Do you want to live a long and healthy life? Of course, we all do.

Then eat more vegetables and fruits.

The Harvard School of Public Health reports “a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check.”

Vegetables and fruits are essential—not optional—parts of a healthy diet.

And yet, the Centers for Disease Control report 75 percent of adults and 92 percent of adolescents in ND fail to eat recommended levels of vegetables and fruits.

One way to increase our vegetable and fruit consumption is to drink them. Why not grow your own smoothie? Make it a family project this fall! Smoothies are trendy now. Even teens will drink them!

Now is a great time of year to grow one of the most popular vegetables for smoothies: spinach.

How about a Green Monster Smoothie? It’s a mixture of spinach, strawberries and orange concentrate. There are Lime Smoothies and Pineapple Mango Smoothies that use spinach, too. Kids will love them!

All of these recipes are available at www.ag.ndsu.edu/food/recipes. Type in “spinach” and you’ll find lots of recipes. You can print the recipes onto 4” x 6” index cards.

Now is a good time to sow spinach, turnips and other greens. In a few weeks we can sow radish.

It’s time to sow a smoothie! In a few weeks, we can all raise our glasses together and wish each other a healthy and wonderful life! Cheers!

Written by Tom Kalb, Extension Horticulturist, North Dakota State University. Published in the NDSU Yard & Garden Report, July 29, 2016. Photo courtesy of Tatiana Vetsenko.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control. 2012.  North Dakota: State nutrition, physical activity, and obesity profile. 
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2016. The nutrition source: Vegetables and fruits. Harvard University: Boston.