While there is no doubt that every nutrient you will ever need is available in the diverse array of plant-based foods, it is quite an undertaking in these industrious times of work, study, family, travel and overall "refined" living to consistently get everything you need, everyday, for optimal health. So let's look at how our third component of Superfoods Smoothies can easily comprise the foundation of our nutritional requirements each day.

I'll show you the action steps right away, but please read this entire section, as there is a lot of important info for you relating to this component.

Action Step:

Have one or two "Superfoods" Smoothies everyday

Step One: Go to the deepest recesses of your kitchen cabinet and pull out that dusty blender. If you don't actually have one, you can find them reasonably priced, pretty much anywhere that small appliances are sold (local drug store, K-Mart, etc.).

Step Two: Get your hands on a can of The Ultimate Meal smoothie mix. As we'll discuss in a moment, there is simply nothing else in the marketplace that even comes close to the quality and potency of this stuff. (I've been using it religiously since '93.)

Where to Find: Call the company directly at 1-800-THE-MEAL. The folks are super cool over there at The Ultimate Life and you can ask them where it's available locally. For more overall info about The Ultimate Meal and their other products (ALL of which I use), check out:
http://www.ultimatelife.com

Step Three: At least once a day, mix 8 to 10 oz. of pure drinking water (purified, spring, etc.), a sliced up Fuji or Gala apple and a banana with 1 scoop of The Ultimate Meal in the blender. Be sure and read the Guidelines and Tips section below for important information about making your smoothies.

Smoothies: A Closer Look

A smoothie is typically some combination of fruit juice and fruit, often with the addition of either frozen fruit or ice to create a thicker, shake-like consistency. Unfortunately, most of the pre-mixed smoothies you find at the store or, for that matter, many that are made to order at a shop or restaurant, are often glorified junk food. In addition to any processed "nutritional" powder they might include, they're often riddled with refined sugar, ice cream, yogurt, bright-colored "fruit" syrups or other artificial ingredients. This is sacrilegious! Why? Because when made with optimal health in mind, a smoothie is among the most nutritionally potent food choices you could ever have.

Specifically, the Superfoods type of smoothie we're talking about here is in a whole different class than the norm. Completely devoid of refined sugar and animal products, a Superfoods Smoothie will typically involve fruit and a liquid base of water, juice and/or soy milk, and be centered around something with a high chlorophyll content like spirulina, barley greens or even some sort of a wheatgrass powder. It would also include a variety of other diverse, quality, plant-based ingredients with the concept being that, in one delicious serving, you're loading up on a wide variety of highly-potent nutrients. This makes Superfoods Smoothies one of the most efficient and important concepts of Rock-Solid Nutrition.

Key Benefit of Superfoods Smoothies:

Blending all of these various plant-based ingredients together in a smoothie allows for up to 95% of these precious nutrients to actually be absorbed into the blood stream. Why? Because the cell walls of plant cells have to be broken open for all of the nutrients to be released, and this is tough to thoroughly accomplish just from chewing whole food. (In fact, it is estimated that we only absorb 15 to 25% of the nutrients from chewing.) Fortunately, the pulverizing aspect of the blending process does a lot of this work for you, allowing you to enjoy maximum assimilation of the ingredients. And by the way, blending whole foods in a blender is better than juicing them because you’re getting the whole food - skin, fiber and juice - rather than just the juice by itself.

Other benefits of the Superfoods Smoothie include:

	It's a convenient, any time/any place way to enjoy one or two of your 5 to 6 daily feedings.
	In just one smoothie, you are getting a thorough representation (possibly even multiple servings) of each of your three Rock-Solid food groups.
	It's an especially easy way to stockpile some of the many servings of fruit and vegetables you need everyday.
	It's a delicious way to take in your high-chlorophyll greens and other foods that you might not otherwise be inclined to eat a lot of.
	It's a superior source of protein, carbs and healthy fats.
	Depending on your choice of smoothie mix, you can rely on your smoothie - not pills or other supplements - as your primary source of vitamins, minerals. phytonutrients and antioxidants.

The "Ultimate" Superfoods Smoothie

The ultimate example of a Superfoods smoothie involves a one-of-a-kind, highly-specialized powder called The Ultimate Meal. This green powder is comprised of 25 of the most nutritionally potent foods you could ever put in your body. So when you mix it with fruit (either frozen or regular) a banana and water, it lives up to its name.

The whole idea behind The Ultimate Meal is to bring together, in one product, every essential nutritional element that your body needs, and to ensure that each ingredient used represents the highest quality version of the particular nutrient, available anywhere at any time. (This is why you will notice that the product undergoes occasional revisions in the form of its various evolutions.) There are even a number of important synergistic components to The Ultimate Meal, as the creators have considered the dense science behind which ingredients complement and optimize the absorption of each other. So at any given time that you're enjoying an Ultimate Meal Smoothie, you can rest assured that you're getting every nutrient you need in its optimal form.

