How to Make a Balanced Smoothie

Often full of nutritious fruit and vegetables, a simple smoothie is one of the easiest ways to get your 5-a-day. But are smoothies always as good for you as they seem?

In addition to containing a variety of fruity goodness, smoothies can sometimes contain high levels of fructose sugar. If these are not paired with other important smoothie-friendly ingredients, such as protein, fibre (from vegetables or greens, not more fruit) and healthy fats, they can imbalance our blood sugar, leading to energy crashes and hunger cravings.

So how do you make a balanced, nutrient-dense smoothie? Join Ancient + Brave nutritionist, Jo Woodhurst, as she guides you through making a vegetable smoothie.

Veg-out: Why add vegetables to your smoothie 

To create a well-balanced smoothie, include a good balance of macronutrients. Making a veggie-focused smoothie supports your daily fibre intake and is a great way to reduce food waste by using up that leftover veg. 

Aim for 50% of your smoothie to be veg-based, choosing courgette, cauliflower, kale or spinach to create a healthy green smoothie.

If you prefer a sweeter taste, make your vegetable smoothie with whole food carbohydrate sweetness from fruits, dried fruits, carrots or even baked sweet potato. The combination of fibre, healthy fats and protein tastes great and gives you a natural energy boost. 

Just be mindful that some fruits and dairy products can be difficult to digest, especially for those prone to IBS, IBD or Crohn’s disease. To support your gut's resilience to stressors, add True Biome to your smoothie blend. Low FODMAP approved gut care, this intelligent formula delivers effective natural gut support via postbiotics, amino acids and PHGG, a clinically tested prebiotic fibre that is well-tolerated by those with sensitive digestion.

5 of the best vegetables for smoothies

Spinach: Full of fibre, iron, folate and potassium, spinach helps support balanced blood sugar levels and is great for gut health. 

Frozen cauliflower: A great low-sugar smoothie swap to banana, cauliflower provides fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, and manganese and is a helpful smoothie ingredient for hormone balance. 

Beetroot: Gives your smoothie a fantastic colour and is incredibly rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre. They’re naturally sweet too, and help with our liver function and detoxification pathways. 

Courgette: Adds a smooth, creamy texture. Fibre-rich, it's full of potassium, manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin A.

Cucumber: Cucumber is full of electrolytes and antioxidants, making it the perfect ingredient for a hydrating morning smoothie. Thanks to its high water content, you can use it as a substitute for high-sugar liquids to create a low-sugar smoothie. 

Nutritionist tip: If you’re new to vegetable smoothies, add your greens gradually. You can always build more vegetables into your smoothie as your taste adjusts. Frozen vegetables like cauliflower, avocado or spinach are just as nutritious as fresh veg and have the bonus of making your summer smoothies cool and refreshing.

Smoothie swaps: Alternatives to fruit juice smoothies

All smoothies need a liquid base, but that doesn’t mean that you always need to add fruit juice. To make a lower-sugar smoothie, consider swapping this for healthy fat alternatives such as coconut milk, almond milk, kefir or full-fat organic Greek yoghurt.  This simple, low-sugar smoothie swap gives your blenda delicious texture and flavour. 

Boost your smoothie with healthy fats

Blending healthy fats, such as avocado, nut butter, and flaxseed, into your smoothie unlocks numerous benefits. These not only help you to absorb fat-soluble nutrients, but they also keep you satiated and may even help you to focus. 

Another easy way to get more healthy fats in your smoothie is to add a tablespoon of MCT oil. A great choice for a ketone smoothie, MCT oil gives you a clean source of energy, helping the body to burn fat for fuel rather than glucose. MCT oil also supports cognition and focus- ideal for a morning kickstart. 

Pack in the protein: Best protein sources for smoothie

Your body needs a protein top-up around every 3 hours, so try to get a few plant proteins, like chia or hemp seeds, into your blend. Alternatively, add a high-quality protein powder, ensuring you use one low in sugar, additives, and fillers, such as our Brave Ancestral Protein powder. We like to add this to our banana breakfast smoothie recipe, which you can find here. 

We also love to add our Collagen or Vegan Collection to smoothies. Rich in amino acids, these can be used as a protein source or alongside any protein powder. 

Upgrade your smoothie with antioxidant-rich matcha

Do you like to start your day with a matcha smoothie? Adding a tablespoon or two of matcha to your smoothie not only gives it a vibrant green colour, but it also gives you a natural antioxidant lift. 

To make our Matcha + Collagen, we use Ceremonial Grade Matcha. This high-quality matcha contains the highest level of EGCG antioxidants and provides more antioxidant units than an entire pack of blueberries or spinach!

Don’t forget the flavour: How to make your healthy smoothie taste great

Flavouring your smoothie with herbs and spices can really take it up a level. Herbs and spices are high in phytonutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols. They also have antimicrobial properties, keeping your gut bugs in check. Ginger packs a immune- supporting punch, whilst Cinnamon is a great natural blood sugar stabiliser and adds sweetness without the sugar content. 

You can find cinnamon in Brave Ancestral Powder and our Cacao + Collagen, which make delicious additions to smoothies with a creamy base, such as banana or avocado. 

Radiant Smoothie Recipe 

• 2 scoops Radiant Collagyn (or True Collagen / Wild Collagen) 
• 1 handful frozen berries 
• 1 handful frozen cauliflower
• ½ avocado 
• ½ courgette 
• 1 cup plant milk of your choice
• 1 tbsp chia seeds 
• 1 tbsp flax seeds 
• 1 tbsp / 1 sachet True MCT 
• Optional: 1 date to sweeten / kefir for extra gut goodness 
• Add more water for perfect consistency