Straight from the Fruit: 5 Homemade Juices Kids Will Go Bananas For
Does your little tyke cry at the sight of fruits and veggies? We’ve got a sneaky solution: Turn ‘em into a nice, colorful juice! He’ll drink right up and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing he’s getting a nutrient-rich boost.
No juicer? No worries—a blender can whip everything up into a smoothie instead, and you won’t hear any complaints.
We’ve got five kid-approved juice/smoothie recipes that we know they’ll love to get you started below, but first, check out our five tips for making sure he’s getting the healthiest juice possible.
1. The more colorful, the better.
Make sure you’re adding fruits and veggies of all colors in there. When you eat a rainbow of foods, you’re getting a nice mix of nutrients in the process.
2. Don’t ditch the pulp.
As distasteful as some may find it, pulp contains fiber that can help youngsters’ digestion, so it’s a good idea to add a little back into the juice. Another idea? Throw that pulp into muffin mix or whole-wheat grain pancake batter—she’ll never know it’s there!
3. Throw a little fat in there, too (seriously).
A lot of the vitamins in fruits and veggies need fat to be absorbed by the body, so tossing in some Greek yogurt or peanut butter is a great (and yummy) idea. If your little one doesn’t like the add-in, you can always serve him some peanut-butter toast or a handful of almonds alongside the juice instead.
4. Don’t start off with new flavors.
Tiny palates will be more appreciative of familiar, favorite fruits and veggies starting out (and even if she doesn’t like any veggies, you can usually get away with sneaking in lettuce or cucumber). Give her a chance to become a natural juice fan before adding in strong, unique flavors like ginger or kale.
5. Cut down the sugar.
While homemade juice is definitely healthier than the store-bought variety, there is still a lot of natural sugar in there. Here’s our easy fix: Dilute the juice with equal parts water for a less sugary drink that’s still tasty and sweet!
Time to get juicing! Try our five delish juice/smoothie recipes and then start creating your own.1. Very Berry Red Juice:
2 beets + 10 strawberries + 1 orange
2. The Tropical Rabbit:
2 carrots + 1 mango + ¼ fresh pineapple
3. Green Giant:
2 apples + 1 cup berries + 1 handful spinach + ½ cucumber + 1 lemon
4. Watermelon Cooler:
1 cucumber + 2 cups watermelon chunks + fresh mint
5. Super Salad:
2 cups of romaine + 1/2 cucumber + 2 green apples + 1 stalk of celery + 1 cup of green grapes
