Smoothies can be a great way to start the day. If you choose your ingredients wisely, you can get an excellent blend of vitamins and other nutrients into your diet in a very delicious way. And speaking of great ingredients, one of the best and probably most overlooked ingredients to add to your smoothie is the tasty avocado.
With all this talk of nutrients, you might have some questions. For instance, if you are someone who meal preps, you might be asking, "how long does avocado smoothie last in fridge?" You might have heard that smoothies can lose their nutrients, so you might ask, "do avocado smoothies lose nutrients overnight?" Let’s address these concerns.
Post Navigation
How Long Does Avocado Smoothie Last in Fridge
A benefit of doing smoothies is that they keep longer than juiced fruits and vegetables. When stored properly, an avocado smoothie can last 24 hours. This means you can make a double batch if you'd like. However, use your best judgment. If it smells funky or looks brown, you shouldn't drink it even if you are within the 24-hour window.
Do Avocado Smoothies Lose Nutrients Overnight?
The short answer is yes. However, it is going to depend on how you store your smoothie in the fridge. Plus, it also depends on the other ingredients you put in your smoothie. If properly stored, your smoothie is definitely drink-ably nutritious within 24 hours. However, even if you’ve passed this time frame, your smoothie will still offer some nutrients. Likely much more than a processed bowl of cereal for breakfast.
What are the Benefits of Avocado Smoothies?
Avocados have almost twenty different vitamins in minerals per serving. They include potassium, folate, magnesium, vitamins C, E, K and a variety of B vitamins.
Plus, they’re a healthy fat source, so your smoothie will keep you satiated longer than just using fruit. This means you’ll be less likely to reach for unnecessary snacks later in the day. Furthermore, adding avocado to your smoothie helps create a smooth, creamy texture.
Additionally, avocados are an extremely versatile smoothie ingredient. The flavor is very mild so they can be paired with basically any other smoothie ingredient while taking advantage of the numerous health benefits.
One way to make your avocado smoothie pack a bigger punch is to add a scoop of your favorite protein powder. In doing so, your smoothie will hit all your macros (protein, healthy fat and carbs) in one meal making it an excellent post-workout refueling or just a great way to start the day!
How to Properly Store Extra Smoothie
We know you’re now dying for a delectable avocado smoothie, so you need to know how to store the excess smoothie properly to keep it fresh. If you want to make your smoothie the night before or make a double batch that will last two days, you can. However, proper storage is a must so you keep it as nutrient-dense as possible.
What makes a smoothie go bad is oxygen. Ironic, right? Oxygen keeps us alive but kills those delicious and nutritious fruits and veggies. When blending, the fruits and vegetables get cut open and thus exposed to oxygen. When this oxidation happens, food spoilage begins. Oxidation is also the reason an avocado turns brown after its cut. However, there are ways to slow the oxidation process.
Store in the Fridge
This is probably a commonsense thing, but there's a scientific reason this is helpful. Some enzymes are responsible for the oxidation process of food. The refrigerator's cold temperature slows down these enzymes and thus slows the speed at which your smoothie will spoil.
Store in an Airtight Container
Store your smoothie in an airtight container filled all the way to the top. This is helpful two-fold. One, the airtight container keeps air out. Hence the name - airtight container. Two, filling it all the way to the top means that oxygen has no room to get trapped inside.
Add a Squeeze of Lemon or Lime
Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to your smoothie. We’ll explain this without getting too scientific. So, remember the aforementioned enzymes that are responsible for the oxidation process of food? Well, citric acid that's found in lemons and limes inhibits this enzyme and helps prevent the browning and spoiling of food. This is because citric acid is an antioxidant. Citric acid is most prevalent in lemons and limes, but there is some citric acid in oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits as well.
World’s Creamiest Green Smoothie Recipe
Since we've been talking about the wondrous avocado and how it's an excellent smoothie ingredient due to its nutritional benefits and texture, we thought you needed a smoothie recipe that showcased its awesomeness.
This is a straightforward recipe that only requires four ingredients. However, there are endless options for additives to make it even tastier and healthier.
Ingredients
- One frozen banana (this will add to the creaminess)
- ½ an avocado
- 1 cup of kale or spinach
- 1 cup of milk of your choice (almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, cow’s milk)
Instruction
To make your smoothie, add your milk first. Then add in your smoothie ingredients and blend. If your smoothie is too thick for your liking, you can add more milk. If your smoothie is too thin, you have two options. You can add ice to thicken if you like the flavor and don't want to alter it. Conversely, you can add more avocado or half a banana to thicken.
If you are planning on storing your smoothie, don’t forget your squeeze of lemon juice!
Related: Chocolate Coffee Smoothie That Gets Me Out of Bed Every Morning
What are the ways to alter this recipe?
- Add your favorite protein powder. This will make it a great post-workout fuel up.
- Add another fruit. Or, swap out the banana for another fruit. Peaches would be a lovely addition that would keep the smoothie the gorgeous green color. However, strawberries and banana are a classic combination, but you run the risk of mucking up the pretty color of the smoothie.
- Add flax seeds or hemp hearts to the current recipe for some added nutrients.
- If you like a little sweetness, you can use a vanilla or sweetened milk alternative. Conversely, you can add a squeeze of high-quality honey. Honey also happens to be rich in antioxidants.
Leave a Reply