Smoothies can make it easier to consume a lot of nutrients. Especially if you use some of the healthy ingredients below in your recipe.
Keep in mind that actually enjoying your smoothie can help you stay consistent with your nutrition plan.
Even though the ingredients below are generally considered healthy, you may only want to add the ones you like the taste of. Additionally, the options below don’t necessarily mix well in terms of taste.
1. Coconut
Coconut is not the most popular option for fruit baskets but it, more specifically its meat, can be a good addition to your smoothie.
Some of the main things coconut stands out in are its fiber, low number of carbohydrates, the MCT fats, and its taste. Additionally, you get a few micronutrients in nice amounts.
One downside to keep in mind is that coconut meat contains a relatively high amount of calories. 100 grams contain around 354 calories (1).
That means for goals like losing weight, you may want to keep the amount of coconut in your smoothie small. Luckily even smaller amounts can be enough to add some of its relatively unique taste.
2. Yogurt
The first thing to note about the next smoothie ingredient is that it is not for everyone. If you have any issues with lactose, you may want to stick to other healthy alternatives.
That being said, if your body can deal with it, yogurt can be a nice source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.
Due to the protein and fat in it, yogurt can also make your smoothies a lot more filling.
Some people also like the texture yogurt adds to a smoothie.
3. Raspberries
Some fruits like for example mango can be relatively high in sugar. This is generally not considered healthy.
Luckily, there is still the subcategory of berries. These are typically low in calories and contain a nice amount of vitamins, minerals, other micronutrients, and fiber.
A more specific ingredient example is raspberries. Per 100 grams, these contain 52 calories, 6.5 grams of fiber, a nice amount of vitamin C, and micronutrients like antioxidants (2).
That being said, other berries like blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, red currents, etc. are typically also healthy smoothie ingredients.
4. Almond butter
While you do have to be careful about what brands you choose, almond butter is a popular smoothie ingredient and for good reasons.
First of all, many people just really like the taste of almond butter. Additionally, it adds a relatively unique texture to the mix.
Besides these things, almonds, and in turn, almond butter contains a variety of valuable nutrients. Especially the amounts of fiber, vitamins, and minerals stand out.
Before heading to the store and buying three pots of almond butter to add to your next smoothies you do have to keep two things in mind.
First of all, many almond butter brands add sugar and oils to their products. This often makes the almond butter a lot less healthy.
Additionally, even if you do choose a healthy almond butter, you want to keep in mind that it contains a good number of calories.
You will likely not absorb all of them but for goals like losing weight, you may need to limit the amount of almond butter you eat anyway (3).
5. Kale
After browsing some smoothie recipes you have likely encountered this next ingredient many times but kale is worth mentioning anyway.
It may not be the unique superfood many people claim it to be but it is hard to argue against the amounts of micronutrients and fiber and the low number of calories.
These nutrients are generally considered healthy and can help against hunger.
One thing to note is that kale contains a lot of vitamin K. This can interfere with certain blood-thinning medications (4).
6. Avocado
Avocado may sound like a weird ingredient to add to a smoothie in terms of taste.
However, in combination with certain other ingredients like bananas and chocolate (the healthier ones of course), avocados can be a tasty addition to a smoothie.
On top of that, this ingredient is definitely considered to be healthy. The main reasons for this are the nice amounts of fiber, fats that are considered to be healthy, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients.
One downside of avocado is that it can take a bit more time and effort to prepare compared to something like frozen raspberries. If/when you are really busy, this can feel like too much.
7. Chia seeds
Another smoothie ingredient you will likely encounter after spending some time in the health world is chia seeds. These are basically certain edible seeds with nice amounts of nutrients.
Something that really stands out in chia seeds is their fiber content. 100 grams of dried chia seeds contain around 34.4 grams of fiber.
Additionally, you get some extra protein, magnesium, calcium, iron, and a variety of other micronutrients from this ingredient.
On top of the nutrients that are considered healthy, chia seeds also add a relatively unique texture and taste to your smoothies.
One thing you do want to keep in mind is that chia seeds take up a lot of fluid. You may need to experiment with the ratios of other ingredients to find the smoothie you enjoy the most.