Theoretically, you could create your own custom blend of ingredients and make your own version of a Superfoods Smoothie. But frankly, you would be pissing up a rope to try and duplicate the nutritional density/quality/purity/efficiency of what's already going on in The Meal...especially for the price. (An Ultimate Meal Smoothie, complete with the fruit, is only about $3.00 a pop, which is less than most people spend on a cup of their "designer" coffee every morning.)

The Ultimate Meal is still the centerpiece of my diet, as I've had at least one (but usually two) of these smoothies every day since 1993. I remain an Ultimate Meal fanatic for three main reasons:

1) Potency - As mentioned, the optimal way to get all of your nutrients is through raw, organic, plant-based foods. But to get the full spectrum of nutrients through the diversity of food required can be logistically very difficult if you have an exceedingly active lifestyle and/or you do a lot of traveling. The Ultimate Meal is the only thing out there that I know of that contains ample amounts of all essential nutrients in one product. That's why it's not classified as a supplement but, rather, a complete meal. Plus, it's so nutritionally dense, it always feels as though every cell in my body is drinking it all in.

2) Convenience - No matter where I go, I have my blender, distilled or spring water, The Ultimate Meal mix, and apples and bananas nearby so that, at any given moment, I can blend it all together for a quick, killer smoothie. This includes the tour bus, backstage, in hotel rooms, at people's homes...anywhere!

3) Taste - Although many people would not mistake The Ultimate Meal for some kind of ultra-sweet milk shake or fruit smoothie, I find it to be absolutely delicious. And let's face it, if we don't like the way something tastes, we're not as apt to eat or drink it. Fortunately, I love it and look forward to drinking my two a day...

Guidelines and Tips For Your Superfoods Smoothie

Here are a few suggestions for your Superfoods Smoothie, which I highly recommend includes The Ultimate Meal:

Foundation: In preparing your smoothie, the best foundation to work from is a banana, eight to 12 ounces of liquid and some other fresh or frozen fruit. Besides the banana undertone, the smoothie will take on the flavor of whatever fruit you use. As for your liquid base, purified water is best, but most any kind of bottled water will work. Initially, if the taste is an issue, you can experiment with some combination of water, juice (with no added sugar) or soy milk for a little variety. But I find there's plenty of variety just by using different fruit with water. Besides, the water-alone method is far superior to using juice or even soy milk.

Fruit: Apples are the most consistent choice. Fuji or gala apples are most recommended, while I would avoid red delicious since they tend to have an exorbitant amount of wax. Other fruit like strawberries, pineapple, oranges, etc., are excellent choices, as well. You can also use frozen fruit for a thicker texture. In fact, since bananas are often a staple in smoothies, try freezing a peeled one before blending it in.

Consistency: In general, the thickness of your smoothie is governed by the ingredients-to-liquid ratio. Ice and frozen fruit will also affect the thickness. As you're refining a given recipe, if it's too thin, add more fruit or ice. If it's too thick, add more liquid.

Quantity: The Ultimate Meal was designed so that two scoops provide a solid, daily nutritional foundation. And while you might want to start off by only having one per day (just to see how your body reacts to the incredible purity and potency of this Superfoods Smoothie), the best case scenario is to have two, one-scoop smoothies throughout the day. If this is not possible for whatever reason, then you can do a double scoop of the Ultimate in your single smoothie, taking care to add slightly more liquid (and possibly fruit) to compensate for the extra powder. Also, if you're over 180 pounds and/or especially active or athletic (like me), I would recommend doing two, one-and-a-half scoop smoothies a day. Your body will thrive on that extra scoop.

Temperature: Frozen fruit and/or ice will make your smoothie cold and thick. The added thickness is fine, but the Rock-Solid way to the optimal Superfoods Smoothie is to make it room temperature. The way to achieve this with frozen fruit or ice is to use warm liquid.

Go organic: Always go for organically grown produce when available, even in your frozen fruit.

"Chew" your smoothie: Proper digestion actually begins in the mouth...even in the case of a pulverized beverage like a smoothie. So to ensure optimal assimilation, take your time and chew each mouthful a few times before swallowing.

Blend and Drink Immediately: Since many of your Superfoods ingredients will begin to oxidize once they've been mixed and blended (soon killing all of the live enzymes), you will want to drink your smoothie within 15 minutes of blending it.

Other flavors: As you're getting into the groove of having one or two Superfoods Smoothies a day, feel free to experiment with other flavors and enjoy the endless possible recipe variations. Here are a few ideas:

	Check out some liquid extracts like vanilla, maple, almond and butterscotch. These can create a unique undertone to your smoothie.
	Consider a touch of one of nature's powders like carob or cinnamon.
	Try adding some soy yogurt or fruit preserves on occasion.
	Don't forget about other available ready-to-use frozen fruits like mangos, cherries and blackberries. Not only are these delicious choices, but they also offer their own special blend of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients

Naturally, for these and all of your smoothie ingredients, you'll want to select the healthiest choices: buy organic when possible, watch for added sugar and hidden animal products, select alcohol-free extracts, etc.

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