Getting kids to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can be tough. There is a quick and easy way to get them to consume their fruits and vegetables! Smoothies are colorful and tasty and you can get your kids to help make them. Your kids won't know that they are actually great for their little bodies.
Health experts recommend that we should all have at least five portions of fruits and vegetables every day.1 By making your own smoothies at home, with fresh fruits and vegetables, you will be feeding your kids two out of the five recommended portions. Smoothies provide you with the proper vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Healthy Eating has a list of what vitamins and minerals are in what fruits. For example citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, oranges, tangerines and lemons, contain good amounts of Vitamin C, Potassium and Folate. Also, smoothies are a great source of fiber. Drinking fruit smoothies can help you reach the recommended intake of fiber, which is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.2
There are so many different ways to make a smoothie, it's all about what you want in it. You can do a mixed berry blend and add almond milk, yogurt, honey, and even some peanut butter for protein. There are endless choices for smoothies. With each smoothie you make you can direct it to a specific need. You can make one directed to what nutrients your child is lacking to boost their energy level, strengthen their immune system, etc. Smoothies are also great at replacing the bad junk food that kids like to eat during snack time.
There are numerous reasons why you should start making smoothies for your children, these are just a few. Kids now a days get sluggish and tired from all the unhealthy foods they consume throughout the day, so a delicious and healthy smoothy can boost their energy and keep them going for the rest of the day. They are simple to make, and are great for an after school snack.
1Innocent - little tasty drinks. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/nutrition
2Oliver, L. (2014, January 1). Health Benefits of Fruit Smoothies. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-fruit-smoothies-6124.html
Smoothies are a great choice for kids. They should be in the place of these fruit drinks and artificial juice drinks that are just corn syrup and coloring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt, however, I am not too sure about strictly doing juice smoothies. The nutrients are actually cut down quite a bit because you blend them, compared to eating the fruit whole. Plus the sugar content is usually pretty high with a lot of fruit there, so it will cause a huge spike in blood sugar. I would suggest what you wrote above, mixing in some peanut butter or protein powder to make the smoothie more satiable, longer lasting, and this should help cut down the quick blood glucose spike.
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