The Art and Joy of Joothie Making

What is a joothie? Good question! We find we hardly ever make juice without pouring that juice into the blender jug to blend in some extra nutrition from things like banana, avocado, nuts, seeds and other good stuff! Hence we engage in the art of the Joothie, the juice-smoothie!

The joothie is particularly effective when going on a juice fast or juice as the addition of extras in the blender add thickness and bulk making the juice more filling and satisfying! Let me recommend a few things to blend into your juice to make a joothie.

Avocado: one of our favourites high in healthy fats and a broad stretch of vitamins and folate. Loaded with potassium and monounsaturated fatty acids that help condition the heart and circulation. Avocados are also loaded with fibre that will all make it into the joothie scrubbing through your digestive system.

Banana: bananergy! great for energy levels and you don’t need much, again rich in potassium, vitamins including B6 and manganese. We hear that people steer clear of banana as it is calorie rich and will lead to weight gain, if you eat lots, this is of course true, same as if you ate lots of anything. The reality is that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a GOOD thing to do, just control the level of the sweeter stuff. A nice chunk of banana, is fine!

Pineapple: This super juicy fruit is rammed full of nutrients and is a treat to juice or blend, just slice up and trim the skin off and away you go! Loaded with vitamin C and B vitamins it is thought that pineapple aids digestion and reduces inflammation. Try this recipe, juice carrots, ginger and apple, then blend in the pineapple. Health in a glass!

Strawberries: vitamin packed little red health pods, blend them in with the green stalks left on, high in antioxidants and anti-inflammitories, most berries are high in nutrients that will protect your circulation and eyesight, a great investment in your long term health.

Mango: One of our ultimate smoothie ingredients mango has a great taste and colour, a little messy to prep but very beneficial once it’s blended into the drink! Another great tasting medicinal powerhouse with anti cancer properties as well as some theories linking mango to weight loss!

Grapes: These blend super easily and you get the benefits of the skin blended into the drink, their high water content allows them to vanish into the smoothie donating their high level of antioxidants. Grapes inhibit bad cholesterol and protect your arteries! Go steady on the grapes though, you only need a few as the skin is nutrient rammed and the flesh includes the fruit sugar fructose which is it a good idea to limit.

Cucumber: again these will blend or juice, but they suit blending well because of their high water content, long known for boosting skin condition, cucumber is also packing vitamin B5 a component of energy generation.

Tomatoes: particularly the small cherry tomato will blend in nicely and add a host of health boosting nutrients and a great colour to your joothies. High in potent antioxidant lycopene, the element that colours plants red.

Spinach: juices or blends well, you can juice loads if you blend spinach a handful of leaves per litre of smoothie is plenty. Blending up the whole green means you don’t miss out on anything and by churning it up all that good stuff is super bio available.

OK there are plenty more items of produce that will blend well, stay tuned for more joothie updates.