Raspberries, blueberries,
and strawberries work, as do other pieces of frozen fruit, so
experiment. C a f é  a u  L a i t
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup whole milk or 10 percent cream
1 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup chocolate-covered coffee beans
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
Dir ections1 Combine the milk or cream, yogurt, ice cream, coffee beans,
and melted chocolate in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of the beans in the mixture. 4 Pour the mocktail into 4 glasses and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 149 (From Fat 68); Fat 8g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 11mg; Sodium 65mg;
Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 5g. Tip: You can use chocolate syrup in place of the melted chocolate. C r è m e  d e  B a n a n e
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 chunks frozen banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dir ections
1 Combine the buttermilk, yogurt, banana, ice cream, cinnamon,
and nutmeg in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container.3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 4 Pour the mocktail into 4 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 88 (From Fat 19); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 8mg; Sodium 93mg;
Carbohydrate 14g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 4g. Tip: You can use one fresh banana cut into chunks in place of the
frozen banana. O r a n g e  C r e a m
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 orange
1 cup half and half (10 percent) or light (18 percent) cream
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 ounces orange ﬂavored liqueur
Dir ections
1 Grate 1 tablespoon of orange peel and set aside in a small bowl. Peel and seed the orange and break it into quarters. 2 Combine the milk, yogurt, grated rind, orange sections, and ice
cream in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are novisible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 5 Pour the drink into 4 glasses, stir 1/2 ounce of liqueur into each
drink, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 227 (From Fat 114); Fat 13g (Saturated 8g); Cholesterol 44mg; Sodium 51mg;
Carbohydrate 20g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 4g. Feed your curiosity
You love fruit. (Who doesn’t?) You can’ t resist the clear zing of ﬂavors that
seem to burst with sweet vitality. So, it’s likely that you have your favorites
— the old standbys that you gravitate toward in the produce section
again and again. Chances are, if you keep choosing the same fruit and veget ables for
juices and smoothies, as great as they are, you’re always getting the
same phytonutrients and missing out on all the other good things that are
part of the wide spectrum available. To get the most out of your juices and
smoothies and put the ﬁnest into your body , you need to include some of
each of all the colors — red, green, orange,  and blue — every day. And
I’m not just talking about fruit. Vegetables have so much to offer (I list the
speciﬁc nutrients in Chapter 6). My advice is to get curious about how  the taste of something you love will
blend with something you hardly ever eat. Becaus e juices and smoothies
are a purée — a mixture of tastes and textures — every day you get to be
a bit of an alchemist, mingling, melding, integrating, and designing your
own amalgam of perfection!Chapter 18
Frozen Smoothies
In This Chapter
 Making cold, sweet treats
 Freezing smoothies
 Using ice in the blender
Recipes in This Chapter
 Walnut and Mascarpone Ice
 Mocha Ice
 Lemon Granita
 Mango Granita
 Raspberry Sherbet
 Citrus Sorbet
In this chapter, you explore the convenient and easy ways to
delight and refresh yourself with frozen smoothies. Most of
these recipes are light and only have a few ingredients, so
they’re simple to make. Eat frozen smoothies immediately after you make them — you
don’t need to freeze and stir and refreeze them. If the fruit or liquid you’re using is tart, you can sweeten
it with 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple or brown rice syrup,
sugar, or honey (or to taste).Making Fr ozen T r eats
If you have a Vitamix machine or a powerful blender with either
variable speeds or a pulse function, you can make ice-cold
refreshing drinks with textures that range from spoon-able to
very thin and pourable. The only difference is in the amount of
ice and frozen fruit you use. Table 18-1 provides a general guide
to four types of frozen treats and drinks that will allow you to
use a wide variety of ﬂavors, tailoring them to your own tastes. Freezing smoothies in advance
Even with the incredible ease of making smoothies, some morning-
challenged people love the option of making a large batch of heal thy
smoothies on the weekend or when conv enient. Thaw ed overnight in the
refrigerator, they make a quick quencher  on weekday mornings. To make freezer smoothies for weekday breakfasts, choos e any of the
pure fruit or vegetable smoothie recipes in Chapt ers 15 or 16, and omit
alcohol and high-calorie ingredients. Note: Some people don’t like the
texture of frozen smoothies containing milk, chees e, or yogur t, so you’ll
have to experiment with those recipes to determine your preferences . Once you’ve chosen your recipe, follow these steps:
1. Make a single or double smoothie recipe of your choi ce.2. Divide the smoothie evenly and pour  it into small zip-top freezer
bags (one bag per serving). 3. Label each bag with the recipe nam e and date, and store in the
