Give It a Whirl

It's a few weeks into the new year, and resolutions are falling like snowflakes. Case in point: A coworker who’d just plunked down half a mortgage payment for his wife’s new ultra-powered blender was miffed that she isn’t using it.

It’s not that he was loving the idea of green smoothies every morning, but she asked for it, he sighed. Why did she ask for it if she wasn’t going to use it?

Judging by the hundreds of “beginner” smoothie recipes online and the green smoothie challenges popping up left and right, lots of us are intimidated by an empty blender.

To demystify smoothies, I turned to Jill Duncan, personal wellness chef and owner of Wellness by Jill. “Anything could be used in a smoothie!” she said via e-mail when I asked about ingredient pitfalls. “Smoothies don't have to be traditional in the sense of fruit/milk/yogurt, they could also be pureed veggies, almost like a soup," she explained.

“I don't know of things to avoid, except for sugary blends that many people purchase in the store that are labeled as smoothie bases,” Duncan continued. “Most of them I have seen, I have been disappointed with. They are usually overpriced for what is included, and often the ingredients are not healthy and are highly processed.”

Right now green smoothies — made with any leafy greens, from kale to lettuce to grape leaves to foraged weeds — are all the rage. (There’s even an app dedicated to them!)

For many of these greens, high-speed blenders are essential for transforming the leaves into drinkable form. But not all of us are as willing to pony up the necessary cash as my coworker, and Duncan said there are ways to get the benefits without the cost.

“For lower power blenders, I think spinach is probably best,” she said. “My favorites are kale and parsley, and really just a leaf or two is needed.”

It’s important to vary the greens you use so you’re getting a good diversity of nutrients. Consider other green foods too. Duncan is big on avocado, “because it is my favorite food and blends so well into a smoothie and makes it super rich in a really healthy way.”

A recipe isn’t really necessary, but following a general ratio will help. “I really like smoothies that are nutty and not so fruity sweet (same as my preference with ice cream!),” Duncan said, “so I generally use 1 cup of almond milk (or other nut milk), 1 cup of frozen or fresh banana or papaya, a handful of leafy dark greens, a plant-based protein powder (hemp, rice, or pea, for example — it is optional but helps with blood sugar stability), and 1 tablespoon fiber such as flax seed or chia seed.”

Duncan has experimented with a wide range of diets and dietary restrictions over the years, including a raw food diet, which often includes plenty of smoothies. She tends to avoid dairy in her smoothies.

“Almond milk and coconut milk or coconut water are my favorite liquids for flavor and nutritional qualities,” she said. “I also like a splash of stevia and cinnamon to help with sweetening it up a bit. Sometimes I used fresh fruit instead of frozen because I don't like my smoothies really cold — hence no ice as well.”

On the other hand, the convenience factor of frozen fruit is undeniable. Rather than buying the sugary pre-packaged mixes (which “usually don’t save that much time because they still need additions," Duncan noted), she recommends “taking the time to purchase your desired ingredients and prepping them in advance so you are ready to go when you need to throw a smoothie together.”

And what if the resolution that’s falling is the one to avoid the drive-thru window? Can a smoothie save the day? Maybe, Duncan said. “If sugars and corn syrups are ingredients, the smoothie might not be any better than soda! But if real fruit is added, at least you would be getting a portion of your fruits and veggies for the day.”

By Amy De La Hunt, Health blogger for SmartParenting

By day, Amy De La Hunt hears plenty of good information and advice about parenting and child development in her role as curriculum developer for Parents as Teachers, a St. Louis-based nonprofit. And every evening her sons, ages 9 and 6, bring home the reality that there is plenty of parenting wisdom yet to be revealed. Her "a-ha moments" frequently make their way into her health-related posts for St. Louis Kids. She also writes about food, restaurants, nutrition, and other lifestyle topics for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Alive magazine, and Gayot.com. At their home in St. Louis, Amy and her sons dabble in gardening, art, reading, cooking, running and raising chickens in the backyard.