The Harmony Glossary
Branded Harmony vocabulary and standard smoothie nutrition terms — all in one place.
Blendscape
Harmony TermThe ingredients, tools, and techniques that shape the smoothies you enjoy making at home. Each blendscape can reflect your own taste and routine.
Sip-Craft
Harmony TermA Harmony term for intentionally designing a smoothie around flavor, texture, and practical preparation rather than simply combining ingredients at random.
Harmony Blend
Harmony TermA Harmony term for a smoothie whose flavors, liquid, and textures work well together for the person making it.
Green Base
The leafy-green foundation of a smoothie, often spinach, kale, or romaine, chosen for its color, texture, and flavor.
Liquid Ratio
The proportion of liquid to solid ingredients in a smoothie. The right amount depends on your blender, ingredients, and preferred thickness.
Macro Balance
A general way of describing the protein, carbohydrate, and fat content of a food or recipe. Individual nutrition needs can vary.
Antioxidant
A broad term used in food and nutrition discussions for compounds found in many plant foods. It is not a measure of a smoothie’s health effect.
Phytonutrients
Compounds found in plants; examples often discussed in food education include lycopene, lutein, and resveratrol.
Bioavailability
A scientific term describing how a nutrient is absorbed and used. It can vary by nutrient, food preparation, and the wider diet.
Glycemic Load
A nutrition concept that considers carbohydrate quantity and a food’s glycemic index. People managing a medical condition should seek individualized advice from their healthcare team.
Adaptogens
A marketing and traditional-use term for certain herbs and mushrooms. If you are considering a supplement, check its label and discuss possible interactions with a qualified healthcare professional.
Thermogenic
A term sometimes used in supplement marketing. It should not be treated as a promise of metabolic or weight-related results.
Using the glossary
The glossary has two kinds of entry in it. Harmony terms are our own shorthand for ideas we use across the site, such as building a drink around flavor, texture and balance. Standard terms are the common nutrition and blending words you will see on labels and in recipes. Standard definitions follow general nutrition references such as the US Dietary Guidelines and NHS guidance, and the nutrition calculator uses the same terms when it shows your results.
Common label terms
- Free sugars: sugars added to food plus those naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and blended fruit. Health bodies advise limiting them.
- Dietary fiber: plant carbohydrate that the body does not fully digest. It supports digestion and helps you feel full.
- Macronutrients: protein, carbohydrate and fat, the nutrients that supply energy.
- Plant-based protein: protein from soy, peas, legumes, nuts and seeds rather than animal sources.
More useful terms
- Glycemic response: how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Fiber, protein and fat in a smoothie slow the response compared with fruit juice.
- Whole fruit versus juice: blended whole fruit keeps its fiber, while juice removes most of it.
- Fortified: a food with added vitamins or minerals, such as many plant milks with added calcium and vitamin B12.
- Unsweetened: no sugars added during manufacture. Natural sugars from the main ingredient may still be present.
- Protein isolate and concentrate: forms of protein powder. Isolates are more refined and usually contain less lactose or carbohydrate.
- Emulsion: a stable mixture of fat and water, which is why avocado or nut butter makes a smoothie creamy.
If you come across a term on a label or in a recipe that is not listed here, the NHS and the US Food and Drug Administration both publish plain-language guides to reading nutrition labels.
We add new entries as our recipes and guides bring in new ingredients and techniques.
Sources: NHS: Sugar, the facts.