freezer for up to three months. 4. Remove a bag from the freezer the night before you want to drink it,
and thaw it in the refrigerator for use in the morning. 5. In the morning, pour the smoothie into a glass or open the bag
enough to thrust a straw into the smoothie and go! Iced Smoothies
The drinks in this section are inspired by the Italian iced treat
called gelato. Strictly speaking, gelato is a frozen custard or
blend of whole milk, sugar, and egg yolks that has been heated
until the proteins in the milk and egg yolks thicken it. A wide
range of ﬂavoring ingredients (from chocolate or coffee to fresh
berries to herbs and spices) is added and the custard is chilled
and stirred to incorporate air for a velvety smooth and rich-
tasting result. Gelato is similar to but denser than ice cream
because less air is incorporated into the custard base. They aren’t truly healthy — even with the fresh fruit — but how
can you resist these sugary, creamy treats? The answer is to
blend your own gelato-inspired smoothies with less sugar (and
other sweeteners) and without using cream or egg yolks. You can use any type of liquid milk in these smoothies:
whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, or skim milk; buttermilk; or
sheep or goat milk.Clean the machine ﬁrst
One rule my husband and I always observe (and insisted that our
daughter follow as well) was that we would never even taste the drink
before the machine was cleaned. It worked for our family, and we never
returned to the kitchen to ﬁnd a sticky mess. To clean a blender, follow these steps:
1. Splash a couple drops (no more!) into the cont ainer. 2. Add hot water straight from the tap, ﬁlling it up to about  the middle
of the container. 3. Place the lid on it and blend, starting on low and moving to medium,
for 3 seconds. The hot, soapy water is enough to clean the blades and
the sides of the container. 4. Remove the lid, pour the soapy water over the inside of the lid, rinse
the lid and the container. 5. Wipe the motor (be sure the machi ne is unpl ugged ﬁrst), and set the
container in position for the next time. Some peopl e like to turn the
container and lid upside down on a dish rack or a clean tea towel to dry. W a l n u t  a n d  M a s c a r p o n e  I c e
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, vanilla, and honey in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 20 seconds or until smooth. 4 Add the mascarpone and blend on medium speed for 30
seconds or until blended into the milk mixture. Add walnuts and
blend on medium speed for 30 seconds or until there are no
visible pieces of walnuts in the mixture. 5 Add ice and starting on a low speed, gradually ease toward high
and blend for 30 seconds or until the ice is mixed into the
mixture and it is smooth. If you have a tamping stick, use it to
move the ice around; otherwise, you may need to stop and stir
the mixture, freeing the ice around the blades, and resume
blending. (If you’re using a blender with a pulse button, pulse
the blades on and off until the ice is chopped and the mixture is
smooth.) 6 Spoon the ice into 2 glasses, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 535 (From Fat 425); Fat 47g (Saturated 17g); Cholesterol 78mg; Sodium 97mg;
Carbohydrate 21g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Protein 13g. Vary It! You can use cottage cheese in place of the mascarpone
cheese if you prefer. Vary It! You can substitute pecans or hazelnuts for the walnuts. M o c h a  I c ePrep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 minute • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup 10 percent to 18 percent cream
1/4 cup espresso coffee, chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 scoop chocolate ice cream (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Combine the cream, coffee, vanilla, and ice cream in the blender
container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 30 seconds or until smooth. 4 With blender running on a medium speed, add melted
chocolate through the opening in the lid. Blend for 15 seconds
or until well mixed. Add ice and start blending on a low speed. Gradually increase to high and blend for 35 seconds or until
smooth. If you have a tamping stick, use it to move the ice
around; otherwise, you may need to stop and stir the mixture,
freeing the ice around the blades, and resume blending. (If
you’re using a blender with a pulse button, pulse the blades on
and off until the ice is chopped and the mixture is smooth.) 5 Spoon the ice into 2 glasses, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 326 (From Fat 214); Fat 24g (Saturated 15g); Cholesterol 51mg; Sodium 63mg;
Carbohydrate 25g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Protein 5g.Granite
The word granite gives you an indication of the texture of these
iced treats. Similar to the chipped or shaved ice drizzled with
ﬂavored syrup and served in paper cones or cups you may have
enjoyed at amusement parks when you were a kid, granite are
the simplest of all frozen desserts. The dessert version of this chilled treat is made from fruit and
sugar that is cooked or puréed, spread into shallow pans,
frozen, and stirred frequently to keep it from freezing into a
solid block of ice. When ice forming in the fruit-sugar mixture is
stirred, it gets broken into smaller pieces that ultimately cause
the granita’s texture to resemble sand or granite. The more
sugar used, the easier it is to keep the granita from forming a
solid frozen brick. My blended versions use the same fruit and sugar
combinations, but the addition of ice to the blender makes them
