Category — Vitamin C

Strawberries are a delicious way to add more antioxidants and fiber to your diet.  According to the California Strawberry Commission, a serving of strawberries, just 8 berries, contains more vitamin C than an orange, and 2 grams of fiber!  What’s even better, is that a cup of strawberries contains just 50 calories.

I’ve found that the best and fastest way to get my daily intake of fruits and veggies is to make a power-packed morning smoothie. Here’s a strawberry smoothie recipe to get you started.  It also contains blueberries–another superfood!

Strawberry & Blueberry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 individual size container of yogurt

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or smoothie maker, and blend until mixture reaches desired consistency.  To add a little zip, replace some of the milk with orange juice.  Yogurt can be any flavor, depending on what you like.  I’ve also added a handful of uncooked quick oats to this recipe for increasing my whole grain intake.

After all that barbeque this 4^th of July, possibly the best thing you can grab for dessert is a healthy slice of watermelon. It’s low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and also a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. If you want to try something new and absolutely delightful with this 4^th of July tradition, squeeze some fresh lime juice on it. It takes the flavor to a gourmet level and increases your vitamin C count for added health benefits. If you’ve been asked to bring a dessert to this year’s All-American shindig, this might be the easiest, healthiest and most appealing dish of them all. It will certainly be the most refreshing!