Delicious drinks for summer health

THE smoothie is now a worldwide fad in all walks of life, from children to health fanatics, and it’s interesting to know how this superfood came to be. It is noted to have begun on the west coast of the United States where a health food store began to sell pureed fruit back in the 1930s.
This encouraged a trend and with the addition of liquids, smoothies were being concocted at home and recipes were widely being published in cookbooks.
The most popular ingredients at the time were banana and pineapple and by the 1970s ice was an ingredient used that evolved the smoothie into the first ‘slush’ drink that was marketed in California.
The world went blender happy back in the 1960s and by the 1990s smoothies were everywhere from cafes to supermarkets.
Now you see smoothies on offer in most ice cream parlours which is good news for summertime sippers. Many contain soya milk, yogurt, whey powder, or even cottage cheese, but the good thing is the nutrients that they contain are phenomenal.
To get the most benefit from the nutrients, a smoothie should be drunk within hours of being prepared as the longer they are stored, the less effective they become.
The most delicious and beneficial ingredients of the smoothie include the potassium-packed banana, or low calorie but high energy coconut milk.
Almonds, walnuts or cashews are high in protein, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries are packed with vitamin C, coconut milk or oil are low in calories but are a great source of energy, or even the green tea smoothie is high in vitamin C and helps the immune system to guard off a cold. The smoothie has lots to offer as they say they give a boost to the brain which is probably why they are a perfect choice for breakfast. Whatever your flavour, why not choose to be smooth this summer, they are easy to find, easy to drink, and make your body beautiful in the process!