Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to get more fruit and veg - particulary handy if you're not so keen on fruit and veg in their original form. The government drums into us the need to get our 'five a day'. In reality, for optimum health, you should aim for around 8 a day - that is 3 portions of fruit and 5 portions of veg. Yes, five veg! This will ensure you get plenty of vitamins, minerals and fibre to turbo-boost your body.

Before I became a personal trainer myself and launched Fitness4London, I hired a personal trainer in north London who ended each session by offering me one of his favourite smoothie concoctions. That personal touch really impressed me. So why not surprise your friends and family by offering them a glass of your latest smoothie creation?

Why not add some protein powder to your smoothie, for a more complete nutritional boost?

First a health warning: Don't consume more than 3 portions of fruit a day, as fruit is made up of simple sugars, and excess fruit can cause a build-up of sugars in your system. Always eat more veg than fruit (any personal trainer will tell you that), as veg is has less concentration of simple sugars, and results in a more stable insulin reaction than fruit consumption. Plus - vegetables contain a higher amount of insoluble fibre, which helps mop up toxins in the large intestine.

Just one more health warning! If you're in a rush, and think that a smoothie is a good substitute for a main meal, think again. You need to sit down and eat something a bit more substantial. A main meal should contain some protein for instance, like chicken or fish or quinoa. If your smoothie contains milk or yoghurt, then it's more substantial and might just pass as a snack as long as you don't make a habit of having smoothies instead of a proper meal.

Vegetable Juicing

As well as fruit smoothies, you can juice vegetables to extract the micronutrients in concentrated form.

You'll need a vegetable juicer, and there are two types to choose from. You can either get a masticating juicer (which squeezes out the juice and extracts more) or a centrifugal juicer (these are more widely available, and the fast rotating blade slices the vegetables very finely and extracts the juice that way, rather than squeezing it out). I recommend you click to John Lewis website, and type 'magimix juicer' in the search box. They have a great range.

Dilute all vegetable juices 50/50 with water, otherwise they'll be too concentrated, and cause an adverse insulin reaction.

And don't forget that you need to eat plenty of vegetables every day, and not just vegetable juice. So a vegetable juice drink is not sufficient as your daily intake of veg, because you'll be missing out on the fibre.

Always thoroughly wash and dice all fruit, and peel then dice all vegetables. Experiment with consistencies, some like it thicker, some more liquid. One fruit I recommend you avoid in smoothies is the kiwi fruit - it can produce a thick and bitter 'wallpaper paste' consistency. Fruits like apples can either be juiced in a juicer (with the skin on), or peeled and added to your blender for a smoothie.

To add a twist, try things like fresh herbs, a spoon of runny honey, ginger, and dried spices. To give it a kick, you could add a dash of tabasco sauce, or worcester sauce.

You can also vary the liquid base of your smoothies/juices - depending on the thickness and taste you desire. You can use skimmed milk, or fruit juice, or fat-free natural yoghurt. And to make it cold and crunchy, use crushed ice.

Here are some suggestions to get you started - but be sure to experiment and come up with some unique mixtures of your own. And don't forget you can mix fruit and veg into the same juice/smoothie.

Apple and Beetroot (blend with crushed ice). You can buy raw beetroot, and extract its juice with a juicer. Don't try to blend raw beetroot in a blender!

Strawberries and Blueberries (blend with fat-free plain natural yoghurt)

Orange and Banana (blend with apple juice)

Mango, Lime Juice, and Mint (blend with crushed ice)

Banana and Mango (blend with crushed ice)

Pineapple, stawberries, celery (juiced)

cucumber, apples, lime (all juiced)

Avocado and Fresh Corriander (blend with skimmed milk) - it's worth spending a little extra and buying the 'perfectly ripe' avocadoes from Waitrose

Carrot, Apple, and Ginger (juice these three)

Papaya and Lime (blend with orange juice and crushed ice)

Peach and Honey (blend with skimmed milk and crushed ice)

Apple and Celery (juice the celery and apple, and blend with orange juice and a dash of tabasco sauce)

For added nutrients, add these to your smoothies and juices:

Wheatgrass powder (high in chlorophyll)
Spirulina (an algae rich in beta carotene, vitamin B12, and iron)
Alfalfa sprouts
Parsley
Manuka honey (the most nutritious honey available)

What are your favourite juice or smoothie combinations? And what blenders and juicers do you find the most effective? Let me know via the Contact Page and I'll include your replies on this page.

A big thanks to my personal training client in East London (she knows who she is) who gave me some great tips on how to spice up your smoothies, which I've included above.