Consider buying organic and raw as much as possible. That way, your food will retain all the goodness that was in it from the start. Find out more about berries, fruit, and vegetables here.
Below is a handy guide to various ingredients you should have at home:
FROZEN FRUIT and BERRIES: Banana, blueberries, cherries, dates, kiwi, mango, melon, nectarines, papaya, peaches, pineapple, plums, raspberries, strawberries, and all kinds of berries freeze well. Apples, citrus fruits, pears, and watermelon are best frozen as juice.
FRESH FRUIT: All fresh fruits make a fine smoothie bowl, but, for best consistency, use frozen fruit and berries. That way, you won’t have to use ice, which impairs flavor.
VEGETABLES: You can “smuggle” avocado, beets, carrots, celery, kale, pumpkin, spinach, zucchini, and many other vegetables into a smoothie bowl. Go easy in the beginning, taste your way forward, and make sure you don’t use too many vegetables.
NUTS: Preferably, choose natural, unsalted, organic, raw, unroasted almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Nuts go rancid fairly quickly, so if you don’t use nuts in large quantities, freeze them instead. Most nuts benefit from prior soaking, anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight, which removes indigestible enzymes. Pre-soaking will also ensure that your body absorbs more nutrients from nuts.
NUT and SEED BUTTER: Raw, preferably organic, nut butters are a good source of energy and rich in both minerals and protein. Nut butters made of roasted nuts are not as nutritious, so go for raw on principle. Almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, peanut butter, pistachio butter, tahini (sesame paste), walnut butter, and many others are available in health food stores. Nut butters are not difficult to make at home and can be flavored with raw cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, and other goodies.
SEEDS: Chia seeds, flaxseed, hemp seeds, psyllium seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds make a perfect addition to smoothie bowls. Besides, chia seeds, flaxseed, and psyllium seeds form a gel that provides a thicker consistency.
PROTEIN: Brown rice protein, hemp protein, oat protein, pea protein, and many other great vegan protein mixes are available in health food stores. Find out more about protein here.
HEALTHY OILS: To get the most out of oils, make sure you buy them cold-pressed. They’re sometimes called extra virgin or raw oils. Preferably, buy organic. Almond oil, coconut oil, and nut oils, avocado oil, canola oil, chia seed oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, and olive oil, as well as many others are available in supermarkets and/or health food stores. Oil goes rancid relatively quickly, so it’s wise to buy small bottles. Flaxseed oil and hempseed oil should be stored in a refrigerator, while other oils are best kept in a cool, dark place.
FIBER: Psyllium seeds and psyllium husks, flax seeds, chia seeds.
SUPERFOODS: Baobab, barley grass, bee pollen (not for vegans), beet powder, buckwheat (sprouted), cacao butter, cacao nibs and raw cacao, camu camu, carob, carrot powder, cayenne pepper, chia seeds, chlorella, cinnamon, coconut (unsweetened, grated), coconut sugar, ginger, goji berries, hemp seeds, inca berries, lúcuma, maca, mulberries, spirulina, stinging nettle, turmeric, vanilla powder, vegan proteins, wheatgrass.
SUPERBERRY and FRUIT POWDERS: Berry powders are usually made of whole freeze-dried berries, including pulp, skin, and seeds, which have been ground to a powder. As always, I recommend that you buy organic and raw before other options. Watch out for sweetened berry powders! Berry powder is very convenient because it keeps up to 18 months. In addition, most powders freeze well if you want to keep them for longer. The powders on offer are many and varied, e.g. açaí, acerola, aronia, blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, buckthorn, cloudberry, cranberry, goji berry, guarana, inca berry, lúcuma, mango, maqui, moringa, mulberry, passion fruit, pomegranate, raspberry, rosehip, sour cherry, strawberry, etc.
SWEETENERS: Agave syrup, banana powder and frozen bananas, coconut, coconut sugar, dates, maple syrup, raw honey (not vegan), stevia, and sweet fruits.
LIQUIDS: Water, fresh juices, coconut water, almond, seed, and nut milks, oat and soy products.
