What is Your Smoothies' Liquid Base?
There are actually many ingredients to choose from for your smoothie liquid base. If you wish to experiment, you can use other components which are not included in this list.
Here's the list of the most commonly used liquid base.
1. Water
Water is a good choice if you are using frozen fruits for your smoothie.
2. Milk
If you like to use milk as your liquid base, you should try to go for skimmed milk of fresh goat's milk for health reasons. Cow's milk or whole dairy milk is rich in saturated fats which can be detrimental to your health and fitness program. You should not use goat's milk if you or any member of your family or group is lactose intolerant.
3. Whole Soy Milk
Although whole soy milk is surrounded by a lot of health controversies, it is still one of the most preferred liquid bases for smoothies because of the fact that it consists of polyunsaturated fats.
4. Yogurt
Yogurt is a healthy choice for people who are lactose intolerant. Many people prefer the unflavored, unpasteurized plain yogurt because it is known to offer optimum health benefits.
5. Ice Cream
Ice cream can make a good smoothie base, but you need to choose carefully because its flavor might overpower your fruit's taste. For optimum health benefit, try to go for low fat or non-fat ice cream.
6. Nut or Seed Milk
These are available in your local health food stores.
7. Fruit Juice
You can use the juice of a fruit which is not the main ingredient of your smoothie as its liquid base. Juice them separately and blend them with your other smoothie ingredients for best results. Examples of fruit juices include orange juice, mango juice, apple juice and water from young coconuts.
7. Green Tea
Green tea is a healthy choice for your smoothie liquid base. It is rich in antioxidants which are essential in nourishing your skin, boosting your immune system and protecting you from the risks of certain types of cancer.
How to Enhance Your Smoothie with Flavorings
You can actually add an extra kick to your smoothie by adding natural flavorings to it.
If you are making a vegetable-based smoothie, you can add a little sweetness to it by putting in some natural sweeteners like dates, raisins, raw honey, maple syrup or fruit juice concentrate.
A teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice can also add flavor and lots of antioxidants to your smoothie. Other ingredients that can add extra flavor to your smoothie include ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, grated coconut, coffee powder, half a lemon or lime, mint syrup, ground nutmeg and vanilla extract.