ready to consume instantly. The singular form of granite is granita. Easy frozen granite
For an easy method of achieving the Italian ices popul ar on the streets of
Italian (and some North American) cities in the summer, doubl e the
amount of liquid, fruit, and sugar in either of the recipes in this section. Omit the ice and use fresh fruit instead of frozen fruit. Blend until smooth,
pour the mixture into one or two ice-cube trays, and freeze  for at least
three hours and up to two days in advance. Note: Place the ice-cube tray in the coldest part of the freeze r. In a ches t
freezer, the coldest place is the ﬂoor , while in an upright freeze r, that spotis usually at the top of the freezer. Allow some space around the trays for
cold air to circulate — this will help the mixture to freeze  quicker. Unmold the cubes into the blender cont ainer and secur e the lid. Starting
on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend the ingredients
for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no visible pieces  of fruit in
the mixture. If you have a tamping stick, use it to move the cubes  around;
otherwise, you may need to stop and stir the mixture, freeing the frozen
purée around the blades, and resume blendi ng. (If you’re using a blender
with a pulse button, pulse the blades on and off just until the cubes  are
chopped and the mixture is smooth.) Granite made this way will be stronger  in taste becaus e the ice, which
tends to dilute the taste, has not been added to them . L e m o n  G r a n i t a
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 tablespoon lemon rind
1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, to taste
1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Grate the 1 tablespoon of lemon rind into the blender container. 2 Peel the lemon, break into sections, and remove the seeds.3 Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in the blender
container. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Add lemon,
lemon rind, and ice. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. If you have a tamping stick,
use it to move the ice around; otherwise, you may need to stop
and stir the mixture, freeing the fruit and ice around the blades,
and resume blending. (If you’re using a blender with a pulse
button, pulse the blades on and off until the ice is chopped and
the mixture is smooth.) 6 Spoon the granita into 2 martini or wine glasses, serve with a
spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 244 (From Fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 4mg;
Carbohydrate 64g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Protein 1g. Vary It! To make this drink icier, pour the mixture into a shallow
pan and freeze for up to 40 minutes. Scrape the ice into 2 glasses,
and serve with a spoon. M a n g o  G r a n i t a
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
3 mangoes
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh apricot nectar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 to 1 cup sugar, to taste1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Peel the mangoes, cut them in half, and remove the ﬂat stone. 2 Combine the orange juice, apricot nectar, lemon juice, and
sugar in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 15 seconds or until sugar is dissolved into
juice. Taste and add more sugar if needed. 5 Add mangoes and ice. Start blending on a low speed and
increase to high. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. If you
have a tamping stick, use it to move the ice around; otherwise,
you may need to stop and stir the mixture, freeing the fruit and
ice around the blades, and resume blending. (If you’re using a
blender with a pulse button, pulse the blades on and off until
the ice is chopped and the mixture is smooth.) 6 Spoon the granita into 2 martini or wine glasses, serve with a
spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 460 (From Fat 9); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 9mg;
Carbohydrate 119g; Dietary Fiber 6g; Protein 2g. Vary It! You can use grapefruit juice or orange juice in place of
the apricot nectar. Vary It! To make this drink icier, pour the mixture into a shallow
pan and freeze for up to 40 minutes. Scrape the ice into 2 glasses,
and serve with a spoon. SherbetIn Harvest of the Cold Months, Elizabeth David says, “All around
the Mediterranean, snow from the mountain ranges was carried
to the ice stores of the cities. The Mamluk kings of Egypt had
snow shipped from Lebanon to Cairo in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries.” And we know that sweet juices and
syrups were poured over the precious snow and served to
nobility, clergy, and royalty. Derived from sharbât, the Arabic word for fruit syrup, our
modern sherbet is descended from those refreshing luxuries of
fruit syrup or condensed juices drizzled over snow. What most
likely began as an indulgent treat exclusively for royalty has
become a favorite of many Westerners. Somewhere in the long journey from the deserts of the Middle
East to Europe and subsequently to North America, sherbets
became infused with dairy —sometimes milk only, sometimes
milk and eggs — to the point where an actual deﬁnition is
difﬁcult to achieve. In simpliﬁed terms, our modern sherbet is a
mixture of milk or cream, sugar, and some ﬂavoring. To confuse the issue further, what used to be called “ice milk” in
the United States, was actually a milk sherbet. Today, due to
regulatory changes by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), that product is called “low-fat ice cream.”
