The Perfectly Healthy Smoothie

Most of us know that smoothies can add a great benefit to the average person's diet, which often sadly consists of too little fruit and vegetables. The typical American diet robs us of many vital nutrients and minerals needed to maintain health.

Moreover, if we combine a combination of healthy foods into one Smoothie, we are taking in all of the good found in the individual ingredients.

Smoothies are not only low in calories, but also superior in antioxidants. They are a personal favorite of mine, as smoothies can be made to not only taste good, but also be a great source of antioxidants.

Antioxidants build up our natural immunity to diseases, which is especially important for those of us who have concerns with heart disease and cancer. Three different ingredients: (1) acai berry; (2) pomegranate; and (3) mangosteen -- are now becoming more widely known and show great promise in aiding health. Here are some facts about them and some recipes.

This recipe combines three fruits that are high in antioxidants, the acai berry, the pomegranate, and blueberries. Today, there is a lot of press surrounding the benefits of all three fruits, although two of them not commonly in popular in most U.S. households. Each of them have different, but complimentary health benefits.

The lesser known of these fruits is the acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berry,. Although it is rapidly becoming a popular "cure" for you name the disease. There a many multi-level marketing health companies touting the acai berry as a miracle that can cure a host of diseases. Not all of the information that they are putting out there are supported by scientific fact. However, a good indicator of the benefits of the acai berry is that now major mainstream beverage producers have jumped onto the acai berry craze and have their own products on the grocery shelves.

The facts are:

This berry has been used for many generations by the natives of Brazil. It possesses ten times the antioxidant benefits of grapes, and twice that of blueberries. Currently, there are a lot of juice products using the acai berry. These can greatly vary in price, so its important to determine which product fits your budget. Because of its many great benefits, advertising about the benefits this one fruit, can sometimes cross the line of common sense. However, don't be deceived, it's still a great addition to a healthy diet, even if it doesn't cure every medical condition known to humankind.

Almost never would I recommend a health product, just simply because I'm no expert. However, I'd like to share my acai berry experience. I was introduced to it, via a well known MLM company, over a very nice lunch and given two bottles of the juice to take home and "try."

I tried it and found it very good tasting but was put off by both the way it was being marketed, and by the price. There was no way in today's economy, that I could justify spending that much on a bottle ($35-$50 per bottle) -- that would last only approximately 4-5 days, if only one person in the household was drinking it. I also definitely passed on the MLM sales pitch, having been down that road too many times in my life.

On the other hand, while I didn't see any miracles after drinking it for about ten days, I did grow to love the taste of this berry beverage and actually craved it. I did notice that I had a sense of well-being while using this product and may have been more energetic. I clearly missed having this acai berry drink each day.

So a few weeks later, I noticed on the grocery shelf in our local Publix, Bolthouse's Dom Dia Acai Berry Juiceand decided to give it a try. It was priced at $7.99 per 1 liter bottle (33.8 fluid ounces). I simply bought it as a daily treat for myself, limiting myself to one six ounce glass of this sweet nectar each morning. (Note: I'm a little more conscious of what I put in my body since a recent diagnosis of breast cancer, and am actively seeking natural and organically grown foods vs. my former junk food lifestyle.)

I liked the fact that this product's main and first ingredient is the acai berry. It contains only three other ingredients: Mangosteen (or pomegranate, depending on which variety you prefer), apple juice, and water. It is all natural, with no preservatives, and the company advertises that it practices sustainable harvesting of this Brazilian rainforest product -- all good selling points in my mind.

I drank it for just over 30 days, each morning, just for the pleasure of it. Went to a scheduled blood test, as I have high cholesterol and received a note from my physician. She was congratulating me on lowering my cholesterol by a whopping 70 points!

What the physician didn't know, was that the medicine she had prescribed me, had not arrived in the mail. I had done nothing on purpose to lower my high cholesterol counts. The only dietary change I had made was drinking the acai berry.

When I did have a doctor's appointment, she was so impressed that she cancelled the original prescription and advised me to continue drinking this juice. Is it a miracle? I don't know, but I don't care. I'm not taking an extra pill, my cholesterol is back in normal ranges, and I still love the taste of this product.

People in Southeastern Asia have known for centuries that mangosteen not only tastes good, but that it is also good for your health. The whole mangosteen fruit, including the rind has been used in folk medicines, for at least the last fifteen hundred years.

Legend has it that Queen Victoria wanted above anything to have a perfect mangosteen fruit, so much so that she offered knighthood to anyone who could provide her with one. This, of course, was an impossibility because the distance to obtain one, prohibited it from remaining fresh by the time it arrived. Another part of the legend, is that this is why the mangosteen is referred to as "the queen of fruits."

The second fruit in this recipe is more commonly known here, but generally doesn't rank on the top of the list, when we think of fruit. The pomegranate is a thick red fruit about the size of an orange, native to the Middle East, but was widely planted in the U.S. and South America since the days of the early Spanish explorers. It has a sweet-tart flavor and is an excellent source of vitamin C, folic acid and other free radical fighting antioxidants.

Some people are put off by the task of removing the seeds of the pomegranate.

The process is really actually simple:

• Cut the crown end off
• Lightly score the skin in quarters from top to bottom
• Soak fruit in a bowl of cool water for two minutes
• Hold the fruit underwater and break sections away
• Separate seeds from rind and membrane while still under water
• Seeds will sink to bottom
• Rind and membrane will float to the top
• Remove and throw out the rind and membrane
• Drain seeds
• Pat dry on paper towels

The third fruit in this smoothie is of course, the ever-popular blueberry, a fruit that we are all familiar with, as it is native to North America.

It's widely known that blueberries can do amazing things for our health, some of which are: Combating aging, reducing cholesterol, and as an aid to averting and combating cancer.

This recipe contains the natural marriage of all three of these fruits that are all rich in antioxidants. It combines the smooth berry flavor of the acai with the natural tartness of pomegranates, adding an extra punch of antioxidants with the sweetness of the blueberries. It also makes a great breakfast on the go for busy families.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or slightly thawed frozen blueberries

1 container (8 ounces) low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 cup milk

6 ounces - Bom Dia Acai Berry Juice with Pomegranate (Bolthouse Du Brazil)

3 tablespoons honey

1 cups ice cubes (about 16 cubes)

Instructions:

In a blender container, place blueberries, yogurt, milk, Acai berry juice and honey; and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes a few at a time, blend until finely crushed. Serve immediately.

For added sparkle when serving to guests on special occasions - Sugar dip the rim of the glasses by wetting the rim with water and then dipping the glass in decorative sugar of your choice.