Have you heard the expression "we are what we eat"? Well, if you have not, it is very much true. What we put into the engines we call our bodies in very large part defines what type of engine we are. So, if this is true, why don't we all just eat what is healthy and provides the different nutrients we need?

For example, by now we should all agree that our overall health is very much improved when we eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily. Yes many, many of us do not even come close to that amount. Why is that?

Well, there are different reasons but the most frequently heard are:

- The fruits and/or vegetables are not in season
- With all the peeling and cutting, they are just too hard to prepare
- It is a challenge to work them into the family meals because the kids just won't eat fruit or vegetables

Pardon me for saying so, but these, and many more, are just excuses and not valid reasons not to eat healthier.

Walk into virtually any supermarket and you will find a spectacular assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables at any time of the year. And the frozen section has an even larger selection of frozen fruit and vegetables. You can even get fruit and vegetable from either frozen or bottled juices. Really, there's no excuse not to eat healthy.

But it can get boring eating the same stuff day in day out and there is no question that there is preparation time involved so what is needed is a quick, easy way to get the nutrients into our diets.

Fruit smoothie recipes are an easy solution. Fruit smoothies are easy to make, don't require exact ingredients and provide that meal in between when we get so hungry. Rather than snacking on high sodium, high fat snack treats, that only make us thirsty and unsatisfied, you can enjoy the richness of a fruit smoothie-changing the ingredients daily, and giving your body a wide variety of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants. You can also add supplements to help your body fend off aging conditions. For example, adding a teaspoon of Mila chia seed which is rich with Omega 3's, is a definite metabolism booster with the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body needs for both healthy aging and healthy living.

Here is but one example of many juicer recipes that work for breakfast, lunch, or snack. This one uses bananas, which are available all year, as are papayas; and they make a wonderful taste combination.

Tomorrow, try this:

- 1 cup of yogurt (plain, vanilla or banana)
- 1 cup of frozen banana slices
- 1/2 large, ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Mila

Blend in your juicer until it reaches the consistency you prefer then enjoy!