Smoothies have now become part of our health-conscious lifestyle. A few pieces of fresh or frozen fruit, a cup or two of water, some ice and a serving of yogurt, and you have a drink that's not only healthy but delicious as well. Athletes usually add protein powder mixes to their smoothie to make it more nutritious. Those who would like to take their fitness level up a notch include half a head of lettuce and some carrots to make green smoothies that they can take for breakfast or as mid-afternoon snacks.

The question of where to make these healthy drinks has dominated discussion boards on the subject. Some opine that a smoothie maker is where smoothies should be concocted. After all, they were made for the purpose. Others, meanwhile, report that a powerful blender is a better alternative. We're more inclined to agree with the smoothie maker fans.

Here are the top five reasons why you ought to prepare your smoothies in a smoothie maker and not just in any other blender:

1. Smoothie makers are built for smoothies. Its higher power capacity makes it better than most in grinding fruit and pulverizing it to just the right consistency. Because of the narrow shape of its glass mixing chamber, ice goes to the blades so they're ground better and more finely, something that most regular blenders cannot do perfectly.

2. What comes out of smoothie makers are liquid, easy-on-the throat drinks with no solid particles that are a common feature of smoothies done in blenders. This is because smoothie makers are infinitely more powerful than blenders.

3. Spouts below the jug make smoothies easily flow from the maker without the need to lift the entire apparatus. This feature also allows you to fill your glass even while the fruit is still being blended. With regular blenders, you have to wait until blending is finished to enjoy your smoothies. Also, you have to detach the whole glass chamber from its base to serve the smoothie.

4. A general reference guide for measuring ingredients is always placed at the side of smoothie maker jugs, an indispensable aid in making great smoothies. Not all blenders have this information.

5. Blenders, especially older models, often had a "dead zone" in the center that tended to make blending difficult. People had to stop in the middle of their blending, open the lid and use a spoon to stir the contents so they could be transported out of the "dead zone" and thus be mixed properly. Smoothie makers have stir sticks or long spoon-like devices that can be used to stir the ingredients around without the need to stop the smoothie-making process.

Those are the reasons why smoothie makers are best for fruit or green smoothie preparations compared to traditional blenders. They pack more power to their punch, so to speak, to prepare the best and most health-giving smoothies around. They're highly affordable too. The average price range for a smoothie maker is from $30 to $200, but you can actually get a good one for your everyday smoothie concoctions for $60.