Juice It Up

What better way to beat back the heat than with a refreshing summer beverage? Of course your selections are many, from calorie–free ice water to fat–packed ice–cream shakes to everything between. While H2O is your #1 hydration choice, sometimes the taste buds yearn for a tangier splash.

Though you get more fiber when you eat the entire fruit or vegetable, you can take advantage of summer’s ripest crops by juicing produce into a glass of sun–kissed punch:

• Try a luscious cocktail of watermelon, lime, and antioxidant–rich raspberries to deliver a combo kick of vitamin C, vitamin, A, and cancer–fighting lycopene. Or blend up a berry blizzard of your choice for a boost of heart–healthy flavonoids.

• Enjoy the zesty, yet nutrient–charged, blast of a virgin Bloody Mary by combining tomatoes, celery, lemon juice, and a dash of cayenne. Give yourself a crisp vegetarian overhaul with dark greens like kale mixed with parsley and parsnip. Add carrots to any vegetable juice to bump up beta–carotene and sweeten the taste.

• Marry fruits and veggies to enhance flavor and synergize nutrition power. Try apples, carrots, and celery. Mingle pineapple with radishes. Or mix grapes or pears with spinach.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. Consider the flavors you enjoy in any tossed salad or fruit cocktail, and try blending them into a vibrant drink.