Sorbet is a non-dairy frozen product that contains only fruit,
sugar, and some ﬂavoring along with gelatin for stabilizing the
frozen product. Both sherbets and sorbet are best when eaten soft and served
in small bowls, martini glasses, or ice cream sundae cups. Often
served between courses, sherbet or sorbet serves to cleanse
the palate for the next course. R a s p b e r r y  S h e r b e tPrep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup pomegranate or grape juice
1 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
2 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, juice, honey, raspberries, and ice in the
blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. If you have a tamping stick,
use it to move the ice around; otherwise, you may need to stop
and stir the mixture, freeing the fruit and ice around the blades,
and resume blending. 4 Spoon the sherbet into 2 glasses, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 164 (From Fat 18); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 64mg;
Carbohydrate 34g; Dietary Fiber 8g; Protein 5g. Tip: To determine the amount of sweetener to use, taste the
smoothie and add honey or maple syrup or brown rice syrup by
the tablespoon until you reach the desired sweetness. C i t r u s  S o r b e t
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servingsIngr edients
1 cup orange juice
1 to 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
1/4 cup frozen lemon or lime concentrate
2 cups frozen orange or grapefruit sections
1 cup ice cubes
Dir ections
1 Combine the juice, honey, frozen concentrate, frozen orange or
grapefruit sections, and ice in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. If you have a tamping stick,
use it to move the ice around; otherwise, you may need to stop
and stir the mixture, freeing the fruit and ice around the blades,
and resume blending. 4 Spoon the sorbet into 2 glasses, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 239 (From Fat 5); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 3mg;
Carbohydrate 60g; Dietary Fiber 5g; Protein 3g. Vary It! You can use frozen blueberries or other fruit in place of
the orange or grapefruit sections. Tip: To freeze orange or grapefruit sections, peel, section, and
seed them. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking
sheet, and freeze for at least an hour. If not using right away,
transfer to a freezer bag, seal and label it, and store in the freezer
for up to 3 months.Make ’em thick
One of the outstanding characteristics of smoothies — after their cream y
texture, of course — is their thick cons istency . Some of that thickness
comes from the ﬁber and cellulose in the fruits and veget ables. That
banana in the very ﬁrst smoothie ever made was there not just becaus e of
its pretty taste. In fact, banana is used in smoothies as the prime
thickener. Here are some ingredients to use to replace banana in s moothies and still
get that thick consistency. Add them directly to the blender  with all the
other ingredients in place of the banana:
 1/2 sliced avocado
 1/4 cup drained yogurt
 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (large ﬂake oatmeal)
 2 tablespoons chia seeds, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 10 minutes or
ﬁnely ground and added directly to smoothie ingredients
 1/4 cup silken tofu
Another way to blend really thick smoothies is to add ice or frozen fruits
or vegetables. I prefer to add frozen produce,  but ice is a good choi ce for
people who want to control their weight becaus e it has the added bonus
of being completely free of calories, sugar , and fat. Coconut water is becoming widely available, and it makes a refreshingly
tasty liquid for smoothies. It must be stored in the refrigerator and used
within ﬁve days. If you don’t use all the coconut water  before the end of
the recommended storage time, it can be frozen in ice cube trays and
added to smoothies in the same way as ice is added. You also can freeze
fresh juice in exactly the same way.Part V
The Part of Tens
In this part . . . This part answered ten frequently asked questions about
juicing and smoothies. I also introduce you to ten fruits and
vegetables that are packed with antioxidants, so you can make
sure your juices and smoothies pack the most powerful punch.Chapter 19
Ten Frequently Asked Questions
about Juicing and Smoothies
In This Chapter
 Making healthy juice and smoothie decisions
 Using juices and smoothies for optimum results
 Enjoying the curative powers of fruit and vegetables
Here I answer the ten most frequently asked questions about
juicing and smoothies. The answers to these questions help to
shorten your learning curve about the why and the how of all
the exciting ways to increase health by incorporating these life-
