Exercise Update » vegetables

Making A Veggie Smoothie

Dillon Martin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:46:43 +0000

I wasn’t sure how well I was going to like a veggie smoothie, but I got this recipe from my friends over at Meadow Valley CSA and I wanted to give it a try.

It’s no secret that most of us don’t consume enough daily vegetables so this is a great way to get your veggies as well as a healthy meal or snack.

Here’s the original recipe and then I’ll share with you a few tips and changes to try.

GREEN Drink Smoothie – 4 servings

2-3 cups of fresh pineapple with 2 cups water OR
2-3 cups of canned pineapple with juice OR
3 cups pineapple juice
1 banana
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks of celery
A HUGE handful of whatever green (try mixing and matching) spinach, kale, collards, beet tops, or carrot tops, etc.
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
1/4 cup of fresh mint

Put all items in a blender with some ice. Blend until well mixed and enjoy!

So how did it taste? Pretty darn good! The pineapple juice gave it a nice refreshing citrus taste. I like the recipe because honestly you can mix and match a lot of different ingredients. You really can’t go wrong. Be willing to experiment and find out what you like.

Here a few tips and tricks you might try in your recipe.

I substituted a cup of pure coconut juice for one of the cans of pineapple juice
Don’t use too much parsley or mint because it can easily overpower the drink
Try other fruits combinations like strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and tomato.
Be sure you always include green leafy vegetables
I think it would be interesting to add carrots, squash, or zucchini in place of the cucumber.
If you want a drink thicker drink add yogurt or your favorite protein like Prograde Protein Powder
Be sure that if you use canned fruit or fruit juice that you are using ingredients that are 100% natural. Avoid any concentrated ingredients, added sugars, or syrups.
enjoy your veggies

5 Ways of Adding More Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet

ExerciseUpdate — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:50:29 +0000

Anyone even remotely health conscious would know that it’s important to include fruits in their diet. However, for those still unsure, some of the most important benefits are:

Cholesterol reduction and blood glucose level control
Possible reduction of the risk of coronary heart disease

About 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables are needed daily

Obviously, there is a need to have more of fruits and vegetables in your diet, and there are many ways to do this without performing any elaborate changes to your schedule. The basic rule for daily consumption is to strive for two ot three portions (a portion is 80g) apiece of fruits and vegetables. For U.S. Recommendations visit MyPyramid. A few ways to achieve this include:

Try out a mid-morning snack of chopped nuts with low fat yoghurt combined with fruit or take a portion of fruit such as grapes or a piece of your favorite fresh fruit after a meal.
Include a baked dessert with your meals made of fruits such as pears or apples with which you can combine cinnamon, chopped nuts, and served with yoghurt.
Take your breakfast cereal or oatmeal with chopped fresh fruit and avoid fruit juices like concentrates and cocktails which are not 100% pure.
Consume fresh vegetables and fruits as juices. You can either use tomato, cucumber, and carrot for this, or celery, apple, and carrot. Whichever combination you choose, you can spice up the taste with a dash of ginger and lemon.
You could also go for sandwiches and add your fresh vegetables as raw filling, or you can prepare a dip for your raw veggies with a mixture of plain yoghurt and herbs, nicely chopped and mixed together.

Should I Eat Organic Food

ExerciseUpdate — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:47:49 +0000

which organic fruits should i choose

Should you be buying organic foods? We are told we need to include more fruits and vegetables in our diets, but what if you can’t afford the more expensive organic options.

Dr. Chris Mohr offers us some practical advice on how to decide whether or not to eat organic.

Also, the Environment Working Group has a produced a list of the 47 cleanest and dirtiest fruits and vegetables in terms of those containing the least and the most pesticides. Dr. Mohr points out how we can intelligently consult this list before we decide to spend our money on organic fruits and vegetables.