Food and Drinks

Have you any idea of what is going into that smoothie you are drinking? In recent years this type of drink has become big business and many companies will use words like “healthy” and “natural” to describe theirs. However, what you may not realize is that the smoothie you purchased from your local grocery store is not all that it seems. Although the label may show a sunny outdoor scene or lots of fruit in a blender to show you that they contain lots of living ingredients. What you will soon discover that these have been produced on a mass scale using fruit puree that has been pasteurized to help extend its shelf life.

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 now a few juice bars where to simplify their operations and save money actually make their own frozen fruit products. Again some will produce good drinks, but a few others load theirs with sugar. Don’t think that for one minute the company that create these are trying to prevent us from getting natural ingredients, they just use this as a way to help streamline their business to ensure that they make a profit. Although there may be times when we as the consumer lose out because of this.

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 happen to have a juice bar like this close to where you are then you should support it. But if your only contact with smoothies is drinking the ready bottled variety you are losing out on getting all the goodness and flavour that freshly prepared ones offer.

The best way for you to try a smoothie is actually make it yourself at home. But first let us clear up the confusion caused by some blender manufacturers. When we talk about smoothie makers we are actually talking about blenders. For years the kitchen appliance we know as a blender was always called this until someone somewhere in a marketing department decided to call them smoothie markets so that the company producing them could target those people wanting to make their own smoothies. Whilst a lot of companies have profited from the demand in people wanting to make their own smoothies it is this reason which has resulted in us thinking that these are two different machines, when in fact they aren’t.

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.

First off you need a blender or smoothie maker! If you are looking for one that will do the work effectively and is able to cope with frozen ingredients then avoid the cheaper models you find in the bigger electrical outlets. Mixing ice can be very demanding on a blender so by the best you can. One type that is worth considering as it can also mill dry ingredients is the “Mill Blender” from American Health Brand L’Equip. Using this machine you can mill up some flax to provide you with essential fatty acids and then add this to your healthy smoothie.

There are many health enthusiasts who place great demands on their kitchen equipment and spend hundreds on buying commercial grade equipment such as the Blendtec Total Blender. Although a luxury model they do offer you a long time of service, but you yourself don’t need to break the bank to make your own smoothies at home. If you intend to blend ice or frozen ingredients in your smoothies avoid those that cost below 60. Instead to go for a much more expensive model such as the smoothie makers to be found at www.ukjuicers.com.

There are a wide range of smoothie makers available to order from various online stores. It is worth doing some research into what type is most appropriate for you and you diet needs. You may also consider picking from the many juicers which can be a great alternative to a smoothie maker.