Did you know only 10% of Americans get their daily recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables? That’s not a lot of people – most Americans are not getting anywhere near enough fruits and vegetable they need. What if you could get your 5 servings of fruits and veggies in everyday through instant smoothies? That’s exactly what kencko set out to do!
I’m really excited to share more about this brand that’s revolutionizing getting your 5-a-day through their smoothie packs, gum drops, and bowls. The added nutritional benefits to your diet from getting your five a day are massive.
Let’s learn more about kencko and how they are revolutionizing health.
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If you use this link, you can get a free bottle with promo code FREEBOTTLE on your first order!
Behind The Brand
The idea behind kencko had its birth in Portugal in 2014 when a man by the name of Tomás Froes had begun to experience gastritis symptoms and was eventually diagnosed with it.
He was told by his doctor that he would need to take a regular pill regimen and that there was no other solution to his condition. Tomás, not wanting to accept defeat in taking pharmaceutical drugs for the rest of his life, set out in search of a different answer.
He could recall as a child that he spent time on family farms as a child where the people that lived and worked there were vegetarians and that he could recall their general wellness. He began to draw a line between their wellness and their diet and decided to start there.
After making this connection Tomás moved forward into a mostly vegetarian diet, making sure to get his five daily servings of fruits and vegetables and keeping his animal product and meat consumption to a minimum.
In doing so he found that his new diet was a great success! His gastritis symptoms were relieved! He did run into an obstacle, though. The challenge of keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand presented itself daily with many things spoiling before he could eat them.
Digging further into this hurdle he found that actually 50% of the world fruit and vegetables go to waste annually due to spoilage alone!
With this discovery he knew he had to find a way to reduce that waste not only for himself but on a larger scale.
He found that a flash freezing and slow drying process used primarily in pharmaceutical applications worked well to preserve fruits and vegetables in a healthy way to keep them better longer and reduced waste!
He did some trials to discover which fruits and vegetables retained the best nutritional qualities through the process and some taste testing to find which flavors were the best and through all of this the first kencko products were born! He had found a way to get his full servings of fruits and veggies and reduce his waste! He was getting cups of fresh produce that otherwise would be wasted into the hands of people who need them.
Tomás found that only 10 percent of Americans actually get their full five servings of fruit and vegetables every day. He feels that aiding in increasing that number to just twenty percent a day would be a great feat and would have a great impact on the general populations’ health as a whole.
Today kencko’s mission is simple- to help as many people as possible get their “daily 5” and improve the general health and wellness of their customers! If you make it part of your daily routine, you’ll be fueling your body with the good stuff and endless health benefits.
kencko’s products are all organic, affordable, and convenient to use making them optimal for anyone to use and available as a regular subscription to take the guess-work out of any budgeting and meal planning that their products are included in!
What’s To Love About kencko
They’re Organic
kencko uses certified organic fruits and vegetables which is important so that you know your food isn’t being sprayed with potentially toxic herbicides and pesticides. I try to eat organic as much as possible and really value this in the company’s mission.
They’re Cost Effective
You can get 60 smoothies for $2.49 each. Where else can you get 2.5 servings of organic fruits and vegetables for that price? For $5 per day you get your 5 servings of fruit and vegetables. You love to see it.
They Have Compostable Packaging and Carbon-Neutral Shipping
kencko packaging is also completely compostable (yay for no plastic) and offers carbon-neutral shipping. I love that they’re doing good things for the planet.
No Added Sugars, Artificial Sweeteners or Artificial Additives
Their products are just fruits and vegetables that are non-GMO and gluten free. This is optimal for your overall health and immune support. And you can trust that it’s high quality!
You Don’t Have To Worry About Fruit and Veggies Going Bad
I always have good intentions when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables. But many times I end up not using everything which contributes to food waste. I like that I can consume kencko’s smoothies on my own schedule without wasting more produce.
Free Nutrition Advice
With your kencko membership, you can book a all with a certified nutritionist to help you meet your health goals or specific issues like skin health.
If you use this link, you can get a free bottle with promo code FREEBOTTLE.
The Product Lineup
They currently offer three different products, which they advertise will cover “breakfast, lunch, and in between!” They do operate as a subscription service which will renew monthly.
The Smoothies
The first in the product line up are their smoothie packets. They have a lot of smoothie flavors available which each boast different benefits for the body.
