Smoothies: Fruity Health Drinks
SMOOTHIES: FRUITY HEALTH DRINKS
You are what you eat!
Maybe you read our New Product Recommendations which are centered around the hot topic of smoothies or you gained new insights on Kale, another trend food and thought how great it tastes when used in a smoothie?Green Smoothies have become really popular over the past few years and continue to increase their share of the beverage market. The market will continue to grow as “Clean eating” and “Naturality” are two of 2015’s most important keywords in the nutrition sector and clean eating trend pioneer Tosca Reno is advocating a simple philosophy with the slogan, “you are what you eat.” She is also not the only one who is convinced that nutrition has a large impact on our overall health. In the past, the consumer mindset separated medicine and food, but nowadays this wildly held thought process or belief is rapidly changing!
Instead of turning to dietary supplements, health-conscious consumers prefer a maximum transparency and want to know what they eat and which ingredients are in their food. Many of these consumers are focused on nutrition, health and fitness but actually do not like to eat their veggies. So smoothies became their (mostly) “green weapon” of choice.
At AGRANA Fruit, we recognize three smoothie groups: classic fruit smoothies, smoothies with dairy products, and the next generation of smoothies: those enhanced with herbs or superfoods. This includes, for example, green smoothies, which are still in fashion. Many celebrities swear by these fruit-and-vegetable drinks, which are full of amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, minerals and antioxidants.
In contrast to the health-conscious consumer it’s important to understand the obesity epidemic and the impact it’s having on global health care. Manufacturers take the opportunity to develop new products in the smoothie segment that could support healthier lifestyles and ultimately contribute to the fight against obesity. Some of the most important health benefits are: high vitamin intake, weight loss, more energy, less snacking, better skin and improve of digestion.
Now let’s take a closer look at the new range of smoothies which will hit shelves and foodblogger kitchens soon: smoothies with added herbs & superfoods and white smoothies! Consumers also want their food choices to improve their physical condition, such as energy level or sleep quality – the addition of herbs or superfoods is a logical conclusion to that.
Our top 5 herb-recommendations for smoothies are:
- rosemary (high in antioxidants)
- mint (for a fresh breath)
- basil (detox)
- thyme (anti-fungal)
- cilantro (detox)
If you want your smoothie to be “super” then we recommend adding chia seeds (high content of fatty acids), flax seeds (fatty acids and fiber), avocado (contains almost 20 vitamins) or camu powder (vitamine c).
For those who have had their fill of the green smoothie, we recommend its little brother, the white smoothie. It is made of fruit, water and raw saturated fats such as coconut puree or coconut oil (for coconut fans, we recommend the main topic of our past Trend Blog). So smoothies are still on the rise with more and more options that are sure to meet the needs of a variety of consumers. We love that consumers all over the world are open to try new combinations of fruits and herbs or superfruits and are curious what new products will be created this year.
