There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than a smoothie, and with so much fresh fruit and ice in each one, they’re a healthy choice too! But I like to find ways to make smoothies even healthier and to make sure my boys drink their smoothies too, I sometimes have to be sneaky about it!
Luckily, there are a few great foods that can be added to smoothies to boost their health, yet don’t affect the taste, so adults and kids alike can get extra nutrition without even knowing it! Here are my top five sneaky ways to make smoothies healthier:
Ground Flax
With some studies finding evidence this tiny seed may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, ground flax is one of my all-time favourite additions to any meal. In fact, I love flax seed whole too but for optimal digestion and to ensure it can’t be tasted in a smoothie, ground flax is the better choice. Just a teaspoon in your drink will add omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidant-rich lignans and two essential types of fibre to your diet!
Kale
A single kale leaf torn and blended into a smoothie can’t be tasted, but it will provide all kinds of benefits including high amounts of the antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. This super-vegetable is also a good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. For kids that hate vegetables, kale in a smoothie is a great way of getting a child to eat (or drink!) their greens!
Oat Bran
Oat bran is an easy way of boosting fibre in a smoothie and has the added benefit of being gluten-free too! A teaspoon or two in a smoothie will provide fibre, protein and selenium, an important dietary mineral that may help lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Banana
While banana isn’t quite as sneaky of a choice as the other foods since it can usually be tasted, the flavour tends to pair beautifully with the fruits used in smoothies. Adding a frozen banana to your beverage results in a huge boost in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, which has been shown to help lower blood pressure.
Silk Almond/Coconut Blend Beverage
While some favour yogurt in smoothies and others prefer to just toss in a few ice cubes with their fruit, I love adding Silk Almond/Coconut Blend beverage to my smoothies. A half-cup of the beverage added to a smoothie provides a big boost of calcium and Vitamin E while helping to provide a rich, creamy texture too. It’s the perfect non-dairy, gluten-free choice for a tasty smoothie!
While I sometimes make smoothies healthier by just adding one or two of these sneaky foods to my blender, every once in a while I’ll whip up a super health smoothie using all five ingredients along with my favourite fruits. For my latest smoothie, I added strawberries and blueberries, fruits that provide their own health benefits thanks to high levels of antioxidants, along with a handful of ice cubes. The result was a delicious smoothie loaded with nutrients!
No matter what your favourite smoothie is, boosting its nutrition without kids noticing is easy with the right foods in the house. Give them a try and enjoy tasty and healthy smoothies all summer long!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.