The easiest way to incorporate superfoods into your diet is to make superfood shakes – it only takes a few minutes. You can use superfoods in all of their varied forms – fresh or dried fruit, leaves, powders, seeds and nuts, oils and liquids. Combining the different forms increases the overall nutritional value and assists in their absorption.
The basic principles of making superfood shakes are simple, and once you understand them you can match the shake to your dietary needs, the season and whatever catches your fancy.
If you’ve chosen to incorporate any superfood into your diet, you should stick to it for a while. Prepare a shake once a day and add the recommended amount of superfood to it.
Consistency
A shake’s consistency affects its taste and actually drinking it. We all know those watery shakes that remind us of juice more than anything. We are also familiar with those thick, puree-like shakes which are hard to drink. Reaching an accurate level of consistency is an important principle; it is reached by diluting the shake or adding in more solids.
Texture
An exact texture will upgrade your shake by several levels. A smooth, thick and creamy texture is mostly influenced by the blender it was prepared in. The stronger and faster a blender is, the better the texture will be. Strong blenders mix the ingredients in such a way that leaves no fibers unblended.
Seasoning
Apart from being healthy and nourishing, it is important to make shakes tasty and enjoyable. You can boost the taste of your shakes by spicing them up with exiting tastes. You can use fresh herbs, powders or extracts – ginger, cinnamon, mint, vanilla, chili, turmeric and anything else you can think of. Balance the taste by sweetening the shake or adding lemon.
Washing and Storage
Pre-washed green leaves will make things easier for you by speeding up the time it takes to make a shake. If you wash the leaves and wrap them in a damp kitchen towel they can be kept in the fridge for about 7-10 days. You can freeze them as well (they can be kept for about a month in the freezer), and add them frozen to the shake.
It is recommended to drink the shakes immediately, but you can keep them for a day in the fridge, or for about two weeks in the freezer.
