Rainbow Smoothies

Do your kids have a favorite color?  We’ve got  fruit smoothie recipes for every color of the rainbow!

One of the first questions kids ask a new friend, or are always prepared with an answer when they are asked is what their favorite color is.  I’m not sure at what age we begin to condition kids to decide the best answer to this most important question, but it always comes up.  Maybe having a favorite color is a sense of identity, maybe it’s a way to be unique, or a way to fit in. Either way, ask any child under 8 years old what their favorite color is, and they’ll likely have an answer.

As parents who are encouraging healthy eating in young children, we can leverage this most important characteristic by making a smoothie in a favorite color.  Even better, we can talk about the specific health benefits derived from natural colors.   From Fruits and Veggies More Matters: “Eating fruits and veggies in a variety of colors–red, dark green, yellow, blue, purple, white and orange–provides the broadest range of nutrients. And color is a great way to engage kids–from filling the shopping cart with a spectrum of colorful fruits and vegetables to making sure there’s a rainbow on their plate!”

RED SMOOTHIE

If your child’s favorite color is red, you can make a fruit smoothie with strawberries, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, raspberries, red apples, red grapes, and cherries.

Red foods are high in the powerful anti-oxidant, lycopene.  Studies have shown, lycopene can help protect against cancer, improve  heart health, and even protect against sun damage.

Our two favorite red smoothies are: Super Red, and this Cherry Orange Smoothie.

ORANGE or YELLOW SMOOTHIE

Delicious smoothies that are orange or yellow in color can be made from carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, oranges, grapefruit, pears, pineapple.  Orange foods are high in Beta-carotene and bioflavonoids, fiber and vitamin A.  These foods can boost immunity, reduce heart attack risk, maintain strong bones and teeth, and give you better skin.

Two favorites of  ours are Banana Pumpkin Smoothie and Sunburst Energy Smoothie

BLUE or PURPLE SMOOTHIE

Blue is a tough color to really get.  Many people will make the natural color blue using spirulina  (a blue-green algae).  But, you can also use blueberries to get a dark blue color. Other purple and blue fruits you can use include blueberries, blackberries, grapes, raisins, plums.  Blue and purple foods are high in anthocyanin and phenolics. The benefits of these antioxidants is a reduction of age related memory loss, it can help control blood pressure and even slow the effects of aging.

This blue smoothie beauty  comes from Pop Sugar.

We also have several purple smoothies including our own Anti-Flu Super Smoothie

GREEN SMOOTHIE

Green is the easiest smoothie color to make!  Using light fruit (like mangoes or peaches) combine with some greens like kale, spinach, leafy greens, broccoli, honeydew, peas, kiwi, collard greens, or swiss chard, can give you that brilliant green smoothie glow.  Green fruits and veggies are strong in lutein and indoles also fiber, potassium, folic acid and some B vitamins.  These chemicals are known for maintaining good vision and reducing risk of tumor growth in cancer patients.

This Green Peach Smoothie is one of our favorites for green loving kids!  If you want to experiment, use your own favorite ingredients and our How To Build A Perfect Green Smoothie printable chart from here.

Don’t wait till your kids have outgrown the”favorite color” stage of life to get started making a fruit smoothie with their favorite color today!

Want more ideas to eat a rainbow?

• Rainbow Pepper Pizza
• Mini Rainbow Sandwiches
• Rainbow Oatmeal Bar
• Rainbow Ribbons
• Rainbow Wrap
• Rainbow Risotto