I'm sure that we can all agree that consuming enough vegetables each day can be challenging. For some, it's the hassle of preparing or the taste of certain veggies that stand in the way of eating enough each day. If you are not eating a few servings of vegetables with each meal and snack, drinking your veggies may be a great solution for you.
Fruits and vegetable consumption yields vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and assists cardiovascular as well as digestive health.
There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding how best to consume your veggies in a beverage form: juice or smoothie?
Juicing proves to deliver a lot of nutrients in a small serving and if you require little fiber, this method stands to be a great option. Juicing removes the pulp from the fruit and vegetable leaving just the juice. You will require a juicer for this method and juicing can be more expensive as you require more produce to create a serving. This can also prove to be higher in sugar as you will need fruit servings to cut the bitterness of some vegetables. Once left with the byproduct of juicing, the pulp, you can use it for adding to muffins, stew or sauce, toss in the compost or garbage.
Blending the whole vegetable and fruit is called a smoothie. You will require a blender (immersion hand blender works too) and this method keeps the whole food together with the pulp and all nutrients. With the fiber in your smoothie, this option can leave you feeling fuller longer, aid in digestive health and has the advantage of adding other nutrients such a nuts, seeds and even yogurt, nut milk or coconut water. Smoothies can be seen as a meal with more complete nutrients. This option is great for pregnancy, postnatal, kids and weight loss. Rather than adding additional fruit, I often add Progressive VegeGreens. This would be a great addition to both blending and juicing.
Tips for juicing/blending:
- Light tasting greens: cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, spinach
- Additional greens: lettuce, kale, broccoli, sprouts, celery
- Add citrus to cut the bitterness of additional greens, limes and lemons work best
- Keep fruit servings to 1-2: 1/2 cup - 1 cup, berries preferred. Frozen berries can replace the need for ice cubes (blending only)
- Ginger root and cinnamon are great additions
- Flax, chia, hemp and pumpkin seeds can be added to blending
- Make it a meal! Add collagen or a scoop of protein powder
Get creative! There are so many combinations of fruits and vegetables.
Your body will thank you as you make juicing or blending a part or your daily routine.
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