Smoothie ABC
7. June, 2022
Healthy eating
Have you heard about smoothie history? Here are some fun facts about how smoothie was invented.
A pureed fruit drink, began in the early 1920’s when Julius Freed, young man with a sensitive stomach, began looking for a way to enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice. His stomach couldn’t handle the acidity of fresh squeezed oranges, so he found a way and a few choice ingredients to make them less acidic and a little frothy. His friends loved them and said, “Give me an orange, Julius”, and thus his store, the “Orange Julius” was born.
By 1970 a lactose intolerant teenager named Steven Kuhnau began to make smoothies in order to be able to enjoy something similar to the milkshakes most of his friends loved. Unable to digest milkshakes because of his lactose intolerance, he created frozen blends of fresh fruit, ice and fruit juice instead. He was excited to discover that not only did they taste good, they helped control his allergies and blood sugar levels as well. Kuhnau was so excited by his invention he opened a health food store called “The Smoothie King” and began selling vitamins alongside his healthy drinks.
Kuhnau didn’t invent the name. He just branded it, saying the first time he heard the word was in reference to fruit and fruit juice based drinks made by “hippies” in the late 60’s. Prior to Kuhnau’s “Smoothie King”, the name “smoothie was used to describe everything from women’s bras and girdles, to ball point pens, car paint and machinery. There was even a band named “The Smoothies”! It wasn’t until Kuhnau opened his health food store and called his drinks “smoothies”, to appeal to the already health conscious hippies who knew what the term meant, that the name took off.
Today, smoothies have become popular health drinks. Here are some ideas, how to make one.
What to add to your smoothie?
Smoothie can be very easy, with just few ingredients. But you can also experiment and add many different compounds to it.
Liquid
Your choices include preferably non-dairy milk, water, coconut water, tea, and juice.
Fruit and berries
Fruits will make your smoothie sweeter and give it texture. You can add some fresh or frozen fruits. Some great fruit bases include strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, cherries and peaches.
Veggies
If you don’t mind the green colour, adding a handful of spinach or kale is a good way to bring more antioxidants to your drink. These greens also give your smoothie more body, but the flavour from the small serving is virtually undetectable when paired with fruit.
Protein
You can add plain Greek yogurt to your smoothie. You could also use cottage cheese, silken tofu or legumes, like chickpeas. Another way to go is to use protein powder. You can use Be More collagen powder, hemp protein powder or rice protein powder. Be More has great superfood mix Be Fit, where is plenty of protein, plus it supports the body with high amounts of different B group vitamins, potassium, magnesium, phosphorite, iron and zinc.
Plant-based fat
Nut butters, seeds and avocados can make your smoothie extra filling. Be More chia seeds contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, they also contain high amounts of antioxidants, fibres, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and boron. Chia seeds are also full of fibres, which help to lose weight if needed by keeping the stomach full and helping with digestion. Be More hemp seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, group A and B vitamins, vitamins C, D and E, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorus and other minerals. The magnesium and high-quality protein in hemp seeds help the organism to stay healthy also during intense work periods and help to maintain balance in stressful times.
Flavour boosters
You can add flavour and extra nutrients to your smoothies by adding some tasty superfoods. Be More raw cocoa contains more than 1 200 active ingredients and high levels of antioxidants. It is also a natural source of magnesium, chromium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, copper and sulphur. Be More goji berries are among the most nutritious berries in the world and they add great flavour to your smoothie. You can also add fresh or frozen berries for flavour boost. Also spices like cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla, cardamom and so on can be added.
Grains
Some people like the addition of oats or other fibre-rich grains in their smoothies. In addition to providing more body, you’ll get all the benefits of whole grains when you add them to your smoothie mixture or bowl. Be More quinoa is significantly rich in protein. Quinoa is also rich in manganese, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, vitamins E and B6, antioxidants and fibres. It contains more calcium than cow’s milk.
Nutrient boosters
If you add superfoods to your smoothie, you will boost its nutrient value a lot. Be More has created superfood mixes to make it easy, to add different superfoods to your smoothie. Be Fit is a superfood mix made to provide your body with vegan, high quality protein. Detox Superfood mix supports you with 7 different superfoods. Be Active is a superfood mix designed for the everyday truly constantly on-the-go person. It assists your body with 5 different superfoods, helping you cover what your body needs on a daily basis. Be Beautiful superfood mix helps you keep your skin, hair and nails healthy, to maintain their shine and good health. Be Smart superfood mix supports intense periods of work or study with vitamins and minerals for your brain.
Extra sweetness
If adding fruit to your smoothie is not enough for sweetness, you can add some honey, agave syrup, stevia, maple syrup or other sweeteners. Also, fruit juice and purees will do the job.
You can look up some great smoothie recipes HERE.
Written by nutritionist Riin Reimer
References:
https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/smoothies-history-what-every-smoothie-maker-should-know