They come in many different flavors such as Beet reds (apples, strawberries, and beetroots – my favorite flavor) Golds (cacaos, bananas, and strawberries,) and Mochas (coffee, cacaos, and chagas.) These smoothies will give you two and a half of your daily servings which will get you half way to your daily recommended servings by itself!
Their smoothie mixes include things like chia seeds, sweet potato, baobab powder, cacao beans, passion fruit, and more.
They are super simple to prepare as well, all you have to do is add water to the line in your kencko smoothie bottle, add the smoothie packet contents and shake vigorously!
At around only 85 calories per smoothie they don’t quite recommend that you use it as a breakfast replacement but report on their website that many people do find it is helpful as a mid afternoon pick-me-up! 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables is a huge win in my book.
The best part is that provided shaker bottle is also dishwasher safe for easy cleanup from day to day, keeping you ready to stay on top of those recommended servings! I love that you’re getting cups of fruit in one easy snack.
I tried the smoothies several different ways. The best way, in my opinion, to make them is to put in water to the fill line and then add the flavor packet. The powder packet can get clumpy so I find it helps to break it up before you add it to the shaker. Then I shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes and it’s reached the perfect consistency!
With these you have to keep in mind that they smoothie is not going to be *perfectly* smooth or like a blended-from-frozen smoothie. Flash frozen is as a close to a fresh smoothie you can get and I think it’s one of the best smoothie options on the market.
It is made from flash-frozen powder so some flavors have a slight grittiness but not in a way that I found bothersome. I kind of like that it’s not just a thin liquid and has some thickness to it. You can also make them with your favorite milk, like oat milk, if you prefer. Additionally, you can opt for a thicker consistency by using less liquid. It’s totally up to you!
I’ve noticed that primarily the fruit ones shake up more smoothly. If you wanted to take the extra time to blend in a blender, I think that would be a good option for someone with a texture issue.
All that said, the benefits of getting the extra fruits and vegetables far outweigh any possible cons for me. Since being introduced to kencko, I haven definitely consumed 100% more fruits and vegetables that I would have otherwise.
If you use this link, you can get a free bottle with promo code FREEBOTTLE.
The Gum Drops
The next product they offer is their “gum drops.” Just like the smoothies they are offered in several great flavors like Appletastic (apple, cinnamon, and rice crisps,) Passionista (mango, passionfruit, and turmeric,) as well as Cherry Bomb (cherry, cacao, and rice crisps.)
They are packaged in serving sized pouches just like regular gummies for just as much convenience as other products with out any refined sugar! The labels do list “added sugar,” but that is simply because some of them are made with fruit juice concentrate and that is required to be labeled that way in the United States.
But best of all this convenient little pick me up snack is worth one full daily serving of your fruits and vegetables giving you a one-two punch of you something you need in a snack to help you through the day. (Plus as an added bonus you get it all without all those nasty processed sugars.)
I have not tried the Gum Drops so I cannot provide a review on them, however, they are a really interesting concept and I think they’d be great for kids or as a pick-me-up.
The Bowls
The final product they currently offer in their lineup is their bowls! Again, they offer several great flavors such as Chili non carne (a lentil and bean chili,) Curry up (a tropical curry,) and Souper-Fast (a minestrone.)
Preparation is souper simple (pun intended) just like their smoothies! Just add hot water to the line in their provided kencko bowl, mix in your soup mix, and let sit with the lid on for five to ten minutes.
You can also microwave the mix and water in the bowl for a shorter prep time of four to six minutes! Best of all is the fruit and vegetable servings you get from each of these bowls, which is four in each one making it super easy to reach that 5 a day goal!
The bowls work great as a light lunch or with an added carb or protein to make them a little more filling if you want to mix it up a bit. And just like their provided shaker cup, the bowl is dishwasher safe, aside from one part, making cleanup from lunch a snap.
I have not tried the bowls so cannot attest to the consistency or flavor.
In Review: Is kencko worth it?
In my opinion, absolutely. I have greatly enjoyed my experience with adding these little powerhouse smoothies to my daily diet. So much so that I even took them on vacation with me.
If you use this link, you can get a free bottle with promo code FREEBOTTLE.
Overall, I enjoyed the kencko smoothies and look forward to trying more in the future! I’d highly recommend them if you are looking to get in more servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Cheers!