SMOOTHIE NATION : BLENDER-WHIPPED FRUIT SHAKES HAVE VALLEY TONGUES WAGGING, BUT EXPERTS QUESTION WHETHER THEY SHOULD REPLACE A SOLID MEAL.Byline: Kevin Ainsfeld Daily News Staff Writer The place was packed with the lunchtime crowd, and the blenders were blazing. A 30-something man in shorts finally stepped to the head of the line, alongside the glass enclosure lined with a row of foot-tall wheatgrass wheatgrass, n a nutritional grass available popularly as juice. Wheatgrass contains large amounts of chlorophyll and other pigments. See also therapy, juice. . He confidently placed his order for a smoothie smooth·ie also smooth·y n. pl. smooth·ies Slang 1. A person regarded as being assured and artfully ingratiating in manner. 2. A smooth-tongued person. . ``Additions?'' the employee asked. Additions? His mind raced. His eyes danced around the menu board. The pressure was on. People in line behind him waited impatiently. He, a novice, was caught off guard. ``Uh,'' he mumbled. ``I'll have lecithin lecithin Any of a class of phospholipids (also called phosphatidyl cholines) important in cell structure and metabolism. They are composed of phosphate, choline, glycerol (as the ester), and two fatty acids. Various fatty acids pairs distinguish the various lecithins. .'' Like thousands looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a light alternative to high-fat fast foods, he is one of the newly initiated to a growing trend - fruit smoothies as meals. For the health-minded, these thick, creamy concoctions have become the coolest thing in town. Smoothie outlets are cropping up throughout the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Juice Stop has four stores; Fresh Blend has one; and Juice Club and Jamba Juice Jamba Juice is a high-end chain of smoothie restaurants headquartered in Emeryville, California with over 640 locations operating in 21 states, the District of Columbia and the Bahamas. Over 400 locations are company-owned, with the remainder being franchised. , owned by the same company, have a combined five in the Valley. None have a shortage of young, hip and healthy customers. From suited business types to teen-age girls, they're all getting their daily allotment of fruits through a straw. For Lesley Brashear, 28, of Bell Canyon, smoothies have become her lunchtime choice on hot days. ``In the summer, I don't have a huge appetite for lunch,'' she said. ``(Smoothies) cool me off and fill me up.'' Fruit smoothies are nothing new. They have been around since the 1970s. But back then, those drinks of crushed ice, protein powder and fresh fruit were hidden in health food stores and fitness clubs - for good reason. ``They tasted like cardboard mixed with fresh fruit,'' said John Heuler, who worked for Raquetball World in Fountain Valley back in 1978, when they were already serving the drinks. Boy, have things changed. Today's versions of those tasteless drink supplements have been transformed into sweet and refreshing fruit shakes with colorful names that - despite some odd combinations - even the least health-conscious are downing as meals. Smoothie companies are capitalizing on the fitness craze, selling their $3 to $4 drinks as a quick and healthy alternative to fast-food fare. ``Compared to eating an Egg McMuffin, they are better in the long run,'' said Kirk Perron Per´ron n. 1. (Arch.) An out-of-door flight of steps, as in a garden, leading to a terrace or to an upper story; - usually applied to mediævel or later structures of some architectural pretensions. , chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. for Juice Club and Jamba Juice. ``They give you energy throughout the day.'' A McDonald's Big Mac, medium fries and medium Coca-Cola have a combined 1,100 calories and 49 grams of fat. Smoothies have between 200 and 500 calories and .5 to 6 grams of fat. ``People want to incorporate healthy eating that is fast. A smoothie does that without being a fatty and (high) calorie food,'' said Amy Skepner, vice president and co-founder of Fresh Blend. Smoothies appeal to all types. Skepner's company targets everyone from mothers with young children and health-conscious seniors to on-the-run working folks looking for a quick morning pick-me-up. Although there are no drive-through smoothie places yet, there may be one on the way, said T.J. Humphreys, chief executive officer of Juice Stop. Most of the growth in smoothie outlets is taking place in trend-setting Western locales. Fresh Blend, around since 1994, has seven California locations, one in Scottsdale and two in Las Vegas. The company hopes to double that number by next year. Juice Stop opened in 1993 and has 25 locations in California, six in Arizona, three in Colorado, one in Kansas and one in Hawaii. The company hopes to have 50 by the end of the year. Juice Club, established in 1990, has 18 locations. And Jamba Juice, which eventually will take over the Juice Club, has opened 17 outlets since 1995. ``We have lots of requests to grow outside of California and have plans to have over 300 stores by the new millennium,'' Perron said. Heck, by then, solid food may be obsolete. But not if Janet Lepke has anything to say about it. Lepke, a registered dietitian registered dietitian, n See dietitian, registered. and nutritional educator at Friendly Hills HealthCare Network in North Hollywood, has tried these drinks. ``Juice smoothies are great in terms of carbohydrates, and they do provide vitamins and minerals,'' she said. ``But they can't replace an entire meal because you miss out on nutrients.'' The drinks don't offer much protein, for example. A smoothie would need