Healthy Beverages

Moving on from our look at how to make almond milk, let's take a peek at how to make a richly satisfying chocolate vanilla smoothie.

Once you go through the steps below, with just a few simple tweaks on the fly, you'll know how to make an endless variety of yummy, nutrient-dense, and dairy-free smoothies and soft ice creams, all with a blender and a few inexpensive ingredients.

Why should you learn how to make your own almond milk? It's one of a few easy-to-make alternatives to cow's milk, and is far healthier for you than most commercially available dairy. Though you can purchase almond milk in most grocery stores these days, as you'll see below, it's a snap to make your own at a fraction of the cost.

I'm often asked to name one thing that can be done right away to get healthier. With respect to food choices, the best suggestion I have is to begin drinking freshly pressed vegetable juices. Drinking just one freshly pressed juice each day is a reliable way of infusing your body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can protect your cells against premature aging and disease.

In my book, any smoothie that's worth writing about starts with ripe bananas. You can use room temperature or frozen banana slices - both impart natural creaminess like no other fruit can.

Before we get started, here's a quick look at how I like to store bananas:

Here's a classic and ultra simple smoothie recipe that's rich in fiber and a number of antioxidants - mainly anthocyanins, vitamin C, and polyphenols - and sure to please any family members or friends who are lucky enough to have you make it for them.

For a change of pace from banana-based smoothies, give this post-workout smoothie recipe a try - it calls for fresh, ripe pears. Though any variety will do, I find that Bartlett and Packham pears provide a smoother consistency than other varieties like Bosc and Anjou.

This protein-rich smoothie is a healthy food choice for children and adults of all ages, and is particularly useful for fueling healthy growth in children and for replenishing one's muscles after a workout.

Updated on March 22, 2009

One of nature's most nutritious foods are raw, organic eggs. Eggs are rich in healthy protein, healthy fatty acids, lutein (a phytonutrient that's needed to support optimal vision), and a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B-12 and selenium.

Updated on February 6, 2009

For people who have trouble tolerating milk from cows, almond milk is an excellent substitute. But not all commercially prepared almond milks are equal in quality. Some brands add enough sugar to their almond milk to make it a poor choice for people who struggle to keep their blood sugar and insulin at healthy levels. Other brands add synthetic vitamins and minerals to their almond milk to make it resemble dairy when comparing nutrition facts panels.

One secret to making flavorful, creamy smoothies is to use frozen fruit rather than ice. We almost never add ice to our smoothies, choosing instead to use frozen banana slices. We buy several pounds of bananas at a time, and once they're ripe, we peel them, slice them into 1/2 inch portions, and freeze the slices in an air-tight bag or container in the freezer.