DGIM Generally Speaking

Culinary Literacy Corner: Smoothies—a Portal for Fruit and Fun

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Smoothies are a fun way to get lots of fruit and vegetables into the daily diet and a great way to engage children. Berry smoothies are a staple in our household. Since I often leave the house before my children wake up, I prep the smoothie the night before; the fruit is cut up in the fridge (or portioned out in the freezer) and the blender and banana are out on the kitchen counter, ready to go. When my daughter wakes up, she mixes/blends in the fruit, ice, and milk. And voila! Three servings of fruit to start her day.

Berries, peaches, mangos, and spinach, are just a few of the options for fruits and vegetables are a few examples which will give you varying colors and tastes in your smoothie experimentation. Fluid possibilities include cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, or yogurt. For extra protein, you can add peanut butter, peanut powder, or chia seeds. Smoothies work in the winter too – if you keep your freezer stocked with frozen fruit, you can have smoothies year round.

Since too much choice can be paralyzing, especially in the early morning, here is a sample recipe my daughter named “Dark-N-Light”. The banana provides much of the sweetness, and is adequate for many; however, you can add a teaspoon or two of honey and you will still have a smoothie that is less sweet than those at most smoothie bars.

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of Ice
• 6 blackberries
• 6 strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup milk

Feeling a little ambitious? Add ½ cup baby spinach, which is one of the milder leafy greens and a good way to start experimenting. Warning: the smoothie will take on a greenish tinge, which may be a bit off-putting for some. However, once you try it, you will realize it does not taste much different than the one without spinach.

To recap the key messages:

• Think ahead and plan your meals - increases the probability of making healthier food choices.
• Make food preparation fun 
• Be good role models for family and peers and engage children at a young age in healthy food choices and food preparation. The little girl in the photos is starting college now and looks forward to sharing her smoothie making and other food preparation skills with her classmates

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If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Delichatsios’ work in culinary medicine, email her at HDelichatsios@partners.org 

Read more articles from the Fall 2017 edition of Generally Speaking