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36 LISFESTYLEThe Malaysian AccountantBeing healthy is one of the most important things’ in ourlives. We would do anything to ensure good health and goto great lengths to look for ways to improve our generalwell being. Whether trying to improve our health, lose weight, getmore energy, clear the skin or get sick less often, the one thing thatwill help tremendously to achieve our goals quickly is drinkinggreen smoothies every day. It is amazing what one can do with afridge full of fresh fruits, vegetables and a blender.We are well aware that to improve our health and achieveideal weight, we should be eating a healthy diet that includes loadsof fresh fruits and vegetables.However, not many of us are able to actually do thisconsistently each and everyday and in quantities that would makea difference. And how many of uswould eat loads of raw vegetables ona regular basis, especially leafy greenones. We may have a saladoccasionally but how often do we takethe trouble to prepare one and most of the timewhen we do eat salad, we make it tastier withadding unhealthy dressings.Which is why smoothies are growingin popularity these days, especially greenones because they are super healthy, easy tomake and tasty as well. It takes only about 15minutes or so to make a smoothie and providesincredible benefits. The impact of a smoothiethat just takes a short amount of time to make willhave a positive effect on our well being and can befelt throughout the day.A healthy green smoothie is simply a fruit smoothie madewith greens and vegetables added in. Simply get some spinach,kale, parsley, broccoli; the darker the leaves, the more nutrients thevegetable usually has, and add some fruits like apple, orange andbanana, blueberries and blend it with water. The other interestingcombinations include using strawberries, mangoes, peaches withgreen vegetables, and other veggies such as cucumber,tomatoes, celery and carrots.The colour of this tasty, tremendously beneficial drink mayput one off to even tasting the mixture but one should not let thegreenness of this smoothie keep one away from the health benefitsone would get from it.Experts say that we need to consume fresh fruits, veggiesand greens everyday. Most of us don’t eat enough of them. This iswhy smoothies are so wonderful. Just use the blender to mix it allup and get a nutrient boost we would not get otherwise.Millions of people today indulge in smoothies because it’s adelicious guilt-free way to have a little sugar with the veggies andfruits. But one must be careful of making smoothies unhealthy. Yes,that can happen too if one is not careful.A smoothie can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you make it.Adding whipped cream, sugar and high sugar content fruit juicesSmoothie BenefitsBy Kavalyn Kreerwill make a smoothie delicious but it will be unhealthy if takeneveryday.Blending a smoothie at home allows you to explore yourcreativity and your taste buds, adding ingredients that you need tostay healthy. Smoothies are particularly great for picky eaters; it isa useful way to incorporate fruits and vegetables that otherwiseyou might not be able to eat. You can mask the taste of bitterveggies that you normally shy away from with your favourite fruitsand have a healthy alternative to meals. This is the way to goespecially for children who have difficulty eating their fruits andveggies. Hiding ‘disliked’ foods in a smoothie that has theirfavourite fruits can actually hide the taste of vegetables andchildren will drink it without even realising it. As long as you ensurethat the sugar levels are not too highin a smoothie.Why are these smoothiesbeneficial to our health? The fruitsand vegetable contribute vitamin A,vitamin C, fibre, potassium and antioxidants tosmoothies. Your fruit choices can be anything fromstrawberries, blueberries, bananas,oranges, apples, grapes, pears,mangoes, papayas and etc. Commonveggie choices include spinach,carrots, broccoli, tomatoes,cucumber, basil, parsley and etc.You can also mix in nuts and spices.Nuts contribute protein, healthy fat,fibre and minerals to your diet. Almonds,cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts, pecansare some of the choices you can try inmoderation. Spices provide antioxidants and an extra flavour kick.Experiment by using some cinnamon, cloves, allspice, red pepper,cardamom or ginger, adding a dash only. You don’t want tooverpower the smoothie with spices.Making smoothies can be fun because it is all about variety.Try adding one unusual healthy ingredient every time you make asmoothie. Try using flax seeds, soy milk, almond milk, honey darkchocolates chunks, raw oats, instant coffee even, wheat germ,sunflower seeds or sesame seeds, you just might make somethingunusual and tasty.Make some time in the day to make smoothies for yourselfand your family. Make a routine out of it. Set apart 20 minutes everymorning and get a majority of your daily nutrition all before lunch.The high water and nutrient content will keep you hydrated andprovide you with a feeling of well being throughout the day. Drinkinga smoothie everyday is even better than popping multi vitaminsbecause the best way to obtain nutrition is from food and byconsuming a healthy smoothie everyday you are getting most ofyour nutrition in one delicious dosage.This article was written by Kavalyn Kreer, who writes lifestylearticles for publication on the web and print.M a r c h - A p r i l 2 0 1 2 w w w . m i c p a . c o m . m y