Real Smoothies - Keep it Healthy
When you have a smoothie are you sure you know what is going into it? Certainly the smoothie has become big business these days because words such as "natural" and "healthy" have been used to describe certain food products. However the smoothies that you see on the supermarket shelf are not as "innocent" as they may seem. Many of these products use advertisements where sunny outdoor scenes are used or the blender contains fruit to convey an image that these contain vital and fresh living ingredients. But often these are produced on mass using machinery and vats of fruit purees which to extend their shelf life have been pasteurized.
Not every juice and smoothie bar set up offers completely natural products to you either. In some cases they use frozen fruit purees high in sugar that have been supplied to them by the company that supplies the juice and smoothie making equipment. Certainly these types of professional blenders are very expensive to purchase and juice bars will often be provided them for free as long as they use the companies frozen fruit portions to create their smoothies.
However, there are a number of juice bar chains who have created their own frozen fruit products which not only saves them money but simplifies their operations. Although there are some which are good there are others that contain high levels of sugar. But if you think it is some sort of conspiracy to make sure that we don't get natural ingredients, and then think again. It's just businesses streamlining things in order to make a profit, but there are times when we as the consumer lose out.
The concept behind a real smoothie is simple. It is a blended health drink that was made popular in the USA. There is no specific definition for what this type of drink is other than it is fruit based and must be thick and smooth, and will often be made using frozen fruit and/or ice. A lot of the independent juice bars today are focused on health and will offer you a freshly prepared first class natural product. Also in some of the better juice bars they provide super foods and boosters to enhance the smoothies of health enthusiasts.
If you are lucky enough to have such a great juice bar close to you then you should really be using it. However, if your only real contact with smoothies is the bottled variety, you are missing out on some great flavours and goodness from the freshly prepared kind.
A great way of trying a smoothie to see if you like it is to make your own at home. However, there has been some confusion caused by a few of the blender manufacturers regarding smoothie makers. When we talk about smoothie makers we actually do mean a blender which has for many years been a vital piece of equipment in many kitchens. That was until some bright spark in some marketing company thought it would be a good idea to call them smoothie makers so that a company could target those people wanting to make their own smoothies. It is for this reason alone that we think blenders and smoothie makers are two different machines, when in fact they are not.
To make a smoothie is very simple you just put the ingredients into the blender jug and then press the button. It only takes a few seconds to turn the whole fruit into pulp and juice and cost per smoothie you make at home is much less than those you buy on the high street. Homemade smoothies not only taste great by contain lots of essential nutrients that your body needs. You can either make smoothies using frozen fruit or fresh fruit mixed with ice. Plus to further enhance the flavour and make the smoothie creamier you can add some yoghurt. Plus experimenting with other ingredients you could further enhance the health benefits of the smoothies you make.
For making such drinks you need a blender or smoothie maker. It is important that you go for one which will do everything you require and is able to deal with frozen ingredients. The cheaper models may save you money but are as effective and blending ice in such machines can be very demanding on them. So it is better to go for a more expensive model. Ideally go for one that allows you to mill dry ingredients as well such as the Mill Blender by the American company L'Equip. This is a machine that not only allows you to create smoothies but allows you to grind up flax which is full of essential fatty acids and which can be added to the drink.
Many health enthusiasts demand much out of their kitchen equipment and some will spend several hundred pounds on purchasing commercial blenders like the Blendtec Total Blender. But you don't need to although you will get many years of good service out of such a model spending more than 60 on yours will be sufficient, especially if you intend to use ice in your smoothies. If you are looking for a good quality smoothie maker there are plenty of online sites such as www.ukjuicers.com who have available what you may need. - 17268
Not every juice and smoothie bar set up offers completely natural products to you either. In some cases they use frozen fruit purees high in sugar that have been supplied to them by the company that supplies the juice and smoothie making equipment. Certainly these types of professional blenders are very expensive to purchase and juice bars will often be provided them for free as long as they use the companies frozen fruit portions to create their smoothies.
However, there are a number of juice bar chains who have created their own frozen fruit products which not only saves them money but simplifies their operations. Although there are some which are good there are others that contain high levels of sugar. But if you think it is some sort of conspiracy to make sure that we don't get natural ingredients, and then think again. It's just businesses streamlining things in order to make a profit, but there are times when we as the consumer lose out.
The concept behind a real smoothie is simple. It is a blended health drink that was made popular in the USA. There is no specific definition for what this type of drink is other than it is fruit based and must be thick and smooth, and will often be made using frozen fruit and/or ice. A lot of the independent juice bars today are focused on health and will offer you a freshly prepared first class natural product. Also in some of the better juice bars they provide super foods and boosters to enhance the smoothies of health enthusiasts.
If you are lucky enough to have such a great juice bar close to you then you should really be using it. However, if your only real contact with smoothies is the bottled variety, you are missing out on some great flavours and goodness from the freshly prepared kind.
A great way of trying a smoothie to see if you like it is to make your own at home. However, there has been some confusion caused by a few of the blender manufacturers regarding smoothie makers. When we talk about smoothie makers we actually do mean a blender which has for many years been a vital piece of equipment in many kitchens. That was until some bright spark in some marketing company thought it would be a good idea to call them smoothie makers so that a company could target those people wanting to make their own smoothies. It is for this reason alone that we think blenders and smoothie makers are two different machines, when in fact they are not.
To make a smoothie is very simple you just put the ingredients into the blender jug and then press the button. It only takes a few seconds to turn the whole fruit into pulp and juice and cost per smoothie you make at home is much less than those you buy on the high street. Homemade smoothies not only taste great by contain lots of essential nutrients that your body needs. You can either make smoothies using frozen fruit or fresh fruit mixed with ice. Plus to further enhance the flavour and make the smoothie creamier you can add some yoghurt. Plus experimenting with other ingredients you could further enhance the health benefits of the smoothies you make.
For making such drinks you need a blender or smoothie maker. It is important that you go for one which will do everything you require and is able to deal with frozen ingredients. The cheaper models may save you money but are as effective and blending ice in such machines can be very demanding on them. So it is better to go for a more expensive model. Ideally go for one that allows you to mill dry ingredients as well such as the Mill Blender by the American company L'Equip. This is a machine that not only allows you to create smoothies but allows you to grind up flax which is full of essential fatty acids and which can be added to the drink.
Many health enthusiasts demand much out of their kitchen equipment and some will spend several hundred pounds on purchasing commercial blenders like the Blendtec Total Blender. But you don't need to although you will get many years of good service out of such a model spending more than 60 on yours will be sufficient, especially if you intend to use ice in your smoothies. If you are looking for a good quality smoothie maker there are plenty of online sites such as www.ukjuicers.com who have available what you may need. - 17268
About the Author:
There are a huge variety of smoothie makers available to order from various online stores. It is worth doing a littleresearch into what model is most appropriate for you and you diet needs. You may also consider choosing from the many juicers which can be a great alternative to a smoothie maker.
posted by X - Men at
12:03 AM
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