It is not always easy to take the three servings of fruits and two of vegetables a day that nutritionists recommend. But doing so keeps you from getting sick by up to 40%, according to a study from the University of London. An easy way to get your daily fruit and vegetable ration is through smoothies and juices. But, of the thousands of combinations out there, which one do you really need? For you to discover it easily and simply, we have prepared this fun test. With it, you will be able to decipher the messages that your body sends you through small symptoms, such as pimples or sleep, and you will be able to give it what it is asking for in the form of a delicious juice or smoothie.
Which shake works best for you?
The shakes, juices, juices, smoothies, or whatever you want to call them, are nothing more than a juicy mixture of natural foods that many women include in their beauty and health rituals, especially thanks to the fact that celebrities have popularized them greatly because they are comfortable to take and take.
To its purifying action are added others, such as providing antioxidants for the skin, toning and giving energy, improving digestion and avoiding constipation … With our test, it will be easier for you to discover which one suits you best. Of course, all our proposals are healthy, delicious and easy to prepare, so you can try them all and combine them however you want.
How to make the juice healthier
To take advantage of all the benefits of smoothies it is important to choose your ingredients well. “The ideal is to take them with seasonal foods. They are tastier and retain all their nutritional properties, because they should not be subjected to mass cultivation, conservation or transport treatments ”, recommends nutritionist Ana Amengual, from the College of Nutritionists and Dietitians of Catalonia.
Of course, clean the ingredients that you are going to use well. If they are organic you can consume them with skin after having washed them. If they are not, experts advise peeling them.
How to make better use of fiber
Another way to maximize the benefits of juices is to make them into a smoothie and use your blender. To do this, you just have to crush all the components and thus you will not lose any essential nutrients, although its texture is quite dense.
Cold press blender
If you prefer the liquid texture, the blender is your option, especially the cold-pressed one at low speed, an appliance that preserves more fiber than the traditional blender and that, according to its manufacturers, by not producing heat, keeps the vitamins of the food. The downside is that it is more expensive.
A juice from one day to the next
When you already have your shake prepared, a doubt will probably come to mind: Do I have to consume it immediately? Does something happen if I leave it overnight? Although we had always been told that "drink the juice, the vitamins are gone", this statement is not true. Although it is true that most nutrition experts recommend juices and smoothies early.
The "drink the juice that the vitamins go away" of our mothers is not as true as they thought
Vitamins are not lost?
No, the vitamins do not go away, but they are transformed and lose their properties. Vitamin C, for example, is the most easily oxidized. But it does not do so until after about 12 hours and when it is subjected to very high temperatures, something unusual when taking shakes or smoothies.
Other substances, such as antioxidants, also lose their effectiveness. Even some macronutrients such as avocado fats begin to deteriorate as soon as you open it.
Mistakes to avoid when making smoothies and juices
Put a lot of fruit on it. Although taking smoothies is a very healthy practice a priori, eating the five daily pieces of fruit and vegetables at once is not. In the first place, because "the body will not have the capacity to absorb all the nutrients," says Amengual. Also, if you add three pieces of fruit at once, its fructose will skyrocket your blood sugar level. This has several drawbacks: if you do it often you expose yourself to increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes over the years. On the other hand, you cause a fluctuation in the hormone insulin that is involved in the feeling of hunger. The more peaks, the more you want to eat.
Smoothie-only diet. “These types of eating patterns do not include just protein and the body needs it every day. In addition, it provides few calories and abusing it would put health at serious risk ”, explains the doctor from SEEN, Irene Bretón. If you want to carry out a hypocaloric regimen or help the body to stimulate its purifying function, do it with the help of your doctor. It will ensure that the composition of the diet contains all the groups of nutrients in adequate proportions. People with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, low weight or thyroid problems should not consider doing this type of monodiets.
Making a monodiet based exclusively on juices can put your health at risk
Tricks to improve the smoothie or juice
- Do you want to keep it? Add a little lemon juice, which delays oxidation, and keep it in the fridge. But remember that its nutritional value will not be so high.
- Enrich it! Add sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax, or chia seeds, and your favorite spices, such as cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, or ginger.
- Softer? If it has been too consistent, add a glass of a vegetable drink, such as oatmeal, quinoa, rice or soy.
- Too light? Add cereals or a handful of nuts and eat it by the spoonful. Delicious and healthy!
