Green smoothies are quickly becoming a staple in the health and fitness world. They’re the perfect whole food blend that help us consume large amounts of fiber, greens, fresh fruit, and vitamin-C in one delicious serving. Blending your plant foods also encourages easy digestion and maximum nutrient and enzyme adsorption.
In today’s post, the Healthy Hub team shares some answers to commonly asked questions about the preparation of green smoothies. Read on for some blending wisdom!
Is it possible to overblend my green smoothie? What’s the ideal blend time?
Some people worry that they’ve over-blended their smoothies,, while others think they haven’t broken down the ingredients quite enough. On one hand, over-blending could break down some of your smoothie’s precious nutrients, especially as heat is generated by the whirring blades. The last thing we want to do is “cook” any amount of it with a hot blender! On the other hand, under-blending your smoothie will make for a lumpy, unenjoyable drink.
We recommend a total blending time of around 1 minute. You may add or subtract 5-10 seconds to this estimate depending on the power of your blender
But what if my smoothie doesn’t look or taste right after 1 minute? What’s the ideal consistency and blending method?
First of all, we recommend investing in a Vitamix blender. These blenders are extremely high-powered, which means that your smoothie can reach the ideal consistency in less time, giving the blades no time to heat up. When it comes to nutrient and enzyme preservation, the less time you spend blending, the better your outcome!
If you don’t have a Vitamix, you should try blending in smaller batches. This will prevent your blender blades from working too hard, and will give the unit more time to cool down as you transfer liquid between batches. You can also preserve the maximum amount of nutrients by minding the order in which you blend ingredients. Start with the water and greens. This gets the hard work out of the way so that the delicate, water-based fruits you add later don’t end up over-blended.
As far as the ideal consistency, that is ultimately up to you! Thicker smoothies do retain slightly more nutrients, but if you prefer yours a little smoother and creamier, then that’s great too! Understand that you have the option of playing with the consistency, so long as the nutrients are not lost through an overly long blending process.