enhancing drinks into your diet. What Ar e the Benefits of Juices
and Smoothies? We hear a lot about numbers of servings of fruits and
vegetables. Why are so many health professionals adamant that
we get a certain number of them every day? And what is that
number anyway? According to the University of Michigan’s Healing Foods
Pyramid (www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/ ), overall, we
should eat more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables —
two to four fruits and at least ﬁve vegetables — daily because a
high consumption “helps reduce risk of various diseases such
as cancer, obesity, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, asthma,
macular degeneration and diverticulosis.” In addition,“increasing fruit and vegetable intake decreases risk of
unhealthy weight gain.”
 One 8-ounce glass of vegetable juice contains three to
four servings of vegetables. One 8-ounce glass of vegetable
smoothie contains two to three servings of vegetable. What’ s the Differ ence between
Juicing and Smoothies? Fruits and vegetables are made up of over 50 percent water,
with ﬁber, carbohydrate, and nutrients making up the other
components. When you juice, you separate the water, which
contains a large proportion (but not all) of the nutrients from
the ﬁber and carbohydrate. You pass the vegetables through a
feed tube in the juicer and by the force of spinning blades
within a basket, juice is extracted and a pile of dry pulp is
collected separately. Juice is easier for your body to digest
because it doesn’t contain ﬁber or carbohydrates. This makes it
an excellent drink for cleansing and detoxing. Smoothies are made with a liquid — usually fruit or vegetable
juice — and the whole fruit or vegetable (water, ﬁber,
carbohydrate, and nutrients intact). This means that when you
drink a smoothie, you’re drinking the total nutrients found in
the juice and the pulp along with the ﬁber, which gives you a
“full” feeling and satisﬁes your hunger longer. Can I Get the Same Health Benefits
with Smoothies as I Get fr omJuices? Both smoothies and juices are healthy and beneﬁcial to your
body, but in slightly different ways. Generally, juices and
smoothies made from natural fruits and vegetables help replace
lost energy and feed the body vital nutrients including enzymes,
vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and protein. Vegetable
drinks restore the pH balance and satisfy longer than soft drinks
or empty-calorie snacks. Smoothies provide all the essential nutrients and
phytonutrients along with the cleansing and cholesterol-
reducing ﬁber because they’re made from the whole fruit or
vegetable. Soluble ﬁber slows down digestion (making you feel
full longer), removes dangerous bacteria and toxins, and helps
build the immune system. Insoluble ﬁber provides bulk in the
stool and is important to the prevention of colon cancer. All the ﬁber and carbohydrate and some (relatively little) of the
essential nutrients and phytonutrients are removed from fruits
and vegetables when the juice is pressed out of them. What
remains in the juice is a concentration of pure vitamins,
minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, and protein in water. The
nutrients are concentrated because so many more fruits and/or
vegetables are needed to make the same volume of juice as are
used in a smoothie, which includes all the pulp. Ideally, you would drink at least one smoothie and one
juice per day.Ar e Juicing and Smoothies Only
for Health Nuts? It used to be that anyone who shopped at a health food store
was considered a health nut, someone who held extreme views
about food and supplements. These people were different from
the mainstream, often sporting beards and sandals and talking
about the environment. Today, things are different:
 Healthy, whole foods are found in mainstream
supermarkets, and some natural food stores have become
popular chain stores with a wide range of mainstream
customers. Science has proven the beneﬁts of eating organic,
sustainable foods that are whole, unprocessed, and as
close to their natural state as possible, and these ideas
have reached a large proportion of the population. It’s cool to know about what vitamins and other nutrients
do for you. Juicing and smoothies are the new buzzwords of people in
every age group, in every walk of life. Some of these people
would be proud to claim that they are health nuts, and
some of them are just happy to be doing something
healthy for their bodies. W ill I Feel Differ ent if I Start
Juicing Regularly?Yes! Right away, you’ll feel your digestive system responding,
especially if you’ve been eating mostly reﬁned, processed foods. I recommend that you take juicing slowly at ﬁrst so that your
