10 healthy smoothie recipes to improve your life

Get your 8 servings of fruits and vegetables the simple way: by drinking smoothies! Ready in 5 minutes and loaded with fruits and vegetables, these satisfying healthy smoothie recipes are refreshing as an energizing breakfast or snack!

We've been fighting a cold since last weekend (that was pretty and why we missed Tuesday) and have really only been craving junk food. And when we say junk food, we mean we ate chips for dinner on most nights. Not proud of it, but trying to survive here.

However, there must be a smart cell left inside our sick brain, because on Sunday we woke up and decided to make a healthy smoothie and nourish our immune system. Not coffee, smoothie! A green one. We immediately felt better. We were cured.

Okay, we wasn’t, but we felt that boost of energy and we've been having a smoothie again every single day, we're doing so much better now.

Recap: Smoothie + sleep = best thing you can do for your health.

Health Benefits Of Smoothies

Having a smoothie filled with fruits and vegetables every day is a habit that has many health benefits.

For example, it can improve your gut health, skin health, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, nourish your immune system and it can also help you lose weight.

All of this helps you prevent conditions like Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and cancer. What it also does is delay the aging process, which is pretty awesome.

…But, Wait, There’s More

It’s not obvious, but that daily healthy smoothie can impact your life in many other ways as well. Because of the high amounts of fruit and vegetables inside, these drinks can boost your productivity, creativity, energy levels, your ability to think clear and your mood. You can read more on that here.

Are Smoothies Good For Weight Loss?

To answer the question: Yes, they can be. There are many reasons smoothies can help you lose weight. They’re filling, low in calories, high in fiber, antioxidant-rich and a great source of vitamin C, which is needed for fat oxidation in the cell.

You can see this study for more details, but long story short – not enough vitamin C = no burning fat.

Another important reason smoothies can help you slim down is that they also have anti-inflammatory properties.

Research has found a strong connection between weight gain and chronic inflammation.

If you’re finding it difficult to lose weight when you’re eating less, chronic inflammation might be causing all the trouble and you need to reduce it. A great way to do so is by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet and drinking a healthy smoothie like the ones on this list is a great start.

How it comes together

Here are some ingredients you can add to your blender to make your smoothie so much healthier:

leafy greens – kale, spinach, lettuce, nettle, purslane
berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
nuts and nut butters – almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter
flax, chia or hemp seeds for omega-3’s
turmeric, ginger, cinnamon – for their anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties
fresh herbs – for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
oats – to lower cholesterol and for prebiotics

Now that we got all of this out of the way, let’s get to the recipes!

1. Green Smoothie With Peach And Banana

Refreshing and nourishing, this green smoothie with cucumber, peaches, banana and ginger is hydrating, tasty and rich in antioxidants. Recipe here.

2. Strawberry Smoothie Without Banana

Tastes like strawberry cheesecake and has only 3 ingredients – strawberries, cashew and orange. Recipe here.

3. Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Simple anti-inflammatory smoothie with mixed berries, ginger, flaxseed and banana. Recipe here.

4. Tasty Kale Smoothie

Who would’ve thought kale can taste good in a smoothie? If it isn’t your thing, you can still make this satisfying drink using spinach. Here’s the recipe: