A Smoothie is a blended beverage made from natural ingredients; usually fruits and juices but sometimes other natural flavors such as chocolate, peanut butter or green tea. Many smoothies use ice or frozen fruit to make them into cold partially frozen beverages. They resemble milkshakes in the sense that they have a thicker consistency than slush drinks, but unlike milkshakes, they are often non-dairy and do not contain ice cream. Smoothies are marketed to health-conscious people, and are often made with vitamin and nutritional supplement mixes. Stephen Kuhnau, the founder of Smoothie King, claims to have created the original "smoothie" in the late 1960s, and also to have coined the term. He worked as a soda jerk in his teens, serving people milkshakes, but couldn't drink them himself

because of his dairy intolerance. As a result of this, and the fact that he suffered from other ailments such as low blood sugar and allergies, he was driven to develop his own non-dairy nutritional concoctions, which became known as "smoothies". Today, Smoothie King is the second largest smoothie franchise in the United States.

The claim that Keegan invented smoothies is not without controversy. The Waring "Blendor" came out in 1939. Waring cookbooks in the 1940s published recipes for many "smoothees," such as a "banana smoothee" or a "pineapple smoothee." The name "smoothee" or "smoothie" was popularly used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in blenders. Also it is known that the Sunshine Juice Bar on the Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach California sold "Smoothies" as early as 1967 to beachgoers and hippies strolling by along with healthy sandwiches.

Many smoothies depend on bananas to give them their thick, creamy texture. Additionally, many recipes for smoothies are found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, typically using yogurt and honey as well as fruit. The addition of yogurt gives the smoothie a more milkshake-like texture, but arguably violates the very definition of a smoothie. Smoothies can also be mixed with soda pop and/or alcohol to make a cocktail.

Smoothies appeal to a wide range of age groups because of their balanced sweetness, fresh fruit flavor, and nutritional value. Most are high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. A common recipe is orange juice, strawberries, and a banana blended until smooth.

Knock Offs
It should be noted that because "smoothie" is not a regulated term, there are in reality a variety of beverages sold under this name. It is not unusual for a restaurant chain to sell very different concoctions, such as milkshakes blended with daiquiri mix, as smoothies. Although there is no definitive authority to say these other beverages are not "real" smoothies, they may not in the spirit of the original invention.

Smoothie can also refer to a type of candy bar.

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