Best to Use Bases and Liquids For Your Smoothie

Many different ingredients go into a smoothie. But basically, smoothie ingredients are categorized into two: bases and liquids. 

The base is usually a fruit or something else that gives the smoothie its very strong flavor and its smooth, creamy texture. Choosing a base often comes first as it will define the strongest flavor and the ‘smoothness’ of this healthy drink.

The Top Bases for a Smoothie

What makes a good base for a smoothie? What are the different options? Let’s take a look …

Banana

Banana is probably the most often used smoothie base thanks to the all-time favorite smoothie recipe: banana and strawberry. These two fruits are perfect together and gives plenty of potassium to keep cramps at bay. Banana is also a great source of vitamin B6. A smoothie made with banana is very delicious and creamy in general.

Avocado

The avocado is a popular health food today because of numerous factors. The biggest benefit of avocado is its healthy saturated fat content. What’s more, avocado is delicious and really creamy. It is also a good source of omega 3 fatty acid, which helps to improve the communication between cells, fight inflammation and more!

Mango

Mango smoothies -- who wouldn't love this really sweet and delicious summer treat. Mango is has a very smooth texture and it is a great source of vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and minerals.

Peanut Butter

Not all smoothie bases have to be fruits and/or vegetables. A somewhat different option is to use peanut butter, which gives lots of magnesium and zinc, healthy sugar and good amount of protein. This is perfect for those who want to build muscle. It could be mixed with other protein sources – such as protein shake – to have a highly effective muscle building smoothie.

Protein Shake

You could also just add protein shake. This will give a lot more protein and delicious flavor to your mixture. Be reminded that many protein shakes are high fat and high carb, so choose you read the labels before add a protein shake to your smoothie. You can just use plain whey protein and then add the flavor you want to make a delicious smoothie!

The Top Liquids for a Smoothie

Though the base is what mostly gives a smoothie its great flavor, you should not overlook the liquid part of your smoothie. It could be just ‘water’ but it’s a very important ingredient in there.

The liquid provides the fluidity of a drink. It is what makes a drink very runny or a little thicker. This depends on the quantity of liquid you put in a smoothie. It also affects the smoothie's flavor.

So, what liquids can you choose?

Water

Plain water is probably the best choice of liquid to have an optimally hydrating smoothie. It helps to dissolve elements in your smoothie, which aids digestion. Additionally, its plain flavor enables you to try different combination of fruits and vegetables. It’s perfect for ‘green smoothies.’

Tea

Tea into a smoothie? Why not? You can use iced tea or green tea. Tea will make a more energizing smoothie because of caffeine. And it adds potent antioxidant and neuroprotective properties as well.

Ice

Want an ice cold smoothie like a cocktail drink? Blend the ice to make a slush, which kids love and will entice them to drink smoothies. The coldness of ice also makes your body’s metabolism work overtime. The resulting thermogenic effect can help increase fat burning and weight loss.

Milk

Adding milk is a fantastic way to change the flavor of a smoothie. It makes it really smooth and creamy. Because of the fat in milk, it helps the body to absorb various nutrients, particularly the fat soluble vitamins. It also adds protein, healthy cholesterol (to boost testosterone levels) and calcium.