Green Smoothies

Sure, you know greens are good for you. You occasionally toss a broccoli stalk or two into your chef salad – after all, anything tastes good with ranch dressing on it, right? And you often eat spinach when you visit your favorite neighborhood restaurant . . . and order the spinach-artichoke dip. Unfortunately, with that, you also get plenty of fat.

But if you still avoid more mysterious greens like kale, bok choy and mustard greens because you just don’t know how to prepare them so that they taste good, there’s a simple solution: green smoothies. A growing number of Americans, including TV personality Montel Williams, advocate the health – not to mention flavor – benefits of smoothies made with so-called “super foods” like green, leafy vegetables.

“Kids aren’t the only ones who don’t particularly like the taste of some greens,” says Jodi Berg, a fan of green smoothies and the executive vice president of Vita-Mix, manufacturer of commercial and household blenders, including one mentioned in Williams’ recent book on healthful living. “By incorporating raw greens in smoothies made with fruit and other flavorful ingredients, you can enjoy all the health benefits of these super veggies, plus the taste and fun associated with smoothies.”

The nutritional value of super greens has been well known for years, but the far-reaching positive impact of some nutrients is just now coming to light. From improving eye and blood health to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, the nutrients found in leafy greens have multiple health benefits. “The challenge in reaping these full benefits has been the taste,” Berg says. “Many raw leafy greens have a bitter flavor that even cooking can’t completely mask. Most people expect a green smoothie to have some of that bitterness as well, but there is none. When you combine the right ingredients in the Vita-Mix machine, the result is silky-smooth and surprisingly sweet and delicious.”

So what’s the secret of whipping up a great-tasting, nutrient-filled green smoothie that both kids and adults will love? Here are some tips:

* Start with fresh fruit to provide the sweet flavor. Any fruit that you like will do the trick, but remember there’s an added nutritional benefit with some fruits. Blueberries or pomegranate, for example, will impart sweetness and an antioxidant punch. Pineapple or orange will deliver tart sweetness and plenty of vitamin C, while potassium-rich bananas will also add thickness and body to the smoothie.

* Next, choose a healthful green that you likely wouldn’t eat any other way, like collard greens, Swiss chard or bok choy. In addition to being an excellent non-meat, nondairy source of calcium and iron, the high fiber content in these greens balances out the sugar content of the fruit so that you don’t experience a spike in your blood sugar levels.

* Use fresh, filtered water and ice with the fruit and veggies. You can also add fat-free or low-fat yogurt, plain or flavored, to add nutrition and flavor to your smoothie. Do avoid high-fat additives like ice cream that also contain refined sugars.

* Be sure to use the right equipment. While the average blender may do just fine to mix milk and ice cream into a milk shake, you’ll need a heavier-duty device to chop, blend and smooth hearty greens. The Vita-Mix Super 5200 has the power and precision to completely pulverize whole foods and breaks them down to the cellular level. Nutrients are freed and valuable fiber is not stripped away.

Berg offers her favorite smoothie recipes to get you started:

“Green Goddess”
by Valerie Waugaman, American Gladiator star

Ingredients:

4 ounces vanilla soymilk, unsweetened
2 ounces pomegranate juice
3 cups fresh spinach leaves, gently packed
1 kiwi, peeled
1/2 cup green grapes or 1/2 pear
1/4 avocado, peeled
1/8 slice lime with rind
1 scoop protein powder (vanilla flavor)
dash of vanilla extract
5 drops Stevia (optional)
2 cups ice cubes

Directions: Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix blender and blend until smooth.

Going Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach or the leafy green of your choice
1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or frozen)
1 cup green grapes
1/2 banana
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container and secure two-part lid. Select variable speed 1. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to 10, then to High. Process for 1 minute or until smooth. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

To learn more about the Vita-Mix and for more recipes and ideas on incorporating super greens into your diet, visit www.vitamix.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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A 2005 study by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., shows that 57 percent of the typical American diet comes from processed foods that really aren’t good for you. These include refined grains, hydrogenated vegetable oils and added sugars.

