Healthy spring drinks to get you glowing

It's time to get your glow on! Cenovis Home Economist Mandy dos Santos shares her top five healthy beverages to get you glowing inside and out.

Pine lime smoothie

• Juice of 1 lime

• ½ cup of diced pineapple (fresh or frozen)

• ½ banana (frozen)

• 250ml of milk of your choice/coconut water/100% fresh apple juice

Why it's good: The vitamin C and potassium levels from the pineapple and banana will assist in keeping your immunity strong with the change in seasons. The zing of the lime will also awaken your senses.

Green goddess smoothie

• 1 cup of baby spinach

• ¼ avocado

• ½ ripe pear

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 tbs of plain natural yoghurt

• 250ml of milk of your choice

Why it's good: Only 6.8% of Australians get the required intake of vegetables each day. One way to increase that intake is by incorporating vegetables in all of your meals, including smoothies. Fats found in the avocado, along with the protein in the milk and yoghurt all play a role to help retain the satiety of the meal for longer. Protein and fats will also reduce the overall glycaemic index of the drink and assist with sugar release throughout the body. We also require good fats such as the mono-saturated fats of avocado for glowing skin.

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Blood juice

• 2 beetroot

• 1 apple

• 2 carrots

Why it's good: Beetroots are thought to be energising for our blood as well as reducing our blood pressure. It is not necessarily the colour that does this, although the colour does represent the high antioxidant level. In fact it’s the nitrate levels in beetroots which are thought to open our blood vessels relieving the pressure, along with increasing the oxygen level of the blood. 

Blueberry revitalising frappe

• 250ml of fresh coconut water

• ½ cup of frozen blueberries

• ½ medium banana

• ½ cup of ice

Why it's good: Coconuts are a natural energy drink with its rich source of electrolytes. It is also a good source of potassium, as are bananas. Bananas are also a source of magnesium which is beneficial in energy production of the muscles.

Berrylicious water

Add ½ cup of berries to your 2 litre water bottle along with ½ an orange, sliced. Let it infuse for a few minutes and enjoy the refreshing zing.

Why it's good: The added hit of vitamin C from the berries and oranges will help build your immunity and anything that motivates you to drink more water is always beneficial!

Before you juice...

Whether you're on Team Smoothie or Team Juice, there are two important points to remember when whipping up a refreshing fruit-based drink: 

Don’t over-do the fruit

The reason why two pieces of fruit a day is the common recommendation is because we need the nutri-powerhouse that it offers, but fruit also comes with a higher energy intake than an equivalent vegetable due to its higher intrinsic sugar levels. When you have a smoothie, or a juice, be mindful of how many pieces of fruit you are drinking and add it to your daily count. Veggies on the other hand… go to town! We can never eat enough vegetables. 

We eat fruits and vegetables for their fibre as well

Vitamins and minerals are not enough to ensure optimum health. When we juice our fruits and vegetables, we lose all the fabulous fibre which is beneficial for overall gut health, not to mention it also assists with satiety and sugar level regulation in our bodies. Wherever possible, eat fruit and vegetables whole if you can, even in a smoothie.

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