Green Smoothie

Juice is the liquid extracted when fruit and veggies are pressed in a juicing machine; the pulp is discarded for purity. But smoothie is a drink made in a blender. Smoothies usually contain fruit of some kind, and may also contain other ingredients such as milk, soy milk, yogurt, ice cream and nutritional supplements. Because the pulp from produce stays in a smoothie, they have a much thicker consistency and contain fiber.

Since the early 2000s, there has been an increase in the interest in diets and exercise. So, very quickly green juices became popular and soon after, the green smoothie was born and it has been trending since. Smoothie business was first introduced in 1973 by Steve Kuhnau who founded the first Smoothie King in Louisiana by adding ingredients such as yogurt, protein powder and vitamins to his smoothies. Since then the wellness awareness encouraged to develop even healthier habits, by increasing consumption of dark green, leafy vegetables known as 'Green Smoothie'.

Smoothie

In US, Smoothies originate back in the 1920s and was invented by Julius Freed who had stomach health problems. He made this drink and shared it with friends and later opened business with name of 'Orange Julius'. Orange Julius was a mixture of ice, orange juice, sweetener, milk, powdered egg whites and vanilla flavor.

Over the years, smoothies have been developed to many kind. The following are types of smoothies;

Tropical Smoothies; Tropical fruit juices from mangoes, pineapple, coconut water, watermelon juice, sweet lychee are the favorable ones for a tropical smoothie. Dairy products are added to create a creamy feel.
Vegetable Smoothies; Kales, cauliflowers, cabbage, spinach, carrots, broccoli have a nutrition value.They are rich in minerals and vitamins. They are also known as 'Green smoothies'.
Energy smoothies; Energy benefits from important foods to focus on complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that assist in enhancing energy levels.
Protein Smoothies; Low fat drinks that assist in weight loss and muscle building. Low sugar fruits, milk, soy milk, soy powder and vegetables are recommendable to provide sustainable energy.

Green Smoothie

In 2004, while researching the perfect diet for humans, Victoria Boutenko observed a chimpanzee wrap some fruit in the green leaves before eating them, that she thought of adding fruit to her blended green leaves to liquefy for consumption and wrote 'Green Smoothie Revolution'.

Green Smoothie typically consists of about 50% green vegetables, 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. Superfoods such as wheat grass, moringa and spirulina are also used as added ingredients.

Green smoothies are packed with fiber, which lowers cholesterol and glucose levels, keeps you feeling fuller for longer and regulates your body’s cleansing processes. Plus, it’s a tasty way to get a strong dose of fruits and veggies, which provide vital nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and potassium.

Vacuum Blending

Traditional high-speed blender blades cut and smash food thousands of times a minute, making blends especially prone to oxidation. These blenders can also whip small bubbles into the blends which further promote oxidation. In addition to effecting color and taste, oxidation can also decrease nutritional value. When antioxidants are exposed to oxygen, they react with it and lose their antioxidant activity.

To reduce oxidation, Japanese company Tescom released the first home vacuum blender in 2013. They installed a vacuum pump that connects to an airtight blending container. The pump sucks air out of the blending container, to allows blend smoothies in a low-oxygen environment, which in turn minimizes oxidation of ingredients which help reduce oxidation. These are the most important benefits of vacuum blender:

Reduced Nutrient Loss
Bright Colors
Fresh Flavor for Longer
Less Foam
Less Separation

SuperFoods

The term “Superfood” is a fairly new term referring to foods that offer maximum nutritional benefits for minimal calories. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They contain a high volume of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Antioxidants are natural molecules that occur in certain foods. They help neutralize free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are natural byproducts of energy production that can wreak havoc on the body. These are some of them;