body has time to get used to the raw power of fruits and
vegetables. Within two weeks, especially if you adopt a healthy diet, you’ll
start to notice the following effects:
 More energy
 Desire to eat fresh, whole foods and to eliminate fast,
reﬁned, junk foods
 Glowing skin
 Regular bowel movements
 Lightness and less bloat
Long-term effects of juicing (along with a healthy diet) include
the following effects:
 Healthier skin, hair, and nails
 Weight loss
 Increased immune function
 Improved memory
How Much W ill It Cost Me to Get
Started? If you already own a blender, it won’t cost you a dime, so get
blending! You’ll also ﬁnd that as you increase the fruits and
vegetables, both on your plate and in your glass, you’ll actuallysave money because you’ll be buying less meat and you won’t
be buying junk snacks, soft drinks, and processed foods. If you want to juice (and who wouldn’t?) but don’t own a juice
machine, you’ll need to invest $150 to $600, depending on the
make and model of the one that suits your needs (see Chapter
3). Think of it as an investment in your health and future well-
being. Isn’t Cleaning a Juicer a Pain in
the Neck? Yes and no. If you get into the habit and train everyone who
uses both the blender and the juice machine to clean it
immediately after using it, cleanup is easy. The natural sugars in
fruits and vegetables cause them to be sticky, and the tiny
pieces of pulp and juice that collect on the blades and other
parts of the machine will dry and harden into a mess if left for
more than a few minutes. Washing the juice machine parts with a scrub brush in hot
soapy water takes less than ﬁve minutes (we have it down to
two minutes at our house!) and it’s really not a big deal. What’ s the Big Deal about
Organic? Quite simply, organic foods are better for you, better for the
soil, better for the water, better for the air, and better for all the
other animals that inhabit this planet. When you include smoothies and juices into your daily routine,
you’re consuming a lot more fruits and vegetables, and you’redoing that because you believe in the health beneﬁts (and the
taste!). So, when you make a smoothie or juice, you don’t want
to be adding toxic chemicals from herbicide and pesticide
sprays, especially because you’ll be consuming more of them
than you used to. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of toxic
chemicals and growth hormones because their nervous
systems aren’t fully developed. W ill My Skin T urn Y ellow if I Juice
Carr ots? It can, but only if you eat a lot of carrots. The yellowness is
temporary, with no other side effects. Carrots are high in beta-
carotene, which turns into vitamin A in your body and has all
sorts of beneﬁts (see Chapter 6). Beta-carotene is one of a
number of pigments belonging to the carotenoid group, which
are responsible for the orange/yellow color of carrots and other
foods such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and mangoes. Ar en’t Smoothies Filled with
Calories? Smoothies can be very low or very high in calories, depending
on the ingredients you use to make them. Many of the
commercial smoothies contain super-high-calorie ingredients
that can push the total count higher than a light lunch (see
Chapter 2). The same goes for smoothies you make at home.Compare the following smoothies made with all-natural, healthy
ingredients:
 Low calorie: 1 cup carrot juice, 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt, 1
apple, 1 cup fresh raspberries (322 calories)
 Medium calorie: 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt, 1 cup low-fat
milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 2 tablespoons
whey protein (441 calories)
 High calorie: 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1 cup whole
milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 2 tablespoons
whey protein, 2 tablespoons ﬂaxseed oil (757 calories)
Bottom line: Stick to all-fruit or all-vegetable smoothies, and the
calories will stay low.Chapter 20
Ten Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and
Vegetables
In This Chapter
 Understanding how antioxidants work
 Using high-powered antioxidants for optimum results
 Preventing degenerative diseases
We’re all rusting on the inside. Yup, you read that right. We’re
oxidizing, which is the same thing that happens when air
attacks metal and causes it to corrode or rust. Ever left a cut
apple out on the counter? If not, try it and see how fast it turns
brown. The oxygen in the air is attacking or rusting the cells in
the apple that are exposed. The same thing happens to your
cells and organs and causes serious damage, leading to aging
and degenerative diseases. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules caused by stress,
