There’s been a lot of talk about juices and smoothies in the Bite kitchen of late, with many of us adding them in to our diet for one reason or another.
Our photographer Tam prefers juices and has become the very proud owner of an Oscar juicer. To make the delicious green juice pictured, click here.
I prefer smoothies and have been making them in a Vitamix which is an incredibly powerful machine that completely grinds up pips and skins and other parts of fruits and vegetables you would normally have to cut out, so you’re getting even more of the nutrients and the fibre.
You can use Tam’s recipe in the Vitamix or a blender to create a green smoothie, like this one, above.
When I quizzed Nadia Lim about the de rigueur green smoothie she said, “about half of us don’t meet our recommended fruit and vegetable intake every day. Having a freshly-made juice or smoothie is an easy way to up our intake of fruit and vegetables, and thus important vitamins and antioxidants, in something that’s refreshing and delicious.’’
You’ll need a juicer to make juices but smoothies are easily made in your blender. “In fact”, says Nadia, “by using a blender to blend up all the ingredients, you’re keeping the fibre in the drink which is an added bonus. You can add other things into your smoothies to boost the nutrition, such as oats to make it a ‘thickie’ which will increase the fibre; yoghurt or milk to add calcium; nuts like cashew nuts or almonds, or avocado to boost the healthy fat content (avocados make amazing smoothies).
"Though juices are great, they should not completely replace eating whole fruit and vegetables, as juicing often removes the fibre. The best way to enjoy juices and smoothies is to have one or two a day and meet the rest of your fruit and vegetable intake by eating whole fruits and veges.”