Smoothies - It's Cool to be Cool

by the American Institute for Cancer research

Some smoothies are being pushed as frosty meals that can lower cholesterol, increase athletic performance and boost your intake of vitamins. But without watching what goes into the mixture, they can actually have unhealthy features. Adding peanut butter and chocolate, for example, doesn't make a low-fat, nutritious meal.

The place to really have a smoothie is in your home kitchen, where you can control which ingredients go into these refreshing drinks. Smoothies are easy and fun to make #&150; you don't even really need a recipe. All it takes is a blender, some fruit, a liquid (dairy, juice, or soymilk product) and a dose of imagination. You can use fresh fruit in season or keep frozen fruit on hand to use any time of year. To boost the nutritional value of your drink, you can toss in a little wheat germ. A homemade smoothie is an easy way to have a tasty breakfast or snack full of fiber, vitamins and protein #&150; sort of a thick milkshake without the guilt.

Start by placing about a half-cup of liquid in the blender, then a sliced banana, or a cup of other fruit, and pureé until smooth, gradually adding more liquid until you reach the desired consistency. If you use fruit at room temperature and you want an instantly-chilled smoothie, replace a little of the liquid with a few ice cubes. With frozen fruit, of course, you'll always have a chilled drink as near as your fridge.

The following are two too-good-to-skip smoothies.

Orange-Pineapple Smoothie

1 cup orange juice
2 cups pineapple chunks packed in their own juice, drained
1 banana
1/4 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp. honey
4-5 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and pureé until smooth.

Makes two servings.

Per serving: 326 calories, 0 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 80 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 38 mg. sodium.

Mango Smoothie

1 1/2 - 2 cups mango, fresh (peeled, pitted and cut up), canned (drained), or frozen
1 cup low-fat or non-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4-1 cup low-fat or non-fat milk, as needed for desired consistency

In a blender, place mangos and yogurt and pureé until smooth. Gradually blend in enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 198 calories, 2 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 39 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 98 mg. sodium.