“Love yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out” - Jenn Proske
Smoothies made of vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products are packed with vitamins and minerals and they offer a healthy, refreshing drink option. You can also experiment with adding matcha powder to any of the recipes below for an added twist!
A variety of smoothies can be made by using a few key ingredients rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals, ranging from vitamin C to calcium.
They are ideal for the warm summer months since they’re easy to digest and can keep your hair, skin and nails healthy. Adding smoothies to your diet is the best way to make sure that you consume enough fruits and vegetables.
Let’s take a look at some energizing fruit and veggie smoothies today.
Popular ingredients used for making smoothies are fruits such as mangoes, watermelon, avocados, oranges, papayas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples and kiwis that are rich in vitamin C.
Being an antioxidant, vitamin C boosts your immune system and protects your body from harmful elements in the environment. While papayas and mangoes enrich smoothies with vitamin A, avocado is full of vitamin K, vitamin B6 and folate and bananas are rich in potassium and manganese.
Dairy products, mainly, low-fat yogurt or skimmed milk which are often added to increase the thickness of smoothies are rich in calcium and vitamin D. Milk offers nutrients such as riboflavin, phosphorus and iron whereas yogurt is a great source of vitamin B-12 and riboflavin. Soy milk, tofu, peanut butter, nuts or granola adds more protein content to your smoothie.
With their nutrient-dense nature, vegetable smoothies, made from vegetables alone or a mix of vegetables and fruits, offer several health benefits.
You are consuming all parts of the vegetable, including the fiber. These juices digest more slowly and are healthier. Chia seeds and spinach deliver omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for healthy hair and promote circulation to the hair follicle.
Here are six recipes for smoothies that can improve the quality, thickness and appearance of your hair over time.
Mango Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
Large chard leaves, washed well, tough stems trimmed - 3
Frozen mango - 1 cup
Strawberries - 1 cup
Plain Greek or regular yogurt - 1 cup
Walnuts - ¼ cup
Flax seeds - 1 Tbsp
Water - ½ to 1 cup
Instructions: Mix all the ingredients together in the blender with adequate water so that the chard can form a puree easily. Chard and mangoes are high in vitamin A, an anti-hair loss ingredient that helps your hair to stay in good condition and prevent dandruff, dryness and itchiness. While walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids, flax seed gives protein to the smoothie.
Sweet Potato Smoothie
Banana - 1 medium sized
Sweet potato - 1 cooked (small)
Protein powder- 1 scoop (optional)
Almond milk - 1-2 cups
Ice cubes – as required
Instructions: Blend the ingredients together. Rich in vital hair growth nutrients such as Vitamins A, B6, C, and D, and iron, copper, zinc, calcium, niacin, potassium, and magnesium, sweet potato helps improve the health of your scalp. Almond also provides shine & strength to the follicles.
Avocado-Berry Smoothie
Ripe avocado - 1
Raspberries - 1 cup
Spinach - 2 cups
Almond milk - 2 cups
Chia seeds - 2 tablespoons
Instructions: Blend all the ingredients together until creamy. With its rich nutrients such as Niacin (B3) and fatty acids from avocados, this smoothie helps generate energy from carbohydrates and improves blood circulation in the scalp, resulting in improved healthy hair follicles and prevention of brittle hair that breaks easily. Almond milk also provides proteins, necessary for a healthy hair.
Papaya Spinach Smoothie
Papaya - 1 cup
Banana - 1
Spinach - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Instructions: Chop up the deseeded papaya and banana and blend all the ingredients until you get a smooth mixture. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins K, A, C, B2, B6, B1, E, manganese, zinc, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, spinach promotes healthy eyes, and skin and makes your hair strong and smooth. Spinach is a good source of iron, vitamin E and zinc just like papaya.
Cucumber Smoothie
Cucumber, chopped - 4 cups
Greek yogurt - 1 cup
Lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Ice, crushed
Lemon wedges to garnish
Instructions: Blend all ingredients except ice and lemon wedges to a smooth consistency. Pour it in a glass filled with ice before garnishing, using lemon wedges. Cucumber keeps the hair shining, while yogurt provides proteins for rebuilding damaged cuticles and the lemon juice treats dandruff and other minor scalp irritations.
Almond Kale Smoothie
Almond milk (plain or vanilla) – 1 to 1 1/2 cup
Banana – 1
Natural peanut butter - 1 tablespoon
Ice cubes – 3
Kale leaves - 2–3
Blueberries (optional)
Instructions: Blend all ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Kale is a leafy vegetable loaded with vitamin A and vitamin C, which can improve hair growth and scalp circulation.
Blueberries assist in UV protection, and heal damaged follicles. Bananas add more vitamins to this smoothie, while the peanut butter gives extra protein, making it a perfect health drink.
These recipes don’t consume much amount of time. You should also make sure to drink lots of water and avoid stress with meditation, yoga, exercise and by getting involved in activities such as gardening or spending time with pets.
Also, it’s equally important to limit your exposure to harmful UV rays as it may damage your skin as well as hair.
This will help you achieve a more radiant and youthful look through natural methods. Certain beauty supplements are also available for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
By Catalin Zorzini
Catalin is the founder of Ecommerce Platforms and Web App Meister. He blogs about matcha, Japanese lifestyle, and mindfulness at matcha-tea.com. He's a design enthusiast and loves matcha, and is uber passionate about blockchain technology and travel.
Complement your healthy smoothies with Yoga for Detox, Cleansing & Vitality program.