Thanks to the invention of the blender in the 1920s, Julius Freed was able to concoct the first smoothie. When his sensitive stomach couldn’t handle the acidity of fresh-squeezed orange juice, which he loved, he whipped up a recipe for the frothy “Orange Julius”. No longer considered a smoothie because of its sweetness, the drink’s recipe has been owned by Dairy Queen stores since 1987.

In the 60s and 70s, during the early stages of the health food movement, well-known bodybuilder Jack LaLanne gave the smoothie a big boost with a syndicated television show touting the benefits of healthy eating and juicing, largely with seasonal foods. Smoothies have come a long way over the years, and today nutritional powerhouse foods laden with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds not likely to appear regularly on the average home menu are found in smoothies and the relatively new power bowl recipes.

With hundreds of recipes containing a multitude of different ingredients to choose from, smoothies and power bowls have become vehicles for transforming and improving health. At local health food markets and juice bars such as Ada’s Natural Market, in Fort Myers, dark green, leafy vegetables such as kale, watercress, parsley, romaine, dandelion matcha tea, wheatgrass, celery and spinach, packed full of folate, iron, calcium, iron, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C and K, iodine and fiber, are being combined in smoothies and power bowls with sweeter superfoods such as antioxidant-rich berries such as acai, goji, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Ada’s store manager Anna Spaich advises, “Smoothies, veggies juices and power bowls are popular with adults and children. We have parents buying them to help boost their child’s immune system before sending them off to school. The acai bowls appear to be the favorite. We offer three bowls with an acai base, but with different toppings. The berry bowl with blueberries, strawberries, banana, goji berries, granola and honey is the most popular. In contrast, the Earth Bowls, with a base of banana, spirulina, almond butter, spinach and coconut milk, is also a hit with customers.

"While we have a high demand for our Rainbow Chia Bowls with a base of chia, which is high in protein and packed with fiber and Omega-3, and coconut milk, topped with strawberries, kiwi, mango, blueberry, granola and date syrup. The Hello Beautiful Earth Bowl is also a big seller with adults. It’s topped with green apple, blueberry, chia seeds, granola, honey and collagen, and is great for health skin, hair, nails and joints.”

Vitamins and minerals are essential for healthy living. Not only do they keep the body healthy and functional, they also protect it from disease. Smoothies and power bowls are excellent ways to consume nutrient-rich superfoods that picky eaters may otherwise avoid.

Ada’s Natural Market is located at 7070 College Pkwy., in Fort Myers. For more information call 239-939-9600 or visit AdasMarket.com.

Ada's Natural Market - 7070 College Pkwy, Ft Myers, FL

Mon-Sat: 9am-8pm, Sun: 9am-7pmNatural and organic produce and grocery items. Vitamins and supplements. Organic juice and smoothie bar. New Green Leaf Caf. Market- prepared foods. 1000’s o... Read More »