I don’t know about you, but I used to find it really hard to get the full recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Health Canada recommends seven to eight servings of fruits and vegetables for adult females, and eight to 10 for adult males. For some, this may be an easy task. But for students who have so many other things to worry about, eating enough fruits and vegetables can be low on the list of priorities.
My suggestion is to incorporate smoothies into your daily routine. Not only can one smoothie satisfy at least half of the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables, but it can also help keep you full longer, tastes great, and can be a great energy booster. If you can’t afford a Booster Juice every day, you can just make your own at home. You don’t need a high-grade, fancy blender. I use one I got at Walmart for about $30 every day and it works just fine.
Here are the basic ingredients:
- Fruit. Frozen fruit goes on sale pretty regularly at the grocery store, so wait until it does then stock up. Frozen fruit doesn’t go bad, so you can store it for a long time before using it. I usually get strawberries, bananas, berry mix, or a four-fruit fruit mix of strawberries, peaches, pineapple and mango. But really, this part is up to you, any kind of fruit you like will work.
- Liquids: I usually use various kinds of fruit juice (mango, orange, strawberry/kiwi, etc), almond, soy, or coconut milk, and water. You need liquids to make the fruit blend well, so it’s up to you if you want to be super healthy (use almond milk or water) or make it a bit tastier with fruit juice (which does contain more added sugar). Of course, you can use regular milk as well but I try to stay away from it because it’s processed and fattening.
- Yogurt: I find this makes the smoothie more filling and gives it a smoother texture. I usually use 0% plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.
One of my all-time favourite smoothie recipes when I’m in a time crunch is the 3-ingredient “BOM” smoothie—equal parts bananas, orange juice, and mango. It tastes so good, and it’s so fast to make!
Although smoothies are intrinsically healthy, here is a list of extra optional ingredients that can take it to the next level:
- Frozen spinach, kale, and other greens: The thought of this may seem a bit daunting, but I promise if you don’t put in too much and mix it up well with the other ingredients, you will not even taste that it’s there. Start with one cup and work your way up. This is a great way to get your daily veggies in without it tasting like you’re eating vegetables. Once you’re okay with adding in greens to your smoothies, try adding carrots.
- Chia seeds, hemp hearts and/or protein powder: Adding seeds into a smoothie may throw the texture off a bit, but it adds so much more nutrition and will keep you full longer. For protein powder, I like to use plant-based instead of whey (unless you are a body-builder, whey protein is just a bunch of added calories). I like the brand Vega—it’s plant-based, vegan, and GMO-free (but it is a bit on the pricey side).
- Various types of healthy “milk:” There are so many different kinds of non-dairy “milk” you can use- hemp, flax, rice, coconut, almond, soy. Basically any kind of milk found in the health food aisle of the grocery store.
- Various add-ins: Make the smoothie your own! Some ideas: honey, avocado, stevia, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, lemon juice, ginger, coconut flakes, peanut or almond butter, dates, cinnamon . . .
Just one smoothie a day can make a huge difference in your overall wellbeing. It’s jam-packed with nutrients and can help you reach that fruit and vegetable daily target way faster.
