Smoothie facts for kids
Smoothies are a type of cold drink made from a liquid (either milk, fruit juice, or water), crushed ice or ice cubes, different fruits (such as banana, strawberries, or pineapple). Sometimes other foods are added to smoothies, such as yogurt, honey, maple syrup or ice cream. Smoothies are blended with an electric blender until the fruit and ice is puréed (made smooth).
People usually drink smoothies from a tall glass or cup, and use a plastic drinking straw to suck it into their mouth. Some dieticians think that drinking smoothies is not as good as eating the original fruit, because the smoothie has less fibre, and does not provide exercise for the jaw and other digestive processes which eating the fruit would give.
Smoothies are similar to milk shakes. Milk shakes are also a cold drink made with an electric blender. Milk shakes are usually made with milk, ice cream, and sweet syrups, such as chocolate syrup.
Contents
Types of smoothies
Green smoothie
A green smoothie typically consists of 40–50% green vegetables (roughly half), usually raw green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, celery, parsley, or broccoli, with the remaining ingredients being mostly or entirely fruit. Most green leafy vegetables have a bitter flavor when served raw, but one can choose certain less-bitter vegetables (e.g. baby spinach) or combine them with fruits or other sweet ingredients.
Protein smoothie
A protein smoothie is a combination of water or milk, protein powder, fruits, and vegetables. They can be consumed any part of the day and are used as protein supplement for those who want to increase their protein intake. Protein powder can have a chalky taste when mixed individually by itself with milk or water. The protein smoothie improves the taste of the protein powder through addition of fruits or other sweeteners.
Yogurt smoothie
A yogurt smoothie is a smoothie that includes yogurt as a protein source and to add a creamy texture to the drink. Greek yogurt, specifically, is included as a thickener (due to its strained consistency) and in order to take advantage of its claimed health benefits.
Around the world
Many different smoothies are part of Indian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Fruit sharbat (a popular West and South Asian drink) sometimes include yogurt and honey, too. In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, there's lassi, a yogurt smoothie composed of crushed ice, yogurt, sugar or salt, and in some cases fruits, like mango. Pineapple smoothies made with just crushed ice and sugar are common in Southern India. Lassi or a very similar drink exists by different names in other countries. For example, doogh in Iran, shumlay in Afghanistan and some parts of Pakistan, ayran in Turkiye, and dhallë in Armania.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Strawberry and lemon smoothie
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Blueberry smoothie topped with blueberries and pineapple pieces
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See also
In Spanish: Smoothie para niños
