Smoothie Point smoothies are packed full of vitamins and minerals, and contain only the finest and most delicious fruit. Just check out the health benefits of the fruits we use in our smoothies:

Strawberries

Strawberries are delicious and are packed with nutrients that love to look after your health. They have a large quantity of antioxidants and phytonutrients, which help fight free radicals.

Peach

Peaches have many benefits - they help prevent cancer in glands and organs because of their high Vitamin A levels, and they help improve the skin’s complexion.

Bananas

Not only are bananas high in potassium, they’re also an excellent source of Vitamin B. They help improve blood pressure and keep a good balance of blood sugar levels, providing you with the energy you need to get through the day.

Pineapple

Pineapples are an excellent, delicious source of Vitamin C, and a good boost to your immune system. Vitamin C also helps metabolise fats and lower cholesterol.

Raspberries

Raspberries are loaded with Manganese and fibre. Manganese is a trace mineral which helps maintain a high metabolism, which helps your body burn fat during exercise. Raspberries can also help lower the risk of heart disease.

Mango

Mango provides relief to poor digestion, and can help lower the risk of cervical cancer. Some say that the Vitamin E in mangoes helps boost your hormonal system and improve your sex life!

Kiwi

Kiwi is high in many vitamins, and can help prevent asthma. Its high fibre content can help prevent colon cancer.

Melon

Melons are an excellent source of Vitamin C and potassium. They are fat and cholesterol free, and are known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, impotence, and heat stroke.

We encourage everyone to eat properly. We all know that we should be eating more fruit and vegetables. From TV, magazines, newspapers, supermarkets, and even on food labels, we are bombarded with messages to eat more fruit and veg. And now the government even says we should! Obviously, this is not a bad thing, but some people might find it hard to get their five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fortunately, a Smoothie Point smoothie provides 2.5 of the five in one delicious meal! The full range of nature’s vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, and antioxidants helps soak up free radicals and cleanse your body and mind.

Fruit

Fruit is the greatest gift from Mother Nature; it comes packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients you need to stay healthy and strong. Vitamins minerals, anti-oxidants and all kinds of fibre and water, diets rich in fruit are associated with better health – lower heart attack risk, lower risks of some cancers, decrease obesity, better eye-sight, healthier looking skin – you name it, fruit has a role in it. They are also a great alternative to eating crisps and chocolate as snacks between meals. Smoothie Point uses only the finest fruit and fruit juices in our smoothies, juices and blends.

Energy / Sugar

The energy fruit contains comes from naturally occurring sugars, mainly fructose. Processed sugars are the ones that are harmful and can lead to diabetes, heart disease and many other illnesses. However, fructose is in the form of sugars (glucose) your body can easily turn this glucose into energy by using oxygen.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy. They contain the elements Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. They are the first thing your body burns up whilst exerting energy. There two types of carbohydrates - High GI and Low GI. High GI foods include: sweets, fizzy drinks and fast foods. Low GI foods include: Fruit, vegetables, grains and yogurt. The Low GI carbohydrates break down slowly. The blood glucose response is gradual into the blood stream containing more nutrients and fibre providing energy for longer periods through out the day. Our smoothies only contain the Low GI giving you energy throughout the day.

Protein

Protein is the building block of all life and is essential for the growth of cells and tissue repair. It’s common to assume that you can only find protein in foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and nuts. Protein also plays a key role in our smoothies primarily from the yoghurt we blend together with our fruit. There two types of protein plant based and animal based, plant based proteins are low in fat and high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. However, animal based proteins are high in saturated fat or cooked with a lot of fat (oil, lard, dripping). Let’s not be farcical the human body needs protein to fulfil the basic tasks, i.e. to grow properly and to be able repair itself from wounds.

Calories

According to the NHS “The recommended daily calorie intake varies depending on how old you are. For the average adult this is about 2,000 per day (women) and 2,500 per day (men)”. Good calories come from fruit and other natural sources and the bad calories come from processed and fatty foods with added sugar and preservatives, with Smoothie Point smoothies you only get the good ones help reduce your urge to eat and are packed with ingredients proven to keep you full for hours. However, the human body needs calories to function properly and you should consult with your doctor before trying to drastically lower your daily calorie intake.

Vitamins & Minerals

The body needs different amounts of each vitamin and mineral to function properly and are the foundation healthy bodies are built on. They say no two people are alike and some people require more vitamins and minerals than other depending on their age, sex, level of activity and state of health. Good thing there are plenty of vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables, dairy products, whole grain and supplements. Oh yeah there’s plenty of them in Smoothie Point smoothies. Below is a vitamin breakdown:

• Vitamin A: good for your eyes.
• Vitamin B: about 12 different chemicals.
• Vitamin C: needed for your body to repair itself.
• Vitamin D: can be made in your skin, needed for absorption of Calcium.
• Vitamin E: the nice one - reproduction?

Balanced Diet

It is often said that a balanced diet consists of Smoothie Point smoothie in each hand and while we want the above statement to be true, there’s a great deal more involved in having a balanced diet. Your diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals salts and fibre in the correct proportions.

