Nutrient Dense Vegan Smoothie

By: Erica Batad, Undergraduate Student in Dietetics & Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Photo by Pexels/Polina Tankilevitch

In this day and age where people are constantly hustling, easy to-go options can be very helpful. Whether you’re looking for a quick breakfast option, afternoon pick me up, or post-workout drink, smoothies are the perfect beverage. Not only are smoothies convenient but they can offer a lot of nutritional value, depending on what ingredients are used. Because of the many different combinations of fruits, vegetables, and liquids, creative desires and flavor preference are two things that can easily be met. 

Fruits

A few of the most common fruits to include in a smoothie are strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. These fruits contain flavonoids which are plant chemicals that can provide health benefits. A specific type of flavonoid, called flavanols, are present in these fruits which allows them to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce and repair cell damage. Anthocyanins are a type of pigment that give these fruits their color. It has the ability to “cross the blood-brain barrier to protect the brain cells from aging and also diseases such as cancer” (Ensle 2017). Furthermore, there was a study done on young and old subjects in which when they ate blueberries, there was an increase in blood flow to important areas of the brain that led to memory and attention improvements. With that being said, this variety of fruits can provide multiple health benefits. 

Another popular fruit to include in smoothies are bananas. They contain more calories due to its carbohydrate and dietary fiber content. However, vitamins such as vitamin  C, A, B1, B2, B6, and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and iron can be found in bananas.

The following are just some out of the many fruits you can include in a smoothie:

• Strawberries

• Blackberries

• Blueberries

• Raspberries

• Banana

• Orange

• Peach

• Pineapple

• Mango

• Apple

• Kiwi

Vegetables

It’s important to balance out your smoothie by pairing fruits with other vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as kale, broccoli, spinach, and lettuce contain an important essential nutrient which is lutein. This carotenoid compound has been said to offer health benefits against health issues like neurological disorders, eye diseases, skin irritation, and more. If you have ever heard someone say that spinach tastes like “nothing” in smoothies, it’s true! Because of that, it is one of the easiest leafy greens to put in a smoothie because you are able to get all the dietary fiber, chlorophyll, and trace minerals from spinach without having to sacrifice good flavor. 

Microgreens are another type of vegetable that is easy to add in smoothies for an extra boost of nutrition. They have been defined as “immature greens harvested from tender seedlings of grains, vegetables, spices, herbs, and wild relatives of crop plants” (Zhou et al., 2023). Microgreens are able to provide a boost of nutrition because they contain phytonutrients, which include polyphenols, vitamins, carotenoids, minerals, and bioactive peptides. 

The following are a few out of the many vegetables you can toss in your smoothie:

• Spinach

• Cucumber

• Carrots

• Microgreens

• Kale

• Lettuce

Other

In order to blend the ingredients together and achieve the perfect smoothie consistency, small amounts of liquid can be added. Water and coconut water are two hydrating bases to add Coconut water contains electrolytes which proves its ability to help hydrate. Some type of fruit juice or plant-based milk alternative can be used to thin out the smoothie as well. Fruit juice can add sweetness but it is not always needed because whole fruits can provide that sweet flavor in your drink without the help of fruit juice. 

Incorporating ingredients such as soy milk, pea milk, vegan greek yogurt, nut butter, and vegan protein powder are great ways to increase protein content in smoothies. Flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are other ingredients that can also provide some protein and fiber content. The more protein and fiber a smoothie contains, the more satiating and full you will feel. 

Summary

While smoothies can provide a lot of nutritional value and are convenient for busy schedules, it is important not to rely on smoothies to meet your nutritional needs for every meal. The liquid form that smoothies take on do not always satisfy hunger in the way that solid food does.

Balance out your smoothies by adding vegetables or seeds rather than only fruit.

References

Bauerle, L., & Kuhn, S. (2022). Development of a protein supplemented fruit smoothie using pea protein isolate as a plant-based protein alternative. Future Foods, 5(100145). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2022.100145 

Durward, C., & Stoker, D. (2021, April). Smoothies-Helpful or Harmful? Utah State Extension Nutrition. https://extension.usu.edu/nutrition/research/smoothies-helpful-or-harmful 

Ensle, Karen. (2017, June). Eat Berries to Improve Brain Function. Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.php?p=Health&m=350 

Kidon, M., & Uwineza, P.A. (2022). New Smoothie Products Based on Pumpkin, Banana, Purple Carrot as a Source of Bioactive Compounds. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 27(10), 3049. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27103049 

Mitra, S., Rauf, A., Tareq, A.M., Jahan, S., Emran, T.B., Shahriar, T.G., Dhama, K., Alhumaydhi, F.A., Alijohani, A.S.M., Rebezov, M., Uddin, M.S., Jeandet, P., Shah, Z.A., Shariati, M.A., & Rengasamy, K.R.R. (2021). Potential health benefits of carotenoid lutein: An updated review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 154(112328). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2021.112328

Zhou, Q., Liang, W., Wan, J., & Wang, M. (2023). Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) microgreen prevents the formation of advanced glycation end products in model systems and breads. Current Research in Food Science, 6(100490).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100490