the equivalent of nine egg whites to get the protein equivalent of 3 ounces of lean meat. ``It is better to incorporate whole foods,'' Lepke said. Mary Donkersloot, a nutrition therapist at Personal Nutrition Management in Beverly Hills, concedes that smoothies are good as an occasional meal. ``The definition of a good food source is that it must contain 10 percent of the recommended daily value, and smoothies have that,'' Donkersloot said. ``They can be a positive source of nutrition.'' But she remains skeptical about the supplemental ingredients that claim to provide extra energy or mental alertness. ``The only one that has a proven effect is ginseng ginseng (jĭn`sĕng), common name for the Araliaceae, a family of tropical herbs, shrubs, and trees that are often prickly and sometimes grow as climbing forms. . The other ones are not proved,'' Donkersloot said. ``If there were benefits, if the claims were true, there would have been research in a well-designed, double-blind study double-blind study, n experimental technique in clinical research in which neither the researcher nor the patient knows whether the treatment administered is considered inactive (placebo) or active (medicinal). . None of these have.'' Proven or not, customers are buying fruit smoothies - whether for their nutritional benefits or just because they taste good. Jeff Smith, a 30-year-old attorney in shirt and tie, said he has them for lunch three times a week. ``I don't eat enough fruit during the week, and this is a good way to get it into my diet,'' Smith said. ``It's good tasting and good for you.'' Humphreys believes customers like Smith will stay with smoothies. This is no fad, he said. It's a positive trend. ``Smoothies will have a good life span because people are looking to increase their health,'' Humphreys said. ``I have confidence they will be around for a while.'' Exotic ingredients in blender touted as helpful body boosters The purveyors of smoothies cover their menus with enough oddball ingredients to make your head swirl. Here's what they claim a few of the more unusual additives can do for you. Ginseng: The root of the small plant is said to increase energy and mental alertness. Bee pollen bee pollen, n mixture of flower pollen, honeybee digestive juices, and nectar. Has been used therapeutically for asthma, allergic conditions, im-potence, bleeding stomach ulcers, altitude sickness, as a dietary supple-ment has been used for cancer, high : Bee pollen has 18 amino acids, including nine essential ones and 14 minerals; it is said to increase stamina and physical awareness. Spirulina spirulina Any cyanobacteria in the genus Spirulina. A traditional food source in parts of Africa and Mexico, spirulina is an exceptionally rich source of vitamins, minerals, and protein, and one of the few nonanimal sources of vitamin B12. : A blue-green microalgae rich in protein, vitamins and iron. Soy-based protein powder: A vegetarian protein that contains less than 1 gram of fat and 76 calories per serving. Wheatgrass: Rich in vitamin A vitamin A also called retinol Fat-soluble alcohol, most abundant in fatty fish and especially in fish-liver oils. It is not found in plants, but many vegetables and fruits contain beta-carotene (see , B, C, E, and all of the known mineral elements. Its juice is said to purify and detoxify de·tox·i·fy v. 1. To counteract or destroy the toxic properties of a substance. 2. To remove the effects of poison from something, such as the blood. 3. the body and aid in metabolizing nutrients. One ounce of wheatgrass is comparable in nutrients to more than 2 pounds of vegetables. Lecithin: It is said to help emulsify e·mul·si·fy v. To make into an emulsion. e·mul  si·fi·ca tion n. cholesterol and aid in the digestion and absorption of fat. Brewer's yeast brewer's yeast: see yeast. : Brewer's yeast provides B vitamins B vitamins This family of vitamins consists of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin, folic acid (B9), and cobalamin (B12). , 19 amino acids, and iron. It's also a source of protein. Oat bran and rice bran: Both soluble fibers, they carry cholesterol bile out of the body, helping lower blood cholesterol. Wheat bran: It is water insoluble and adds bulk to the diet, allowing food to digest more efficiently. CAPTION(S): 7 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) FRUIT ---- BOOST Is the ne w California fad really all that healthy? Photo by John McCoy/Daily News - Photo Illustration by Jon Gerung/Daily News (2) Tessa Viles, 10, eyes the smoothies at Jamba Juice. She and her mother, Aleta, consume the fruit drinks two to three times a week. (3) Bobby Bacalski, left, Carmen Carmen throws over lover for another. [Fr. Lit.: Carmen; Fr. Opera: Bizet, Carmen, Westerman, 189–190] See : Faithlessness Carmen the cards repeatedly spell her death. [Fr. Goldsmith and Michelle Watts keep the blenders whirring whir v. whirred, whir·ring, whirs v.intr. To move so as to produce a vibrating or buzzing sound. v.tr. To cause to make a vibratory sound. n. 1. at Jamba Juice. (4) A wide array of extracts, nutrients and other additions can be ordered in smoothies. Terri Thuente/Daily News (5) Jason Teichner whips up a order at the Juice Stop. Smoothie lovers can request a seemingly infinite combination of flavors and additions. Phil McCarten/Daily News (6) It's pouring time at Fresh Blend, which has seven California locations. (7) Fresh Blend's Monier Bahador keeps a lid on it. Bob Halvorsen/Daily News Box: Exotic ingredients in blender touted as helpful body boosters (See Text) |
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