As an alternative to “fruit smoothies”, there is also a variety of delicious “green smoothies”, made from water, green vegetables such as spinach or cabbage, herbs and sweet fruits. The ratio of fruit and green vegetables should be about the same. Due to the green leafy vegetables, a far greater amount of nutrients is possible than is the case with pure fruit smoothies.
Recipes – smoothies for the immune system
The positive effect of smoothies on our immune system is due to the special combination of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and phytochemicals. It is particularly advisable to prepare smoothies yourself rather than using ready-made products. This way, we get to choose the flavour and ingredients ourselves and it is certainly cheaper than buying ready-made fruit smoothies.
Changing the ingredients in the smoothie daily also provides our defences with a wide range of nutrients. And smoothies can be a good alternative, especially for children, who often refuse to eat fruit and vegetables. These nutrient-rich smoothies are quick and easy to prepare. You’ll need a stick blender, or a food processor, that can completely liquify all the ingredients. The following recipes are designed for 2 servings each.
When enjoying smoothies, please bear in mind that the nutrient content is more like that of a small meal than “just” a drink. Fruit smoothies in particular can contain a lot of calories due to fructose, while green smoothies are usually slightly lower in calories and are more nutritious.
Try out our great smoothie recipe ideas:
Strawberry banana smoothie (a hit with kids):
Ingredients:
175 g strawberries, frozen
½ banana
2 oranges
1–2 tbsp honey
Puree the peeled oranges and banana together with the frozen strawberries until everything has a smooth consistency. If you like, you can sweeten the whole thing with 1–2 tablespoons of honey. A great recipe for hot summer days!
Blackberry vanilla ice cream smoothie (for those with a sweet tooth):
Ingredients:
300 g blackberries
1 tsp lemon juice
1 sachet vanilla sugar
300 ml milk
2 tbsp quark
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Puree the washed blackberries together with the lemon juice and vanilla sugar. Then add the milk, quark and vanilla ice cream and mix everything until a frothy consistency is formed. If you like it even sweeter, you can add some icing sugar.
Pomegranate multivitamin smoothie (the immune booster):
Ingredients:
1 pomegranate (seeds)
½ lemon
1 orange
2 peaches
150 g pineapple
250 g grapes
1 cup ice cubes
Remove the seeds from the pomegranate (see tip), then clean, peel and remove the seeds from the remaining fruit, put everything in a blender and puree until it has a slightly creamy consistency. Then add the ice cubes and puree everything briefly again.
Tip for deseeding the pomegranate:
Score the skin of the pomegranate all around with a knife to a depth of about 0.5 cm. Use rotating movements to halve the pomegranate by hand without damaging the pomegranate seeds.
Place the halves in a bowl of water and divide them into several small parts with your hands under water. Now the seeds can easily be released from the thin, white membranes using your fingers and sink to the bottom of the water.
Berry kale smoothie (green smoothie):
Ingredients:
100 g berries
½ pear
½ banana
50 g gooseberries
3 kale leaves
5 g ginger
250 ml water
2–3 tbsp honey
Wash all the berries and the fruit, peel and deseed the pear. The ginger should be peeled, unless it is organic. Then put the washed kale leaves with all the ingredients together in a blender and puree at the highest speed for about 2 minutes.
Green spinach grape kiwi smoothie (plus superfood):
Ingredients:
50 g fresh spinach leaves
200 g grapes
1 kiwi
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp chia seeds
300 ml water
Wash the spinach leaves and grapes (remove seeds if necessary) and place the peeled kiwi in a blender together with the water and lemon juice. When the desired consistency is achieved, finally add the chia seeds.
If you don't drink the smoothie straight away, the chia seeds will swell up and the smoothie will get a little thicker.