SMOOTH AND DELICIOUS DRINKS Mmm mmm slurp Crushed fruit drinks were tasty chug-a-lugs in the Mediterranean Asia and Latin America hundreds of years ago But they didn’t take off around the world until the blender was invented in the 1930s The blender could crush mix and blend whole fruits and vegetables like never before The inventor of the blender Fred Waring was right when he said it would revolutionize drinks Not only did it break down fruits and vegetables so people could absorb the nutrients better it also whipped them into smooth drinks In the 1960s a health food movement swept North America and smoothies began popping up at California beaches health food stores and restaurants Many different cultures have their own versions of smoothies Other popular blended drinks include the mango lassi in India and the jallab in the Middle East 4
The ideas for smoothies in this book are meant to inspire you to create your own recipes and drinks You can follow the steps provided or use your imagination to create your own delicious drinks NUTRITION IN A GLASS Just suck it up Chances are you won’t find a drink as delicious and nutritious as a smoothie Made of whole fruits and vegetables smoothies are brimming with water antioxidants fiber and nutrients such as vitamins minerals enzymes and phytonutrients Nutrients like these often work together as a team This makes eating or drinking whole fruits and vegetables better than taking vitamins and nutrient pills or supplements Since you swallow all the team players in one shot they can get the nutritional job done What’s more the fiber in whole fruits and vegetables helps keep your blood sugar stable lowers cholesterol and gets rid of waste and deadly toxins THE VITAL IN VITAMINS AND MINERALS Vitamin A is key to Vitamin C helps protect healthy skin and hair as body tissue from well as bone and tooth damage fights infection growth It helps your strengthens bones and vision and boosts your teeth and helps you immune system absorb iron Vitamin B2 converts food into energy develops healthy skin hair and nails and helps make cells and red blood cells Vitamin B6 boosts your immune system and helps you absorb protein as well as make cells and red blood cells Vitamin E helps make red blood cells balances cholesterol and helps heal skin tissues Vitamin K helps blood clot or stop bleeding and helps your bones stay healthy Magnesium helps strengthen bones and teeth promotes new cell growth increases energy and helps your body use B and C vitamins as well as calcium Manganese helps keep your bones tissues and nerves healthy and protects cells from damage by free radicals Potassium helps you stay hydrated absorb nutrients and keep a healthy heart Phosphorus boosts energy and helps keep your bones teeth and nerves healthy 5
NUTRITION MATTERS Whether you want to play look or feel your best proper nutrition is essential Just ask any pro athlete Take the football players on the New York Giants for example The Giants work with a nutritionist Tara Ostrowe to make sure they get the nutrients they need for peak performance Tara includes smoothies as a way to achieve this For your body to grow and develop you need the same nutrients as top athletes vitamins minerals proteins carbohydrates and fats The only difference is that you need different amounts of them than the athletes And don’t think you can stop eating them once you’re a grown-up The fact is we need nutrients all our lives Eating a balanced diet is the key to staying healthy both mentally and physically WATER THE DRINK OF LIFE You cannot survive without water Your body is made of cells and every single one of them needs water to work Your body uses water to keep a steady temperature get rid of waste and grease your joints to move easily In fact more than half of your body weight is made up of water You can't survive for more than a few days without it It's important to make sure you are drinking enough water so your body keeps working properly Make sure to drink water when you're thirsty and drink extra water when you are exercising or when it's warm 6 Lots of foods contain water too 80 to 95 percent of a whole fruit or vegetable is water The other 5 to 20 percent is carbohydrates fiber and nutrients
FOOD GUIDES To make sure you eat a healthy diet check out the United States Department of Agriculture USDA and the Canada Food Guide dietary recommendations They are designed to help you eat healthy See links to websites on page 30 They divide food into different groups They also recommend the amount of food to eat from each group every day USDA'S MYPLATE GUIDE MyPlate puts together healthy meals from five main food groups fruits vegetables grains protein foods and dairy Half the plate should be fruits and vegetables and half should be grains and proteins Vegetables Veggies are a big part of MyPlate They can be fresh canned frozen or juiced Just make sure the juice is 100 vegetables CANADA FOOD GUIDE According to the Canada Food Guide kids from 9 to 13 years of age should eat the following number of servings from four food groups Vegetables and fruit 6 servings a day Grain products such as bread rice pasta cereal 6 servings a day Milk and alternatives such as soy or almond milk cheese yogurt kefir 3 4 servings a day Meat and alternatives such as fish tofu eggs peanut or nut butters legumes seeds nuts 1-2 servings a day Fruits Like veggies fruits can be fresh canned frozen or 100 juice Also like veggies they come in lots of shapes and colors Grains Cereal bread and other grain products are made from wheat oats rice barley and corn Whole grains are best because they contain more nutrients and fiber Protein foods Animal proteins are meat poultry seafood and eggs Vegetarian proteins are soy products beans peas nuts and seeds A healthy diet can be based on either type of protein or both Dairy To be part of this group products must have a good calcium content Milk cheese yogurt soy milk and even ice cream count as dairy but butter cream and cream cheese with little or no calcium do not Most dairy group choices should be fat-free or low-fat 7
