One of the reasons that many people on a plant-based diet use smoothies is to either get in more of their daily nutrients or to get more protein into their diet. If you are attempting to get more protein into your plant-based diet, then you may be looking at smoothie ingredient options.
You can use a protein based powder, but often times these may not give you the results you want. Here are the steps to make a non-powder plant-based protein smoothie.
Check Your Superfoods
It doesn’t really matter if you are making a green, fruit, or mixed smoothie. What does matter is that you are getting enough protein. This means you need to double check your superfoods and find the ones that are rich in protein. Make sure you have several options for fruits and for vegetable based options.
Make sure that you can mix them up and keep your routine fresh. Also, check for superfoods that are easy to come by near you. It won’t help if you find the ideal superfood, but have no way to obtain it.
Choose the Base
Most smoothies are based with either water, coconut water, or juice. You can use nut based or plant-based milks like soy, almond, and coconut as well. You may not think it matters what you choose, but the truth is, some options work better than others with specific types of smoothies.
For example, a banana smoothie with mangoes and vanilla sugar crystals or powder is already creamy when it is made. Adding water can make it too watery and loose it’s flavor. However, adding a creamy base like a nut based milk will keep the smooth consistency and flavor.
Ripe is Right
Okay, so it sounds silly but ripe fruits are the right fruits and so are ripe vegetables. You don’t want to have a rock hard pear in your smoothies. Everything needs to be ripe to work well, blend well, and go down well. With that in mind you may be wondering what that has to do with your protein.
The truth is, some fruits and vegetables excrete more protein and nutrients when they ripen rather than any other time. So, if you are using ripe foods in your plant-based smoothie, then you are getting them at the best time and the most protein packed.
The ultimate key to making a plant-based protein smoothie is to look at your superfood options. You may be surprised to find that certain superfoods have a lot of protein. You can also use nut based butters to help boost your smoothies.
Just make sure everything is labeled organic and vegan.
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