A smoothie is a beverage made by puréeing ingredients in a

blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

. A smoothie commonly has a liquid base, such as fruit juice or

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...

. Other ingredients may be added, including fruits, vegetables, non-dairy milk,

crushed ice An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produ ...

whey powder Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...

nutritional supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...

History

Health food stores on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

began selling smoothies in the 1930s associated with invention of the electric blender. The actual term "smoothie" was being used in recipes and

trademarks A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

by the mid-1980s. In the 1960s Steve Kuhnau was inspired by his work as a

soda jerk Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person — typically a young man — who would operate the soda fountain in a drugstore, preparing and serving soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made by mixing fl ...

and began experimenting with smoothies. They were an alternative for the lactose intolerant Kuhnau to taste his own concoctions using unique blends of fruit juices, vegetables, protein powder, and vitamins. Kuhnau discovered early success in his smoothie sales and founded

Smoothie King Smoothie King Franchises Inc. (doing business as Smoothie King) is an American privately held smoothie company. Founded in 1973, the company was bought by a South Korean franchisee in 2012. In the late 2010s, the company was focusing on whole ...

. Smoothie King expanded throughout the United States and would pioneer other smoothie businesses such as Jamba Juice. The smoothie was then modified by fast food chains with the addition of sweeter ingredients like chocolate and

Splenda Splenda is a global brand of sugar substitutes and reduced-calorie food products. While the company is known for its original formulation containing sucralose, it also manufactures items using natural sweeteners such as stevia, Siraitia grosveno ...

. In the 2000s, the smoothie was made at home as an alternative for daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Nutrition

The nutrition of a smoothie depends on its ingredients and their proportions. Many smoothies include large or multiple servings of fruits and vegetables, which are recommended in a healthy diet and intended to be a

meal replacement A meal replacement is a drink, bar, soup, etc. intended as a substitute for a solid food, usually with controlled quantities of calories and nutrients. Some drinks come in powdered form or pre-mixed health shakes that can be cheaper than solid fo ...

. However, fruit juice containing high amounts of sugar can increase caloric intake and promote

weight gain Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can involve an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, excess fluids such as water or other factors. Weight gain can be a symptom of a serious medical condition. Description Weight gain occurs w ...

. Ingredients such as protein powders, sweeteners, or ice cream may be used. One study found smoothies to be less satiating, despite providing the same amount of energy as unblended foods.

Types of smoothies

Green smoothie

A ''green smoothie'' typically consists of 40–50% green vegetables (roughly half), usually raw green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale,

Swiss chard Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...

collard greens Collard is a group of certain loose-leafed cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', the same species as many common vegetables including cabbage ( Capitata group) and broccoli ( Italica group). Collard is a member of the Viridis group of ''Brassica ...

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'') is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, ...

, parsley, or

broccoli Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cla ...

, with the remaining ingredients being mostly or entirely

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

.Smith Jones, Susan (2008). ''Health Bliss'', p.179. . "...about 50-60 percent fruit and 40-50 percent greens." Most green leafy vegetables have a bitter flavor when served raw, but this can be ameliorated by choosing certain less-bitter vegetables (e.g. baby spinach) or combining with fruits or other sweet ingredients.

Protein smoothie

A ''protein smoothie'' is a combination of water or some form of dairy product,

protein powder A protein supplement may be a dietary supplement or a bodybuilding supplement, and may take the form of a protein bar. Effects Muscle building as GURJAR In untrained individuals, changes in lean body mass and muscle strength during the initial ...

, fruits, and vegetables. They can be consumed any part of the day and are used as protein supplement for those who want to increase their protein intake. Protein powder can have a chalky taste when mixed individually by itself with milk or water. The protein smoothie improves the taste of the protein powder through addition of fruits or other sweeteners.

Around the world

Many different smoothies are part of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Fruit

sharbat Sharbat ( fa, شربت, ; also transliterated as ''shorbot'', ''šerbet'' or ''sherbet'') is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with ...

(a popular West and South Asian drink) sometimes include

and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

, too. In India, the

lassi Lassi () is a regional name for buttermilk, the traditional dahi (yogurt)–based drink, consumed in the South Asian region. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices, and sometimes fruit. Salty lassi is similar to doogh, while modern sweet l ...

is a smoothie or milkshake comprising

, yogurt, sugar, and mango; in the south,

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

smoothies made with crushed ice, sugar and no yogurt are common.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Articles containing video clips Juice Non-alcoholic mixed drinks Mediterranean cuisine Middle Eastern cuisine Indian drinks Yogurt-based drinks