Drinking your Greens: Green Smoothies from a Nutritional and Toxicological Point of View
- 19.10.2022
- English Articles
- Julika Lietzow
- Benjamin Sachse
- Bernd Schäfer
Peer reviewed / Manuscript (original) subbmitted: 24. February 2022 / Revision accepted: 02. May 2022
Introduction
A smoothie can be prepared quickly and is recognized as “natural and healthy”. Therefore, smoothies have become a real food trend. More than 15 million people in Germany consume smoothies once or several times a month [1]. The beverage has a notable role in the raw food diet, in which the consumption of raw and largely unprocessed plant food is of priority.
Freshly prepared green smoothies contain numerous nutrients - including vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers, and, therefore, can significantly contribute to a healthy diet. However, to avoid health risks, some points should be considered with regard to selecting ingredients and preparing the smoothie. For example, in addition to plants or parts thereof traditionally consumed as food, also ingredients that have not been eaten raw or at all in the past are used in smoothie recipes, and might pose a health risk.
This review should draw attention to the fact that the consumption of green smoothies may, in principle, also lead to health risks. In addition to the description of nutritional aspects and an overview of ingredients of potential health concern, recommendations for a safe preparation of smoothies are provided. ...
Abstract
Green smoothies often contain beneficial ingredients (e.g. vitamins, minerals and fibers) and can enrich the daily diet. However, with regard to the selection of ingredients, some points should be considered in order to avoid health risks. First, it has to be kept in mind that a high fruit content may result in a considerably high energy intake. In principle, only plants or parts thereof should be used in smoothies which have also been used traditionally as foods and, therefore, are regarded as safe. Further, all ingredients should be used with as much variety as possible in order to avoid an unbalanced nutrient supply and to avoid a high long-term intake of potentially harmful substances. Special care should be taken when using self-collected wild herbs, since, among other things, confusion with poisonous plants may occur. It is also recommended to use ingredients as fresh as possible and to follow the general rules of kitchen hygiene.
Keywords: Green smoothies, health risks, plant toxins, contaminants, raw food
