Smoothies are said to have been around since the early 1960s and the term is widely used to refer to the fruit-based drinks and fruit juices consumed by hippies. But officially, the shake was first launched by Stephen Kuhnau under the Smoothie King brand. The smoothie is usually made with fresh fruit or vegetables, mixed in a blender to which crushed ice, yogurt or honey is added. They have a thicker consistency than juices and slushies. The main difference between shakes and milkshakes is that the latter contain ice cream. The drink became popular when it became available in cafes, coffee shops, and even local ice cream vendors.
Smoothie makers are also available to simplify the task. It looks like a normal blender with a tap on the front. Smoothies are considered healthier than fruit juices as they contain all the fibrous content of the fruit. For the liquid base it requires, you can choose between fruit juice, soy milk, or even plain filtered water. Soft fruits such as bananas and strawberries are the most used and preferred. Fruits such as apple and pineapple are also used, although there are chances that the smoothie will be lumpy due to the difficulty in crushing these fruits completely.
Today there is a trend to add healthy supplements to a shake to make it more nutritious. Wheat germ, spirulina, etc. are examples of healthy additives for this drink. You can even freeze your shake to use later, although consuming it shortly after preparation is considered healthier. Here we will discuss a basic recipe for a banana smoothie.
All you need is 1 ripe banana, 1/2 cup of nonfat yogurt, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 cup of crushed ice. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or shaker and your drink will be ready in minutes. This is a healthy option for a hearty breakfast, especially since it doesn’t taste too sweet.
Other fruits and vegetables can be substituted instead of the banana to make nutritious drinks of different flavors. In fact, there are dozens of recipe books dedicated to just this drink, showing more than 1,000 varieties of the drink, some weird and some useful.
Summer is the perfect time to enjoy this cold and refreshing drink. A helpful tip for a thicker, colder smoothie is to freeze the fruit before placing it in the blender. With more and more people becoming health freaks over time, smoothies are definitely here to stay!