or lunch, then this is not too difficult. Add in a smoothie and you’re good to go. It doesn’t matter if you like to make fruit smoothies with strawberries and blueberries, or green smoothies that are made with spinach, kale or avocado, you are going to get super healthy fiber.
Some people even boost the fiber content of their smoothies by adding in flax seeds or oats.
Besides giving you more fiber in your smoothies, this will also boost the essential fatty acid content as well as the protein.
The one thing you have to keep in mind when you’re adding in flax seed or oats to your smoothie is that you will need to blend it a bit more than you would if you’re only blending up fruit and yogurt and almond milk or coconut water. That’s why I like to use a really nice brand like Bullet of Vitamix.
They are the best blenders for smoothies and they don’t require you to over-blend. When you over-blend you get too warm a smoothie. So don’t use a cheap blender.
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Hi Everyone!
Jenny O’Brien here. Nutritionist & personal trainer. Just your average vegetarian and smoothie fanatic!
If you have any questions, or you’d like me to cover a particular topic, drop me a line and let me know!
Thanks!