chemicals, pollutants, toxins and just plain living. They attack
our cells in order to steal extra electrons and, in the process,
cause healthy, normal cells to die, mutate, or become weak and
susceptible to disease. Antioxidants found in plant foods stop free radicals from doing
their damage, but we have to eat enough of them in order for
them to work their magic. Remember that cut apple? Try
brushing lemon juice on a freshly cut apple and wait for it to
turn brown. It won’t because the vitamin C in the lemon juice is
an antioxidant that protects the ﬂesh from being attacked by
oxygen. The best antioxidants are found in the pigments that
give plants their color. In this chapter, I list the very bestantioxidant fruit and vegetables. Choose one or two from this
list to use as an ingredient in a smoothie or juice or eat them
fresh in salads or as a snack — just be sure to get lots of them
every single day! Measuring antioxidant value
How can you tell if a food is high in antioxidant s? Becaus e many of these
powerful phytonutrients are found in the pigments (the components that
give plants their color), look for brightly colored fruits and veget ables and
eat a variety of colors every day. How do food nutritionists know which foods  are highes t in antioxidant s? Scientists isolate components in food,  test their ability to neut ralize free
radicals, and give them a score. This score is the Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). Foods with the highes t score cont ain the
strongest antioxidants. The highest scoring foods on the ORAC char t are raw sumac bran; ground
cloves and other spices, such as cinnam on, turmeric, and pepper ; high-
tannin sorghum bran; oregano and other herbs such as rosemary and
thyme; and powdered dark cocoa. Use these as ingredients in smoothies
and stirred into juices. Açai Berries
The açaí palm grows in the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. Its
berries, called açai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) are large and
plump, about the size of a grape. What’s amazing about them is
their dark blue-purple color and their taste, which is
somewhere between a blueberry and chocolate.Although Brazilians have enjoyed açai berries as a fresh fruit for
hundreds of years, it has just recently been growing in
popularity in North America. The fresh berry is not widely
available, but the frozen fruit, the juice (as well as a powder
made from the juice) are available in health food stores. Black Raspberries
Commonly called blackcaps, these native North American
berries are currently being grown commercially in the Paciﬁc
Northwest. Although the fresh berries are available only for a
very short time, the frozen and dried powdered fruit is more
widely distributed. Eat the seeds, too! Using fresh or frozen whole blackcaps
in smoothies is especially healthy because the oil in
raspberry seeds is rich in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty
acids. W ild Blueberries and Cranberries
No doubt about it, cultivated blueberries are very good for you,
but wild blueberries score over twice as high in antioxidants. They’re available in the Northeast during midsummer and
frozen at other times of the year. Raw cranberries are a native of North America and are widely
available fresh in the late fall and frozen throughout the year. They make an excellent fresh juice if teamed with sweeter fruits
such as apples or pineapples. Fresh or frozen cranberries are a
good choice as an ingredient for smoothies, but you may need
some sweetener because the ﬂavor is very tart. The wholeberries are best, but the unsweetened juice is moderately high
in antioxidants, too. Black Plums and Prunes
Black plums are high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as ﬁber and
antioxidants. Use pitted fresh black plums in juices and fresh or
frozen in smoothies. Prunes, which are the dried version of a European plum, are
incredibly high in ﬁber, which is beneﬁcial in reducing the risk
of colorectal cancer. It’s the phenolic compounds in both plums
and prunes that make them high in antioxidants. Use pitted
prunes in smoothies. Blackberries
There’s a pattern here — can you see it? All ﬁve of the high-
antioxidant fruits are very dark: purple, blue, or black. It’s the
powerful antioxidant pigments in the skin and ﬂesh that score
high. Not surprisingly, blackberries are a very good addition to
smoothies and excellent in fresh juices. Red Beans, Kidney Beans, and
Black Beans
Many legumes — speciﬁcally, black turtle beans, soybeans, red
kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils — score
high in antioxidants, but only in their raw state. Once you boil
them, their antioxidant scores drop by roughly one-third. For smoothies and juices, if you have a powerful blender (like a