Fats

Even the word FAT does not sound appealing and gets constantly slated in the media. Generally people’s perception of Fat is often greasy food? True, saturated fat is bad for health as it is proven to clog arteries causing heart disease and strokes. However, good fat is absolutely essential for good health it contains monounsaturated fats, which lower the bad cholesterol while increasing the good cholesterol. So, where can you find these good fats? Well nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fatty acids. It mite sound crazy, but actually monounsaturated fatty acids have also been found to help in weight loss, particularly body fat. The good fats protect internal organs; contain essential fatty acids which benefit your heart, metabolism and immune system.

Water

Water is crucial to your health and is crucial for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. Lack of water can lead to dehydration, as a consequence the blood in the body thickens the brain becomes less active and the body feels fatigued. This condition only occurs when your body does not have enough water to carry out normal functions. Although the body gets water from foods such as fruit and vegetables, the body still requires 8 glasses around two litres of water a day. Drinking recommended amount of water helps flush out the toxins in our bodies, helps keep our joints well oiled, helps our gut work more efficiently, helping prevent constipation, hydrates your skin reducing wrinkles and helps lose weight.

Exercise

Exercises that increase your heart rate, which involve using large muscles like legs are believed to be particularly good for your heart, blood pressure and weight management. Before starting your exercise routine choose a particular activity you enjoy and that you can start slowly and increase gradually as you become used to it. Walking is one the most popular exercises without requiring any special equipment and is a great calorie burner. Correct form and pace are very important while walking to maintain the right blood pressure for optimum fat burning. Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes for three times a week can reduce the risk of heart disease by 65 percent. It’s never too late to start no matter how unfit you are to start with, why not try walking up the stairs rather than using the elevators at work and walk to the shops rather than taking the car – it all adds up! Other good exercises include swimming, cycling, running and weight training. Exercising on a regular basis can help you build strength, giving you more energy and can help you reduce stress, while maintain a healthy weight.

Talk to Your Doctor

Before starting any form of exercise routine it is recommended talking to your doctor. Especially if you have done little exercise for most of your life and have any health issues that could make exercise dangerous. Some mild muscular pain the day after your workout is normal and means your muscles are getting stronger, especially if you are doing weight training. Any sharp pains in your muscles or difficulty breathing during your workout is not ok, you should stop immediately and seek medical advice.

Be Consistent

Over doing it in the beginning is one of the biggest reasons people give up exercising, don’t overdo it and mix up your routine to avoid boredom. It normally takes up to 3 months after starting an exercise program to see any visible results in your body. Don’t expect miracles; however you will notice increased strength and endurance. Keep motivated the results you are seeking will come sooner than later, providing you follow a regular exercise programme and a healthy diet.

Fuel Your Body

Regardless of what time of day you exercise, you should never workout on an empty stomach. Recent studies show fuelling your body with a high fructose carbohydrate before a workout can significantly improve endurance. If you want a little extra boost before your workout try drinking one our smoothies before you workout. Consuming a carbohydrate drink containing fructose just before a workout can increase performance by up to 30%. However, if you are working out on an empty stomach it can cause adverse affects like nausea, dizziness, fainting and lack of energy. Eating before exercise depends on what you eat and how much. If you eat a bigger meal, you should wait up to 2 hours works before you start your workout.

Warm Up

It is important to warm up your muscles before you exercise in order to reduce the risk of injury. We recommend you do some light stretching for 10 minutes before you start any form of exercise. It might be good idea to do high reps on a lower weight if you’re doing any weights. A good warm up gets your body ready for exercise by increasing blood flow around your body.

Exercise Buddy

If you have trouble sticking to your exercise schedule, getting an exercise buddy can help you stick to your workout schedule, move you when you're unmotivated, and help you track your progress. Exercise buddies offer support by pushing you to do the extra rep and they are the personal trainer in your corner, and the best thing is they're free.

Keep Hydrated

Especially when doing any form of exercise, the body loses water mainly through sweat, even in cold weather or in water. Therefore, it is very important you pay attention to your hydration levels during any form of exercise. The human body is a marvelous piece of machinery, which has numerous mechanisms to protect itself from the harmful effects of dehydration, but thirst does not occur until the person is already dehydrated.

Cooling Down

After your last exercise, your workout is not over you need to cool down for about 5 to 10 minutes. To do this you can use the same stretches as in the warm-up period, this allows your heart rate to slow down gradually. Even walking on a treadmill for five minutes is a great way to cool down. If you are doing any upper body exercise use stretching exercises for your arms, shoulders, chest and back. After doing any weight lifting the muscles naturally contract but if you regularly stretch after your workout this prevents muscle shrinkage and allows muscles to grow bigger and stronger.

Rest

Working out is great, but your body needs some rest as well. Give it a regular break particularly if you’re doing any intense training. Rest and recovery is a very crucial factor in seeing results and for even better results try getting at least 8 hours of sleep. Resting repairs the muscles and makes them stronger.

Note: The information provided on this website by SMOOTHIE POINT is not offered as a treatment or diagnosis for any form of illness. We offer this information as a healthy guideline.