Smoothies: good and good for you

Smoothies have been popular for over 70 years but they have also taken a lot of flak for not necessarily being healthy. They can be high in calories and have too much sugar for many people, especially if fruit juice is the base and fruit is the primary ingredient. The good news is that a smoothie can be made into a healthy and delicious drink with the addition of a few simple ingredients. The bad news is many people don't know what those ingredients are. The answer to this dilemma can be found at Tehachapi Natural Market located at 20221 W. Valley Blvd., in Old Town Tehachapi.

Since the market opened its doors in 2018, they have specialized in making juices and smoothies from organic fruits and vegetables. But market owners, Teresa Dunlop and Sarah Rose, acknowledge that some of their smoothies fall more under the "treat" category than anything else. "Yes, some of our smoothies are high calorie and high in fruit sugars," Sarah concedes. "However, for some people, it's the only fruit or fresh veggies they are going to get all day! And they are way better than soda or energy drinks." Teresa chimes in, "We have always offered supplements to increase the nutritional value of our smoothies, as well, but what we have found is that our customers aren't sure what to add to their smoothies to make them healthy yet still tasty."

What, exactly, are these supplements that can turn an ordinary smoothie into a delicious concoction of good health? "Things like spirulina, wheat grass, maca powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds plus a scoop of top quality, organic protein powder that is low carb, low sodium and high protein," Sarah tells us. "Chia seeds, for example are loaded with antioxidants and high in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids. Spirulina is also extremely high in many nutrients."

To solve the problem of what to add to a smoothie to make it healthy yet still taste delicious, they have created two new drinks that meet that criteria. "These two drinks are actually the brain child of one of our employees, Jess Farrell, " Sarah explains. "The first one we named Chocolate Mint Majesty. It is sweetened with dates, half of a banana and a small amount of honey (or agave, for our vegan friends). The spirulina and mint give it a gorgeous green color as well as added nutritional value. The other is what we called the Mountain Mystic. It also has dates, banana and spirulina but we've added cinnamon, maca powder and chia seeds. Both use a non dairy milk as the base."

Teresa and Sarah want everyone to know that they are completely open to customizing drinks. "If we have it on our shelves, we will be happy to add it to your drink," Teresa says. "We will also do substitutions. Some of our customers prefer using coconut water instead of fruit juice as the base and we are happy to do that. We aim to please!"

So head on over to Tehachapi Natural Market today and get your groovy, healthy smoothie!