health
10. 18.2007 = JAYPLAY
STEP UP YOUR SMOOTHIE
Benefit from crafting your own blended beverages By Megan Hirt
When Mathew Shepard gets a late-aftermoon hunger attack, he reaches for a blender and a few foods that don't appeal to him in their solid form.
"I hate strawberries and bananas, but I love strawberry-banana smoothes," says Sheepar, Norton freshman, who also blends in the occasional vitamin caplet or spoonful of peanut butter. "I like to experiment with different combinations and use fruits I don't normally eat. Drinking a smoothie is easier than sitting down and eating all those foods individually."
Quick, simple and minimally messy, smoothies are perfect nourishment for busy college students who might also have trouble fitting fruits into their diets. Americans slurped down $2 billion worth of smoothies from restaurants last year according to a report by the market research group MindTail. Though smoothie sippin' is healthier than other on-the-go dining options, whipping up your own blended drink at home can be even more nutritious and delicious.
fruits make them appealing, but putting vegetables and herbs in your smoothies can give you more nutrients."
A smoothie can fuse together so many diverse, wholesome foods that it becomes a powerful super-food, fit to battle aliments from the common cold to indigestion to anemia, Crocker says.
The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion recommends two cups of fruit and two and a half to three cups of vegetables per day
Never fear. You don't need to give your fridge a makeover in order to start some healthful, unconventional smoothie crafting. Crocker says adding foods that are likely already in your kitchen such as leafy greens, cinnamon or green tea can provide antioxidants or boost your immunity to certain illnesses, adding to the already high nutritional value of a smoothie.
for men and women ages 19-30,
according to my.mypremid.gov.
"Not many students can achieve this, the Crocker says. That's why smoothies are so great,
because you're getting two to three servings of fruit or veggies in every drink. One of the easiest ways to eat your fruits and vegetables is to drink them."
Bailey Bosc, Birmingham, Ala sophomore, prefers drinking her doses of fruits and veggies by concocting apple and carrot smoothies. She says both foods have a sweetness that complements the other. "Usually you associate carrots with saltiness, butwhenyoujucите them they're really sweet and tasty." Boss says. Smoothies made with carrots are—"a fruit of mischief for a vegetable—are a scrumptious staple at Bosc's favorite cafe in Memphis. "They're smooth and creamy and surprisingly sweet," she says.
Fruits come packed
with natural sugar, though Delia Quigley, nutritional counselor and author of Simply Smoothies: 200 Refresh Drinks for Life, Health and Fun, says replacing real fruit with pasteurized fruit juice isn't a healthy substitution. The swap is why some smoothie shop blends aren't so nutritious, Quigley says, and perhaps another reason for students to take smoothie making into their own hands.
and bones while also improving their skin and even their moods
"Pasteurized fruit juice reduces the fruit down to a really inferior food." Quigley says, "It becomes just like water and sugar, and ends up lacking the nutrients you'd get if the juice was freshly poured. Your energy will go up for a bit and then you crash."
Quigley adds that because many college students' diets lack raw produce, they're missing out on a host of nutrients that can not only keep them energized, but can strengthen their hearts
"Raw fruits and veggies are the source of life," Quigley says. "The more you live on pizzas and refined foods, the more problems you'll have with your health and
emotions. Those problems in some way have to do with the quality of food you're eating, and so you can turn them around if you eat properly and take the right nutrients."
Gina Fish, owner of Perfect Balance Weight Management,
935 Iowa St., says incorporating healthier, uncustomary foods into a smoothie doesn't have to detract from its deliciousness. "If you're already using strawberries, adding cottage cheese in with the strawberries can give it a great strawberry cheesecake flavor," Fish suggests.
A smoother is only fit to replace a meal if it contains protein, Fish says, which can come from such smoothie-friendly foods as yogurt and milk. Blends made solely with fruit should just be considered snacks.
Fortunately, simple fruit smoothies at snack time can still give you a lift. They've helped Shepard eat colds and stay energized, and such feats have made him a steadfast smoothie sipper. "I would definitely have a smoothie over other snacks because it's healthier and more filling," Shepard says. "Id've have one over Grandma's double-chocolate chip cookies."
Smoothies to the Rescue!
Sick? Sleep? Savor one of these healing smoothies from *The Smoothes Bible* to get back in top form. (ice isn't necessary, but can be added if you prefer a chilly refreshment.)
Morning After
Cure a hangover with this Vitamin C and potassium blend.
1/2 cup orange juice
1 wedge pineapple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped peeled gingerroot
Eye Opener
Wake up with this mix of fruits packed with enzymes for converting food into energy.
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup pitted cherries
12 strawberries, hulled and halved
1 orange, peeled, seeded and chopped
Carrot Raisin Cooler
This fusion of naturally sweet foods gives a boost to your immune system.
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 plain yogurt
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 ice cubes
Brocco-Carrot
Combat the flu, headaches and high cholesterol by sipping this curative combo.
1/2 cup carrot juice
1 can (14 oz.) spinach
1/2 cup cooked chopped broccoli
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 tsp salt
Autumn Refresher
Try this combination to up your intake of iron, which can improve concentration.
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp lime juice
2 pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1 peach, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped