The Top 8 Vegetables of Choice for Your Healthy Smoothie

Here are the top nine vegetables of choice that I recommend starting with. The list is in no particular order:

Cucumber: A vegetable with a very high water content, the cucumber works best in savory recipes. Cucumbers are hydrating, refreshing, and a nice pick-me-up in smoothies. They are also rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and D; folate; calcium; magnesium; and potassium. They add a mild taste to smoothies and help with weight loss and indigestion.

Fennel: Fennel is a gorgeous vegetable with a big bulb and large stalks, and it smells heavenly. It is not cheap, so if you can get it now and again, it adds fragrance and a lift to your smoothies. A little goes a long way. It’s crunchy, sweet, and refreshing, and both bulb and stem can be used in smoothies as a decent source of vitamin C.

Tomato: This red, lush, sweet, juicy vegetable (or fruit, depending on whom you ask) is great in all foods, including smoothies. Tomatoes are used in all the savory smoothies in this book. I like grapevine and heirloom tomatoes, but you can use whichever kind you like. Tomatoes are a big source of lycopene, and research suggests that they reduce the risk of cancer. Tomatoes are also high in vitamins A, C, and K.

Peppers: Peppers are a world of their own. I use them in some recipes here. You can always add a little hot pepper to any savory or even some sweet recipes, but always discard the seeds. All peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, but red peppers are just bursting with them. Peppers also help with boosting your immune system, and you can get them in all flavors, from sweet to hot and super-hot.

Sweet potato: There are a couple of recipes with washed, peeled, cooked, and chilled sweet potato. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have tons of nutrition and are very nice and filling. They are a great source of beta-carotene, much like carrots, and they taste, well, sweet. You get lots of vitamins and minerals and healthy starches from your sweet potatoes.

Cabbage: This crunchy vegetable is surprisingly mild as a base vegetable in smoothies with a great consistency. Ever had a cabbaggino at a Vitamix demo? You can only taste the coffee, none of the cabbage. Cabbage is also highly nutritious and a great source of Vitamin K. It’s excellent for your digestion and surprisingly filling.

Carrots: Always buy your carrots with the carrot tops so you can use both for almost the same price. Carrots are excellent for your eyes and a great source of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A and many other nutrients, as well as being extremely delicious. Carrots go well in both sweet and savory recipes, and they lead to better vision, anti-aging effects, glowing skin, and they aid your body in flushing out the toxins.

Celery: This widely available and affordable vegetable is a darling and an excellent source of nutrition in your smoothies. Celery has a strong distinct taste, so always start with one stalk. It can help with puffiness and flushing out toxins from the body. Use the leaves of celery as well as the stalk. It’s also a source of great minerals, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.