Vitamix), you can grind your own dried beans or lentils or buyground or powdered beans or bean ﬂour in specialty food
stores. Artichokes
I know, they’re hard to clean and cook, but the antioxidant
power of artichokes is high enough for them to make this list,
and you can purchase them cooked and preserved in water. Use
artichoke hearts as an ingredient in smoothies, not only for
their antioxidant properties but also because they stimulate the
production of bile in the liver, help gallbladder functioning, and
reduce cholesterol. Garlic
You might think of garlic strictly as an herb, something to add
ﬂavor to dishes. I recommend that you use it as a vegetable and
in quantities that can positively affect your health. Although you’ll likely be able to tolerate only one-half raw clove
to one whole raw clove of garlic in vegetable drinks, including it
will help to boost your overall daily consumption, which should
be two to four cloves a day (or about one whole head of garlic
per week) for the best medical beneﬁts. Cabbage and Br occoli Rabe
Both cabbage and broccoli rabe are high in phytonutrients. Red
cabbage contains 36 different varieties of anthocyanins, those
powerful antioxidants found in the black, purple, blue, and red
plant pigments. Use it in juicing and smoothies for its calcium;
magnesium; potassium; and vitamins C, K, and A. One cup of
cooked cabbage supplies 4 grams of ﬁber, so lightly steam or
simmer it for use in smoothies.Broccoli rabe is a bitter-tasting relative of broccoli, with more
leaves and a smaller ﬂower head. Although broccoli is very
good and shouldn’t be ignored, broccoli rabe scores as high as
red cabbage as an antioxidant and like its plumper, less bitter
cousin, it’s low in calories and high in calcium, potassium,
vitamin C, folate, and vitamins K and A. Use broccoli rabe raw in
juicing and either raw or lightly steamed in smoothies. Purple Cauliflower
Like purple and white carrots, purple cauliﬂower is making its
way into farmers’ markets and onto supermarket shelves. Both
white and purple cauliﬂower are rich in sulforaphane, a powerful
antioxidant. If you can’t ﬁnd the purple variety, eat the yellow or
the white, but eat it two or three times a week because it helps
to neutralize and rid your cells of carcinogenic molecules. One
cup of raw cauliﬂower provides 85 percent of your daily vitamin
C requirements; it also supplies vitamin K, folate, choline,
vitamin B6, potassium, ﬁber, and manganese, among other
nutrients.Appendix
Metric Conversion Guide
Note: The recipes in this book weren’t developed or tested using
metric measurements. There may be some variation in quality when
converting to metric units. T o access the cheat sheet specifically for this book, go to
www .dummies.com/cheatsheet/juicingandsmoothies . Find out "HOW" at Dummies.com
_OceanofPDF.com_Juicing_and_Smoothies_For_Dummies_-_Pat_Crocker.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Raspberries, blueberries,
and strawberries work, as do other pieces of frozen fruit, so
experiment. C a f é  a u  L a i t
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup whole milk or 10 percent cream
1 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup chocolate-covered coffee beans
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
Dir ections1 Combine the milk or cream, yogurt, ice cream, coffee beans,
and melted chocolate in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of the beans in the mixture. 4 Pour the mocktail into 4 glasses and enjoy. Per serving: Calories 149 (From Fat 68); Fat 8g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 11mg; Sodium 65mg;
Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 5g. Tip: You can use chocolate syrup in place of the melted chocolate. C r è m e  d e  B a n a n e
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 chunks frozen banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dir ections
1 Combine the buttermilk, yogurt, banana, ice cream, cinnamon,
and nutmeg in the blender container.
To achieve a thicker consistency
What is the purpose of adding ice to the blender when making smoothies?
Smoothies contain fiber and other nutrients, whereas juices do not
What is the main difference between smoothies and juices?
The University of Michigan's Healing Foods Pyramid recommends eating more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables
What is the recommended daily intake of servings of fruits and vegetables?
Two to four cloves of garlic per day, or one whole head per week
What is the recommended daily intake of garlic for health benefits?
No, it's recommended to use frozen orange or grapefruit juice instead
Can you freeze orange or grapefruit sections for use in smoothies?