Have you enjoyed a smoothie today? With the summer season approaching us, there is an abundance of fruits that make some terrific smoothies … and, in order to make a terrific smoothie, you must have a terrific blender. Check out Wellness Gardens’ Farberware FBL500SS Millennium Stainless-Steel 3-Speed Blender for the unbelievable low price of $39.99.
Our featured author this week is Sharon Graham, R.N. of Nutrition777. In her article below, Sharon shares how to make truly healthy smoothies using whole fruits and starting with a healthy base ingredient. As an added bonus, Sharon shares a fabulous recipe for Pineapple Coconut Smoothie.
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MOVE OVER JUICES, HELLO SMOOTHIES! by Sharon Graham, R.N.
I know smoothies are all the rage now. According to Wikipedia, a smoothie is “a blended, chilled, sweet beverage made from fresh fruit. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, or frozen yogurt.” I began making smoothies for us before I ever heard of the various franchises or of the variety of “foods” being included in a smoothie. I was rather appalled when I began reading recipes available on the Internet for smoothies finding ingredients such as chocolate syrup, chocolate pudding mix, ice cream and peanut butter!
However, our smoothies have also had various “faces” throughout the years. I’ve tried many different ingredients in attempts to make them “healthy.” I’ve used various protein powders, soy products, different oils, and numberous fruits. A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to make them from God-made foods exclusively without added powders and juices.
This won’t be a treatise on juices, and I know that many juices are made from all fruit and some are even organic. However, juices are still concentrated and can elevate the blood sugar. It’s always better to consume the whole fruit rather than the juice.
I used to always use frozen bananas in our smoothies. They do make them taste yummy. And today’s recipe does use half of a frozen banana. However, for the most part, I stopped including bananas a few years ago after learning about the glycemic index of foods. Bananas are high glycemic, meaning they elevate the blood sugar and they are NOT a friend to anyone with blood sugar issues or to someone wanting to decrease their body fat.
We usually enjoy smoothies for breakfast, and I have a basic way of making them. But I do vary ingredients depending on what I have on hand. However, I’ve decided to use this month to offer different recipe suggestions for how you can make your smoothies according to your own tastes. None of the ingredients or measurements are critical so feel free to experiment.
I use a base of either coconut milk, organic plain whole milk yogurt (not low fat), or kefir. Then I’ll add some fresh fruit such as an apple, pear, or pineapple chunks. Next, I’ll add frozen fruit. Using frozen fruit will make the smoothie thick and luscious. Today’s recipe will get you started and I’ll change the various ingredients as the month progresses. Watch for Triple Berry Smoothie and Raspberry Yogurt Smoothie in the coming weeks.
What are some of your favorite smoothie recipes? Please share them with us. 
(To comment on this entry, please click on the “Comments” link below.)
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Wellness Gardens is dedicated to researching and bringing to you the finest in alternative therapies and products to enhance your health and spiritual lives and the lives of your pets. As part of that, you will find the cutting edge assortment in books, CD’s, DVD’s, naturopathic and homeopathic products such as GlycoNutrients as well as electronic equipment and other products for the optimization of your diet and fitness, exercise, health, wellness and longevity.
About The Author: Sharon Graham of Nutrition777 is a nutritional consultant and coach who worked in the traditional medical field as a Registered Nurse for a number of years. She has over twenty-five years of experience in the natural health field as well. She works with several nutritional companies and is certified by the American Nutraceutical Association. Sharon brings a wealth of proven, practical information and methods so that you can achieve your own personal health goals.
