Smoothie King is Open.

As many of you know, I was a huge fan of Smoothie King in Marlton until it closed about a year ago.  Now, there is another location, right next to LA Fitness on Rte 38.  There are many things to like about their products.  First off, I think they taste great!  Secondly, they are made with all natural ingredients such as fruit and 100% fruit juices.  If you stay away from the Indulge portion of their menu, most 20 ounce shakes can be had for under 500 calories.  If you ask for it skinny (which is with no sugar added) it takes 100 calories off of each shake instantly!   My favorite, Angel Food, is only 254 calories with no fat, 6 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.  If you order your smoothie skinny, you cannot tell the difference!  And I am not just saying that!
The Build Up section is similar to the other shakes on the chart, but with a lot of added protein.  Most Americans get more than enough protein without adding heavy doses in shakes and bars.  In fact, an Average sized man weighting 165 pounds only needs 60 grams per day.  A serving of chicken at most restaurants will approach or even exceed the needed 60 grams.  A person needs roughly .36 grams per pound of body weight.  So the Gladiator with 45 grams of protein may be a bit excessive for most!  However, feel free to tell them at the store to cut your protein in half, or by 2/3 or whatever is necessary.
They even have kids choices.  If you stay away from the Choc-o-laka, which has 3 grams of fat, each choice is under 280 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and very little sodium.
The one item on the menu I will caution you about is the energy shots you can add.  There are green tea extracts and B-12 extracts that can be added to all smoothies.  While these are not harmful, most studies show that the amounts of most “energy enhancers” that you would need to consume is far more than you could ever even dream of to get any real aid from it.  That said, I believe in the power of positive thought, so if it helps you, don’t stop by any means!
If you do order your smoothie with sugar in it, it is actually turbinado.  What is this?  This is a sugar made from the juice made from freshly crushed sugar crystals.  The juice is placed in a turbine to dry it out, providing a more organic derivative of the sugar cane.  It is brown in color when completed, which all organic sugars are.
For complete nutritional information, please visit www.smoothieking.com!

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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