5 Hydrating Smoothie Recipes to Make At Home

5 Hydrating Smoothie Recipes to Make At Home - ecoNugenics

There are countless fun ways to make ourselves feel healthy on the inside and look glowing on the outside, but right now we’re going to consider making smoothies at home. If you’re not quite ready for intermittent fasting, yet fancy cutting some calories whilst still feeling full, trying some tasty smoothies in place of a meal could possibly be the answer. 

Benefits Of Hydrating Smoothies

One of the main benefits of hydrating smoothies vs. making juice drinks is that with smoothies we are blending the whole fruit or vegetable, as opposed to juicing, where we only extract the juice.

In retaining the “whole food” our bodies can also absorb the fiber that comes with eating and enjoying the pulp. The fiber can keep us feeling full for longer while being a great source of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals for the body.1

Consuming healthful, hydrating food like fruit and veggies, especially during hotter weather when the body loses water and vital electrolytes, can assist with keeping hydration levels up. Many fruits and vegetables contain around 85% water, making them a great choice for hydration needs.2

Fruit and vegetables also contain a lot of carotenoids. These can promote radiant skin, which in turn can be smoother with a healthier glow.3

Smoothies can also support digestive health. Since the food in smoothies is already broken down, it gives the digestive tract a much-needed break. And with smoothies we can also add nutrient- dense ingredients like nuts and seeds, which can power us up with proteins, minerals and essential vitamins.4

Tips On Creating Hydrating Smoothies At Home

All of the below are super easy to make, involving simply pureeing in a blender until smooth, then pouring straight into a glass.

However, if you want to get fancy, or add even more nutrients to the body, the list is truly endless when it comes to add-in possibilities.

Here are some suggestions for your extra satiety:

  • Powders: Spirulina, hemp, calcium, protein, bee pollen, matcha, wheatgrass, cacao etc.
  • Dried berries: Goji, açaí, bilberries, cranberries or any freeze-dried berries of your choice.
  • Nuts: Walnuts, peanuts, pine-nuts, almonds, macadamias, brazil, cashews etc.
  • Seeds: Flax, sesame, sunflower, chia, pumpkin,
  • If you are in a sweet mood: Stevia, agave, maple syrup, honey, dates, and grapes are best And there is even...
  • Surprising stuff: Tofu, cooked cauliflower, seaweed, beets, citrus peel, cayenne, egg whites, cottage cheese, aloe-vera, coffee granules.

It gets even more interesting - Lavender plant, bone-broth, papaya seeds, basil seeds, carrot tops, dandelion greens, hot tea, kombucha, rose-petals, stinging nettle, tahini, jalapeños…. As you can see, the sky's the limit, so we’ll leave this totally up to you!

A great tip is to have some prepared, chopped fruit and vegetables in the freezer so you can conjure up a hydrating smoothie, quick and smart. A few staple items in the fridge also come in handy (peanut-butter is an easy go-to).

Here Are 5 Hydrating Smoothie Recipes To Try

Remember, smoothies are extremely adaptable, so don’t worry if the amounts are not exact, or even if you or want to swap out one ingredient for another.

Don’t use all fruit every time. Mix up with vegetables, to keep it from getting too sugary.

Too many dark, green or fibrous vegetables however, will not be palatable. For this reason, you may want your smoothie to have mostly fruit or milder tasting vegetables, like cucumber, romaine, or celery, and smaller amounts of dark, leafy greens.

Variety is key, so experiment and find what works for your own taste buds.

Berry, banana & coconut water

Serves 1

  • 1.5 cup nut milk
  • 1 cup coconut water, an extra delicious source of hydration and electrolytes5
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
  • ½ cup of ice cubes

Honey, almond butter & cinnamon

Serves 1

  • 1½ cup almond milk
  • ¼ cup almond butter
  • 2 tbsps honey; a popular humectant for the skin, honey can also be hydrating at cellular level of the body6
  • 1 frozen banana
  • I tbsp ground cinnamon

Cucumber, pineapple & spinach

Serves 1

  • ½ cup chopped cucumber
  • 1 ½ cups chopped pineapple
  • ½ of a frozen banana
  • ¾ cup coconut water
  • ½ cup milk of choice
  • 1 scoop of Pectasol Lime
  • 1 date
  • Handful of spinach

With this recipe add spinach, date, coconut water and coconut milk first, then blend until smooth. Spinach can clog the blending machine so it’s good to get it in there at the start, along with the liquid. Then pineapple, cucumber and frozen banana, and blend again until smooth.

Green smoothies in particular provide a high concentration of water and mineral salts, preventing dehydration, so this one is particularly good if you live in a hotter climate, have been exceeding exercise, or even have a bad hangover.7

Tumeric & mango

Serves 2

  • 3 cups fresh or frozen mango
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 1 carrot
  • ¼ cup cashew nuts, soaked for at least one hour in water
  • 1 ½ cups coconut water
  • 1 tsp turmeric, fresh or ground
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • Pinch black pepper, freshly cracked is best

Cherry, avocado & cucumber

Serves 1

  • 1 cup pitted cherries
  • ¼ of an avocado
  • ½ a cucumber
  • ½ cup coconut water
  • 4 pitted dates (optional for added sweetness)

Cheers To Hydration! 

If you can visualize yourself in the future under a radically different diet routine, that’s certainly admirable, but if you’re not ready for any profound commitment, perhaps envision yourself simply downing some delicious smoothies.

Using fruits and vegetables in their raw entirety can save you money and reduce food wastage also, whilst simultaneously helping you look and feel sensational.

So the next time you wish to add more class into your glass, top it up with a rewarding, hydrating smoothie.

You’ll be rewarding yourself also.

 

Sources:

  1. Alissa, E. and Ferns, G., 2017. Dietary Fruits And Vegetables And Cardiovascular Diseases Risk. [online] Pubmed.gov. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26192884/ [Accessed 1 October 2020].
  2. Berry, J. (2019). Hydrating foods: The top 20 and their benefits. Retrieved 1 October 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325958 2019
  3. Dr. Ian Stephen Bristol.ac.uk. 2020. Skin Colour Gives Clues To Health. [online] Available at: <http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2009/6658.html> [Accessed 1 October 2020]. 2009
  4. Kendall, C., Josse, A., Esfahani, A. and Jenkins, D., 2020. Nuts, Metabolic Syndrome And Diabetes.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20441672/ 2020
  5. The importance of smoothies in hydration. Retrieved 1 October 2020, from http://www.nutricionhospitalaria.com/pdf/10295.pdf  Published 2015
  6. PubMed. 2020. Abdulrhman MA - Search Results - Pubmed. [online] Available at: <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Abdulrhman+MA&cauthor_id=20438327> [Accessed 1 October 2020].
  7. Saat, M., Singh, R., Sirisinghe, R. and Nawawi, M., 2020. Rehydration After Exercise With Fresh Young Coconut Water, Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Beverage And Plain Water.. [online] Pubmed.gov. Available at: <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12056182/> [Accessed 1 October 2020].