A little while ago we had a discussion in the group about having smoothies as part of a post-treatment healthy diet [ thanks to Sarah for opening up the discussion! ]. I’ll leave the experts to go into detail on nutrition but you can have all these health benefits in about 5 mins prep time:

• A delicious drink!
• Fibre
• Anti-oxidants
• Vitamins and minerals
• Some or all of your ‘five a day’
• An easy way to get fruit and veg into your diet when swallowing is difficult

The smoothie makers can be expensive at £100 plus but can also be had for £20 if you shop around, for example:

Breville VBL075 Blend Active Blender – £19.99 at the time of writing from ARGOS

The possible combinations in a smoothie are endless and well covered in articles elsewhere but there are two basic styles: FRUIT and VEG [ can be mixed of course ].

A basic fruit smoothie might include:

• small banana
• half a dozen ripe strawberries
• handful of blueberries
• fresh orange juice to thin it down

Whizz it till it looks right, pour and enjoy. Frozen fruit can be used and gives a nice chill to the finished smoothie.

Fruit is not cheap, but grab it from a market just before they close, or get overripe fruit – often reduced for a quick sale. If it’s got a few knocks and bruises so what?

Here’s a ‘green’ smoothie recipe including some veg:

• Cup and a half of apple juice
• Two cups stemmed and chopped spinach or kale
• One apple—unpeeled, cored, and chopped
• Half an avocado, chopped

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