I have the best of intentions when it comes to what I eat.
I plan my meals for the week, prep myself a nice lunch of leftovers, and wax lyrical about the importance of gut health.
Where I fall down: breakfasts and snacking.
Both problems are down to the same root cause: convenience, or a lack thereof. Starting work at 6am (and leaving the house at 5am) means it’s tricky to make myself a nice breakfast at home, so I head to work, get ravenously hungry at around 7am, then sniff around for the easiest option: usually a pastry or the office canteen’s six-item fryup.
I then feel bloated and ready myself for a sugar crash, which I’ll then remedy by snacking on whatever sweet stuff has appeared on surrounding desks that day (brownies, biscuits, Percy Pigs…).
This is evidently not the best way to start the day, but I’ve struggled to find any sort of convenient solution. It feels like a lot of faff to prep stuff the night before or do any sort of microwave cooking each morning.
Then I heard about Kencko, a brand offering ‘blenderless smoothies’.
Kencko’s offering is simple, but sort of genius. Each little sachet is loaded with flash-frozen, slow-dried blends of fruit and veg, which you just mix with water or milk (or oat milk, in my case) and drink.
Take the Kencko quiz here
This means you get the benefits of enjoying a fresh smoothie without the need to buy a load of fruit and veg and invest in a blender. Plus, there’s no waste – thanks to the flash-freeze process, the sachets stay fresh for ages, so there’s no more watching your well-intentioned spinach wilt in the fridge.
I wanted to see if these smoothies filled the gap of convenient, delicious, and genuinely nutritious food that I’ve been needing, so gave them a go for a week, opting for one for breakfast and an optional one for a snack each day. Here’s how it went.
Monday
Peaches
Peaches, carrots, rhubarb, strawberry, sweet potatoes, coconut water, baobab powder, flax seeds, and apple
I kicked things off with Peaches, a blend that’s meant to be great for skin health as well as your immune system. It’s made up of peaches, carrots, rhubarb, strawberry, sweet potatoes, coconut water, baobab powder, flax seeds, and apple.
Making the smoothie up was as simple as promised. You just fill the special bottle with water or milk (I used half oat milk, half water), shake it for 30 seconds, then leave to settle.
I’m a big fan of this flavour. Mixed with milk, it feels more like a milkshake than a smoothie. The flavour isn’t too strong, so doesn’t get sickly.
Spicy tomatoes
Tomato, celery root, red bell pepper, strawberry, carrot, cranberry, onion, rhubarb, cayenne pepper, garlic, white pepper, salt
I’m surprised by how much I like this one. The spice level is really nice, and it’s a bit like having a gazpacho or a bloody mary.
Tuesday
Ultra greens
Apple, green peas, broccoli, sweet potato, alfalfa, kale, spinach, green spirulina, yellow beet, wheatgrass
Nope, nope, nope. I hate this one. So much so I didn’t even finish it, instead nipping down to the canteen to get a chocolate croissant.
It’s very, very vegetable-y (I should have known this, considering it’s described as ‘the ultimate vegetable smoothie’ and ‘nutritional boot camp in a bottle’), with no sweetness. Those who regularly knock back all manner of healthy juices and wheatgrass shots might like this one, but for a smoothie newbie like me, this is not the one.
Wednesday
Purples
Blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, banana, strawberry, dates
This is what I’d think of as a classic smoothie, and the kind I would make if you gave me a blender and told me to buy some fruit.
It’s super tasty, and I’m impressed that I can happily drink it despite being an intense hater of bananas (seriously, ask anyone, normally if I can taste even a hint of banana, I’m disgusted).
The website says this delivers inflammation-fighting anthocyanins, polyphenols for gut health, and manganese for your metabolism, which all sounds good to me.
I mixed this one with oat milk, and felt full enough to get to lunchtime without reaching for any sweets.
Corals
Beetroot, apple, carrot, orange, mango, ginger
Super fresh and juicy. It wasn’t as mango-y as I’d hoped but still pretty tasty.
Thursday
Yellows
Carrot, pineapple, banana, mango, cinnamon, apple
Mixed with oat milk, this has the vibe of a mango milkshake. It’s absolutely delish, and makes for a great start to the day. I feel like you could have this as a pudding, too, and wouldn’t feel short-changed.
The vitamin A in this is supposed to be great for eye health and immunity, as a bonus.
Peaches
I had peaches again, but this time mixed it with just water for a thinner, more juice-like texture. It feels like a totally different drink this way; a bit like the multivitamin juice I used to get on holiday at the breakfast buffet.
Mixing the sachets with water does make the smoothies feel less substantial, so be warned this works better as a drink than a snack.
Friday
Mochas
Coffee, cacao beans, maqui berries, dates, strawberry, shiitake mushroom, chaga mushroom, baobab powder, cinnamon
I’ll be real, I was kind of dreading this one. I am not a coffee person. I hate the taste to the point that I can’t even do a super-sweet frappuccino, and any time I’ve tried to power through and chug a caffeinated drink, I get such bad jitters and nausea I’m filled with regret for the rest of the day.
So I’m extremely pleasantly surprised to find that not only can I drink this… but I actually quite like it.
The coffee taste is suuuper subtle, and the chocolate isn’t too rich or sickly sweet either. It feels like a grownup take on chocolate milk, and the chaga mushroom and baobab delivers a much-needed energy boost without the jitters.
Crimsons
Açai, banana, strawberry, apple, mango, cinnamon, chia seeds
A subtle flavour but a good one, and apparently the açai is good for brain function. I didn’t notice an obvious productivity boost, but sure, maybe.
Saturday
Greens
Spinach leaves, kale leaves, kiwi, pineapple, apple, banana, ginger
This one is… fine. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either. I mixed it with water for more of a juice-like texture, but it felt a little grainy.
It’s meant to be good for delivering energy, but I didn’t notice a massive boost. It felt very healthy.
Sunday
Reds
Strawberry, raspberry, banana, apple, dates, ginger, chia seeds
I like this flavour! I mixed it with water as I fancied something lighter, and was surprised that it still made me feel full for the morning.
I was worried the chia seeds would be a bit grainy, but I barely noticed them. Again, this is meant to be great for skin health, so here’s hoping I’m glowing in no time.
Rubies
Raspberries, sweet potato, apple, goji berries, orange, dates, pumpkin, red pepper, maca
Hmm, I wish I’d had this with water rather than oat milk. The red pepper makes it taste quite savoury, which I don’t think quite works with the creamy texture – it felt a bit like I was drinking a hummus milkshake.
Overall thoughts
I’m a fan of these! I think they’re a great addition to your diet and an easy way to load up on fruit and veg without taking up a load of space in your fridge. I like that Kencko isn’t angling their smoothies as a cleanse or any sort of meal replacement, but as a way to boost your nutrition.
For me, I feel like they’re a great way to start the day off on the right foot, and an easy switch for sugary snacks to beat the mid-afternoon slump.
Fancy giving Kencko a go? You can take the quiz and order your first box here.
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