The green smoothie challenge: how to start spring in good shape with healthy vegetable smoothies

When everything turns green in spring, it's the ideal time for the healthy vegetable smoothie challenge: Get the fresh green colour in your glass and start spring in good shape with a daily vegetable smoothie. After all, when could the desire for a diet rich in vital nutrients be greater than after a long winter of heavy food? Quick and easy to prepare, these healthy shakes provide us with vital micronutrients and energise us for the day. With a few simple tips, you too can master the green smoothie challenge!

Healthy vegetable smoothies: the smart way to eat

While our food in winter is usually higher in fat and calories than in the rest of the year, the start of spring awakens the need for a light and vitamin-rich diet. It is particularly easy to integrate this into your everyday life by eating green smoothies. This is because nutrient-rich vegetables are prepared in the blender virtually at the touch of a button - without any time-consuming steps and in just a short time. What makes green vegetable smoothies so healthy are important micronutrients such as magnesium, antioxidants and folate, which are mainly found in green leafy vegetables. And because they are not cooked when preparing smoothies, there is no risk of destroying the valuable ingredients by overheating them.

On your marks, get set, go: How to complete the healthy vegetable smoothie challenge

Swiss chard, kale, stinging nettle, dandelion, spinach - the list of green leafy vegetables and their health-promoting effects is long. Nettle, for example, contains vitamin C as well as calcium and potassium and helps with detoxification and purification.

Dandelion boosts our metabolism and kale provides us with magnesium, zinc and vegetable protein.

But not everyone's mouth waters at the thought of green vegetables. When blended with fresh fruit to make a healthy vegetable smoothie, the nutrient-rich plant greens take on a fruity flavour. The rule is: the higher the proportion of vegetables, the healthier. It should be around 60 per cent in order to keep the sugar content of the fruit low and thus prevent the blood sugar level from rising too high.

If necessary, you can start the smoothie challenge with a higher proportion of fruit and gradually reduce it. Use your favourite varieties and vary the recipes. This will create smoothies to suit your personal taste and there will be plenty of variety in your glass. You can also slowly increase the amount of smoothie you drink each day. Start with small portions and gradually increase this to half a litre to one litre per day.

To successfully master the healthy vegetable smoothie challenge, we also recommend good preparation. Take some time to make a note of which green smoothies should be on your menu. Buy the necessary ingredients in advance - as far as their freshness allows. Also think about how you can best integrate the consumption of healthy vegetable smoothies into your daily routine. Are you an early riser and like to make time for breakfast in the morning? Perfect - this is the ideal time for a green smoothie, as it provides energy for the day and is easy to digest. It can be consumed as a breakfast accompaniment or substitute. But a healthy vegetable smoothie is also ideal for a fresh kick in the afternoon or as a healthy snack in the evening.