I’m sure all of us know of fruit magic and all the other fruit shake stands that offer immune boosters and sometimes one’s daily dose of protein in the form of a fruit shake. Well, I’ve stopped using supplements and have decided to do everything the natural way. Who knows what are the side effects of these supplements that people are taking.

As part of my pre- and post-workout regimen and also part of my diet is consuming lots of fruits. Since I easily get full, what I do is I make my own fresh fruit shakes. And instead of using sugar, I use honey. If I don’t have honey, my alternative is raw/brown sugar. [They say that anything white is bad or unhealthy since it's processed. White rice, white bread, white sugar?] Honey, being a natural sweetener is better than using equal and/or processed white table sugar. Here’s an excerpt below…

“Improve Athletic Performance … with Honey?

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In the time of the ancient Olympics, athletes were reported to eat special foods, such as honey and dried figs, to enhance their sports performance. Recently, however, one group of researchers has investigated the use of honey as an ergogenic aid in athletes. The study involved a group of 39 weight-trained athletes, both male and female. Subjects underwent an intensive weight-lifting workout and then immediately consumed a protein supplement blended with either sugar, maltodextrin or honey as the carbohydrate source. The honey group maintained optimal blood sugar levels throughout the two hours following the workout. In addition, muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration (carbohydrates stored in muscle) was favorable in those individuals consuming the honey-protein combination.

Sustaining favorable blood sugar concentrations after endurance training by ingesting carbohydrates before, during and after training is important for maintaining muscle glycogen stores (glycogen is the form in which sugar is stored in muscle as ready-to-use fuel), so that muscle recuperation is more efficient and the athlete is ready to perform again at their highest level the next day. The best-studied ergogenic aid is carbohydrates because they are necessary for maintaining muscle glycogen stores. For now, honey appears to be just another source of carbohydrates that can help athletes perform at their best, rather than a superior choice over any other carbohydrate.

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When I make fruit shakes, I just decide what fruits I want to mix together. I choose from the following: mango, banana, pineapple, melon, apple, watermelon, orange, strawberry, kiwi and anything else that I find at home or at the market. I usually choose 3-4 fruits to blend together. I use an Oster®izer. What I do is I cut up a plateful of fruits, place one tray of ice and about 2 tbsp of honey. My tried and tested combinations?

1. Mango, pineapple, papaya, banana
2. Melon, apple, banana
3. Strawberry-kiwi
4. Watermelon
5. Melon
6. Pineapple, orange, mango
7. Banana, 2 tbsp cocoa (or Milo/Ovaltine), nuts, milk –> banana-nut smoothie