“The problem with processed grains is that during the refining process, the B vitamins, fiber, protein and fat they contain are all removed. Hydrogenated vegetable oils, or trans fats, are responsible for raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol. Sugar contains empty calories that offer no nutrition value whatsoever,” says Anne DiCello, a registered dietitian from Cleveland, Ohio, who adds that it’s never too late to set things right. “All you have to do is stop eating processed foods and turn to whole foods instead,” she says.

By definition, whole foods are foods as close to their natural state as possible. They have had little or no processing and have retained most, if not all, of their original nutrients and fiber. Examples of whole foods include:

* Organically grown fruits and vegetables that are rich in naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and plant phytochemicals.

* Nuts which are good sources of fiber, vitamin E, folic acid, copper, magnesium and the amino acid arginine, for each of which there is evidence of a role in preventing heart disease, cancer and other health problems.

* Whole grains like wheat pasta, brown rice and milled oats that contain B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber as well as other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables.

These unrefined foods offer many health benefits. In its recently revised Food Pyramid, the U.S.D.A. recommends Americans consume at least 12 servings of whole foods a day. If you follow the agency’s suggestion of eating several small meals instead of two to three big ones each day, you’ll find it easy to do.

DiCello offers these recommendations for people trying to work more whole foods into their diets:

* Shop for local produce when it’s in season and freeze it so you’ll always have whole foods on hand.

* Bring fruits, nuts and vegetables with you to work or school and snack on them throughout the day.

* Look for creative ways to work whole foods into your diet. Fruits can be crushed at home and used in juices and smoothies; vegetables can be turned into soups; whole grains can be turned into home made breads and rolls.

“The key to getting all the nutrients available from fruits, vegetables and grains is consuming the whole thing. Don’t throw away the pulp, peel and seeds. They contain fiber and a lot of the beneficial phytochemicals you need,” says DiCello who points out most people throw them away because they’re not sure how to process them.

It is very easy to do if you have the right tool for the job. Anyone who has ever used the Vita-Mix Super 5000 will tell you it’s the only kitchen appliance you’ll ever need. The machine performs 35 different functions, everything from juicing whole foods to cooking hot soup, grinding whole-wheat berries into flour and kneading dough for whole grain bread.

The reason for the machine’s incredible function is its powerful commercial-grade motor that drives precision-guided blades capable of crushing up and cutting whole food fiber down to the cellular level so your body can benefit from every nutrient. You don’t have to throw anything away. Just wash your fruits and vegetables, turn on the machine, and everything — skin, peels, stems, leaves and seeds — will be liquefied. Whole grains can be cracked for cereals or ground into flour for preservative-free homemade bread.

Here are some recipes you may want to try:

* Cantaloupe, Pineapple and Banana Cooler

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cantaloupe
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 medium banana
1/8 inch slice lemon, with peel
1/2 cup 100 percent cranberry juice
1 tablespoon honey or other sweetener, to taste
3/4 cup ice cubes

Directions:
Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container in order listed. Secure 2-part lid. Select variable speed #1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to #10; then to high. Run for 1 minute or until smooth. Serve immediately.

* Sweet Pea and Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen or fresh sweet peas, steamed
1/2 cup potatoes, scrubbed and cooked
1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
1 cup skim milk, hot
1 teaspoon onion
1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional)

Directions: Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container in order listed. Secure 2-part lid. Select variable, speed #1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to #10; then to high. Run for 2 to 3 minutes or until steam escapes through lid. Serve immediately.

When you order your Vita-Mix whole food machine, it will come with cookbooks and a DVD to get you started. The machines are made right here in the USA and the company has customers whose machines have been in constant use for 25 years or more.

For more information, log on to www.vitamix.com/pr

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Even though we know that our bodies need whole foods for good health and effective weight control, actually fitting those foods into our menus can be a struggle. Well, you may never have that personal chef, but there are ways to make it easier to prepare and eat the foods you know are good for you. Having the right tools is important, for example.

