Juicing Fruits for Vegan Smoothies

Smoothies offer great taste and nutrition for the health-conscious person on the go. For those living a vegan lifestyle, fruit smoothies also provide a source of nutrition that may be missing from their normal diet. Here are some ideas for how to juice fruits for vegan smoothies.

Veganism is one of the strictest forms of vegetarianism. To be sure, there are several varieties of vegetarianism, but those who proclaim to be vegan don't ingest any animal products at all. Many people go "vegan" as it were due to their personal convictions. Already being vegetarian, they make the jump to vegan because of animal rights issues and not just their health.

Being vegan is not easy. While the diet is morally good, it can be deficient in many vitamins and fiber. One way to recover those needed nutrients is through vegan smoothies. A vegan smoothie is easy to make and can combine ingredients that account for the heath needs deficient in a diet devoid of meat and dairy products. Smoothies can be made the night before and frozen in portions in cups. Each day, a smoothie can be thawed during the morning routine just in time to be slurped up on the daily commute to work.

Some experts argue that juicing fruits removes the fiber. Some will remain but not enough to account for a full day's recommended value. Vegan smoothies make up for this with other smoothie ingredients and less water-dense fruits. Fruits contain water but some more than others. Fruits with more water are better for juicing.

Juicing provides a way to get your fruits easily. You may argue that a vegan can eat an apple or a banana with less fuss, but the name of the game is nutrition. To get the same nutritional benefit from a vegan smoothie, one would have to eat an apple, banana, orange, blueberries, and other fruits all at one time. We'll take the vegan smoothie instead.

A simple juicer will do the trick for citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes, if you don't mind a little elbow grease. An electric juicer ensures that as much of the fruit flesh is juiced as possible. These juicers can be purchased at any department store like Kohl's, Wal-mart, K-mart, or Target.

Vegan smoothies also need fruits that don't work well with a juicer. Bananas spring to mind. A banana each day provides potassium and fiber for our bodies. Fiber is important for everyone but the vegan diet has limited ways of obtaining it. Blending fruits utilizes the entire fruit leaving nothing behind. Bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and other berries with edible skins for vegan smoothies mix well in a blender.

Vegans can juice these small fruits for the same result. If you have other juicer friendly fruits to add to the smoothie, using the juicer is more economical. For a personal vegan smoothie, purchasing a commercial juicer is not needed. They are heavy, expensive, and for bulk juicing. A better alternative is a smaller, less expensive version of a commercial juicer.

Smoothies are supposed to be thick and vegan smoothies are no exception. Once the fruit is juiced, add it to the bananas and soy milk or yogurt in the blender. A bit of tofu will add even more thickness to the smoothie and still keep it vegan.

A vegan smoothie won't supplement all of the nutrients a vegan lacks but it is a start and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Juicing fruit for a vegan smoothie is the beginning.

Sources:

"Juicing for Health" http://www.happyjuicer.com/juicing-information/juicing-for-health.asp

Lula Vecchi. "A Banana a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" http://www.all-creatures.org/health/bananaday.html

"Veganism" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism