Aloe Vera Smoothies: My First Attempt

I usually go to the gym after work. I do a little weight training followed by an hour of cardio. I have gotten into the habit of  rewarding myself a delicious fruit and yogurt smoothie when I get home. It was really hot yesterday and  I was daydreaming about my smoothie the whole ride home. It suddenly occured to me to try something different this time in the spirit of research: Aloe Vera gel.

I had a large leaf of Aloe Vera that I had been using on the backs of my ankles to soothe the (now healed- thank you Aloe) blisters I had from running. I sliced an inch off the plant, cut out the Aloe Vera gel, as seen in the video I mentioned in yesterday’s post, and rinsed it well. Being slightly curious as to what it actually tasted like, I sliced another tiny piece off the leaf. After cutting the Aloe gel out and rinsing it off I ate it all by itself.

It tasted like nothing. Like water. Totally innoccuous. It did have a strange texture though- very slimy. It coated the roof of my mouth and I didn’t enjoy it being there. I definitely recommend blending it with other things to escape that slimy coating!

For my smoothie I mixed orange juice, pomegranate juice, an inch of fresh Aloe Vera gel, ice cubes, and blended well. It was delicious. The Aloe gel was undetectable. Why add Aloe if you can’t taste it? Because it is a nutritional powerhouse! I am a huge fan of pure pomegranate juice, but it is a little too sweet on its own. The orange juice cut it perfectly. It was a delicious and refreshing treat on a gorgeous hot day after a great workout at the gym.