Drink your 5-a-day: Vegetarian Times' food editor whips up nutritious fruit and veggie smoothies

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1998 by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

If you've recently picked up a newspaper or magazine or turned on the television, you couldn't help hut notice the good news about fruits and vegetables. Eating five servings a Jay offers amazing health benefits. Packed with nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, and flavonoids, not to mention all-important fiber, fresh fruit and vegetables help ward off minor ailments, such as colds and flu, boost collagen production to improve skin tone and help reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease and cancer. Yep, we know what we need to eat. How many of us really live up to the five-a-day rule?

If you're like me, a working mother of two small children, more often than not your life feels like a juggling act. In an effort to keep the halls of work, family and personal life in the air, we tend to let other things--like good nutrition--fall by the wayside. Grabbing a granola bar, blueberry muffin or (gulp!) slice of cold pizza can be very tempting when you're hungry and rushing from a business meeting to a dance recital to a PTA function.

How can you eat better and still not miss a beat? Try sipping instead of chewing. These luscious fruit and veggie drinks were developed in our test kitchen and given the thumbs-up by our very discerning staff members. They whip up quickly in a blender, pack a nutritional wallop and refuel the body almost instantly. An added bonus: Even notoriously hard-to please eaters can get hooked on these colorful, yummy concoctions. Check out one of the following recipes or invent your own exotic blend. Bottoms up.

Green Goddess

4 SERVINGS LACTO/VEGAN

Recent studies have found that kiwifruit contains a very high percentage of vitamin C, even more than an orange. To avoid a slight bitter taste, be sure to use kiwifruit that are ripe.

3 large ripe kiwifruit
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
   or soft tofu, drained
1/2 cups water, chilled
1 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
3 Tbs. honey