Many consumers have discovered that the Vita-Mix whole food machine has changed the way they cook and eat. This appliance has 35 functions, from juicing whole foods to cooking hot soup, grinding whole wheat berries into flour, kneading bread dough, chopping vegetables, pureeing sauces and baby food and making frozen fruit treats. It can take the place of 10 appliances in your kitchen (including your blender and food processor), and makes getting the recommended 12 daily servings of fruits and vegetables fun and enjoyable.

The Vita-Mix machine lets you add healthy fruits and vegetables to every meal: fruit smoothies for breakfast, soup for lunch and pasta with vegetable sauce for dinner, with fresh sorbet for dessert. You can even grind grain and knead dough to make whole grain bread. Best of all, these meals are easy and fast to prepare. For example, the bread dough is ready to rise in three minutes, and you can make steaming hot soup from fresh vegetables in just four minutes.

Once you use a Vita-Mix whole food machine, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to get great results, both in the kitchen and in your health. “My husband and I have been making soups and smoothies for two months, and we’ve both gone down a size,” says Carol, a customer from Beverly, Mass. “We bought it to eat healthier, but we are so excited to see the weight come off so easily!”

The stainless steel blade tips powered by a 2+ peak horsepower motor is what makes it all possible. Depending on the process, blade tip speed can be as low as 11 miles per hour or as high as 240 miles per hour. A unique electronic feedback-type control adjusts motor speed and torque for consistent processing at any speed. The blades burst through the cell walls of whole foods and release nutrition and flavor.

Unlike conventional juicers, when fruits and vegetables are prepared in the Vita-Mix machine, you get the benefits of the whole food, including valuable fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Much of those beneficial nutrients are tossed in the trash, in the form of skins and seeds, when you use a juicer. For example, apples are loaded with pectin, a soluble fiber that soaks up excess cholesterol in your intestine before it enters your blood and lands in your arteries. When pectin leaves your body, it takes unwanted fat and cholesterol along with it. But the pectin, and most of an apple’s detoxifying, nourishing power is in the pulp, so store-bought apple juice doesn’t have it. Even commercial grade juicers throw the pulp away. But making apple juice in a Vita-Mix machine delivers all the flavor, fiber and health benefits.

When you order your Vita-Mix whole food machine, you’ll also get cookbooks and a DVD to get you started. And you can order secure in the knowledge that your Vita-Mix is backed by a full seven-year warranty from a family-owned business that has been in operation for over 85 years. Many families hand their Vita-Mix machines down from generation to generation. Vita-Mix machines are still made right here in the USA and the company has customers whose machines have been in constant use for 20 years or more.

For more information, visit www.vitamix.com.

Here are two great tasting recipes that packed with whole food fiber and antioxidant power, thanks to Vita-Mix processing.

Apple Pie Smoothie

Yield: 2 cups
Processing Time: 1 minute
Speed: Variable to High

1 apple, quartered
1 cup apple juice
8-ounce carton apple cinnamon yogurt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or other sweetener, to taste
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix container in order listed. Secure 2-part lid. Select VARIABLE, speed #1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to #10, then to HIGH. Run for 1 minute, or until smooth. Serve.

This recipe is low fat, low sodium, low cholesterol, heart healthy, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, raw.

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Yield: 5 cups
Processing Time: 4 1/2 minutes
Speed: Variable to #10, then to High

3 cups Butternut squash, seeded and cubed
1 large apple
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1/4 small onion, peeled
1/2 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 1/2 ounces low sodium chicken broth, boiling

Steam squash in steamer or microwave. Saute onion and garlic in spread until onion is clear and tender. Set aside.

Place flour, thyme, salt and chicken broth in the Vita-Mix container and secure the lid. Select VARIABLE 1. Turn on machine and quickly increase speed to VARIABEL 10; then to HIGH. Blend for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken.

Remove the lid plug and carefully add squash, apple and onion mixture. Replace the lid plug. Puree for 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

This recipe is low fat, low carb, low sodium, low cholesterol, heart healthy.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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