Are smoothies really that healthy?

My BF just got me a really nice blender....I've been wanting one for a while but never actually went and bought it for myself. I really love smoothies and I feel they have the conotation of being really healthy for you. Anyone make their own regularly?

I've never had a blender so I'm kinda scared to mess something up - even though it's hard to do - the package came with some smoothie recipes and I'm excited to try them out - most call for juice concentrate, fresh fruit, sometimes milk and yogurt. Are these things really as healthy as I'm thinking? If they are I plan to be using my blender a lot and making a lot for myself in place of eating ice cream and such.

depends on what ingredients you put into the smoothie, but if it's fresh fruit and milk, that is very healthy for you! so enjoy your blender!

Yeah, depends on the ingredients. I make one regularly:

1/2 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen then thawed)

1 banana

1 cup OJ

Ice (optional)

Meal on the go. Chewing is for losers.

There are some great, healthy smoothie recipes out there. One of my favorites, especially when I'm trying to ween off coffee yet still have some kind of morning "eye opener" is a blend of very ripe bananas, soy milk, a tablespoon of flax seeds, and ICE, and if I have it on hand, a tablespoon of spirulina. Warning, that turns your smoothie green! But it's very healthy.

The ice, bananas (and it's key that they are very ripe), soy milk, and flax seeds are a base recipe. You can add other ingredients to that, like blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, dates...

Good ideas guys! Thanks for the info!

If your ever in a book store, look for The Abs Diet Book. It is published through Mens Health magazine. They have many recioes for smoothies and other healthy drinks made with the blender..i dont have a blender and havent bought one , so i cant shre how they taste. But i did recognize the flax seed Scout mentioned, milk, yogurt, berries frozen or fresh etc...

I usually put apples, bananas, blueberries, ice, ground flax seed, and maybe some carrots. Youghurt if I have any. Not bad!

I've heard both. Like another person said on here earlier it depends on what you put in it. I like plain yougart(spelling??) with orange juice, a little grape, and cranberry juice, and ice. I don't like fruit chuncks so I use juice. I can't make them anymore because my brother and I shared a blender and when he got married he decided he did not want to buy one for his wife so he took ours. I would try making my own recipes. Have fun making them.

Something I forgot to add. If you carry around a smoothie in a stainless steel travel mug and the smoothie has orange or any citrus fruit in it make sure you clean it out as soon as possible to prevent the acid from ruining the mug.

I did not know that

Homemade smoothies are a lot better than ones you buy at Orange Julius or similar places. Mainly because when you make it at home, you put what you want in it and have complete control over it. Generally, smoothies made at restaurants, diners, and mall-stops have high amounts of sugar added to give it a strong kick. That is what makes them really unhealthy. If you're making a smoothie at home and want added sweetening, use a product like Stevia instead.

Awesome! You guys are awesome I made my first one today...I made WAY too much - getting the right amount of stuff is gonna be my hardest challenge - but it's fun at least and they taste great

Yeah, if you use the right ingredients. I use low fat soy milk and yoghurt.

From reading this thread, it seems there are many variations, but i will share mine:

1/2-1 cup of low fat soy or dairy milk

1-2 tablespoons of low fat yoghurt

Fruit to taste

Ice

Vanilla Essense (a few drops - my secret ingredient)

Sometimes i add cinnamon, or malt powder for flavour. Some people also use honey as a sweetener.

good luck!