When I take my orange, I eat everything except the skin, which is why I don’t like taking orange outside my home,” revealed Timothy Aruna, a technician who also said his decision was influenced by his midwife sister, Kate, who told him that the fibre in orange is good for his digestive system.
Taking just the juice from fruits and vegetables is very good, but taking them with the fibre is considered a total package of vitamins and nutrients for the body.
According to Mabel Idiagbonya, a nutritionist, fibre is an important part of any diet.
“It prevents constipation, lowers cholesterol and makes you feel full longer. You can’t get this from juice, but a combination that contains the fibre,” she said.
The concoction to get this total package is called smoothie – a thick beverage made from blended raw fruit and/or vegetables. It is often made with other ingredients such as water, crushed ice, dairy products (milk, yoghurt or cheese), sweeteners (honey, sugar or syrup), soya milk, nuts, chocolate or nutritional supplements.
Depending on the fruit, a smoothie can include the pulp, skin and seed, thus it is always thicker and also healthier than fruit juice, but with a consistency similar to milkshake. Smoothie is a fast and easy way to eat fruits and vegetables.
Between juicing and smoothies
There is a big difference between juice and smoothie. They both offer nutritional benefits, but juice boosts intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, while smoothie is the on-the-go meal or snack that provides nutrients.
Having stripped most of the fibre content from vegetables and fruits, thus losing significant source of protein, juice is not a meal replacement.
On the other hand, one can make a light, nutritious meal with a smoothie by combining fruits and vegetables with a source of protein such as soya milk or low-fat yoghurt. The fibre and protein in a smoothie add up to a satisfying meal or snack.
Homemade smoothies
The downside of smoothies sold in the store is that they are high in carbohydrates because of the level of sugar in them, but making them at home is as easy as juicing, since all that is needed is a blender, the desired fruits or vegetables and the other additives.
While fruits like orange and sour sop will be deseeded to make a smoothie, watermelon or golden melon is best blended with the seeds to get the best out of them.
Smoothies can bring colour to a dinner table because one can combine different types of fruits with different colours in a glass and, to encourage children, honey or yoghurt should be added, depending on the fruit.
Even as many people are comfortable with fruit smoothies, Idiagbonya revealed that green smoothies (made from vegetables) are healthier alternatives to milkshakes, which usually contain ice cream, for health-conscious people.
Green smoothies can be a hard sell, especially with children. It usually consists of raw leafy green vegetables which mostly have slightly bitter taste. Thus, the taste can be ‘improved’ with the addition of sweet fruits like pineapple and banana with relatively low sugar content.
However, green smoothies can be started off with incorporating just a bit of greens with a lot of fruit and increasing the amount as time goes by.
Idiagbonya advised that a mix of fruit(s), vegetable(s), healthy fat and protein makes a nutritious smoothie which can help lose or maintain weight. But “don’t forget to add spices like ginger and cinnamon that can provide antioxidants and other health benefits”, she said.
