Smoothies: A Great Way to Get 5 a Day

Sometimes I swear getting my children to eat their fruits and vegetables is more difficult than me trying to solve a Rubik's cube. Broccoli, spinach, oranges – even bananas, which they used to LOVE – all go untouched. I look at my withering produce sitting in my fridge in dismay, wondering if I should just give up and give in to their demands for crackers and cookies.

That's when I heard about smoothies.

Delicious and nutritious, smoothies are a great way to ensure that your children will both receive the essential nutrients they need as well as keep their tummies full right up until dinner's ready. For an added nutritional boost you can also add powdered multi-vitamins (there are several made just for children) to the smoothie to ensure that they are meeting the daily dietary requirements.

Fruits are a “given” for children's smoothies, but that doesn't mean you have to keep the vegetables out either. Adding carrots and yams are great first steps to adding vegetables to a smoothie. If your child doesn't seem to mind those, try upping the ante by adding cauliflower, tomatoes, and sweet peas. From there, try throwing in dark green vegetables like spinach and kale.

NOTE: For a “complete” smoothie, try adding in seeds, nuts, calcium-fortified orange juices, rice milk or almond milk.

Great Smoothie Combinations

Many people are stumped by smoothies because, well, they just aren't exactly sure WHAT to put in them!

Some general ingredients that can be added to any smoothie are:

• Rice milk, almond milk or cow’s milk
• Ice cubs
• 2 Tbsp of flax seeds
• Orange Juice
• Bananas

What you add from there is up to you! Berries do generally go well with other berries, so try throwing blue berries in with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or even cranberries for a bit of a twist.

Oranges go well with many other citrus fruits and different types of melons, such as watermelon, honey dew, and even peeled mangoes.

When looking for smoothie recipes, a quick search online will offer you thousands of fantastic natural, delicious smoothie recipes that your children will absolutely love! So the next time you're stressing about your children getting their 5 to 10 vegetables a day grab the blender and get smoothie'ing!

photo by A Schaeffer