About the Smoothie Insider and Website Author Don Kowalski

Welcome to the Smoothie Insider. When you think of smoothies, your mind conjures up those wonderful drinks you can buy at any quality restaurant or eatery. Cool, and refreshing, most people love them for their variety and flavor.

But there is so much more to a smoothie, and the Smoothie Insider explores the many ways to make a smoothie, and discover the health benefits associated with smoothies.

My name is Don Kowalski, author of this site. I live in the Willamette Valley, of the Pacific North West. This region boasts some of the most productive berry producing farms in the World.

So, we are blessed with a year round supply of fresh and frozen fruit. I give our fruit a 10 for sweetness and goodness!

I don't profess to be an expert in nutrition or fitness. But, I do know how to cook, and improvise in the kitchen. I am great at making up a recipe, and not writing it down!

When people ask for the recipe, I have to tell them it's somewhere in my head, maybe! I hope to capture more recipes for every one to enjoy. The Smoothie Insider is looking forward to hearing from you, be sure to post a comment at the bottom of this page.

I have always wanted to write a cook book, but there are so many on the market. I didn't have the resources to have the book published, let alone market it....And then came the Web, where anyone can publish, for not a lot of money.

There were several forces that compelled me to create a site like this, a couple of them being, I like to eat, and I like sweets! (who doesn't?).

But the real reason came a couple of years ago, when my spouse insisted I have a physical. I had been putting it off for years, because I knew what the doctor would tell me.

You see, I have a stressful job dealing with people's problems. I would take that stress home with me at night. How I dealt with it was to overeat, drink beer and smoke cigarettes.

Does this sound familiar? Oh yes, and not exercising was also on that menu.

When I did decide to go for a checkup, I knew in my heart that some drastic changes needed to be made. Mentally, I prepared myself.

At the appointment, the doctor confirmed my suspicions about blood pressure, cholesterol and such. He said I was number one in all the rankings except blood sugar. In this case, being number one is not a good thing!

What really tipped the scales, was me tipping the scales. When I saw how much I weighed, well, that was the wake up call I needed.

My doctor told me if I continued on my current path, I would develop a myriad of problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, lung problems, and so on.

With my doctor's help, we laid out a plan of action. Three things needed to happen.

This also meant giving up nasty habits (cigs of course).

Yes!...drastic changes in a short period of time, but for me it was an all or none thing, and I was ready for the challenge. It just simply was my time to quit.

Fast forward 60 days. My first check in with the doctor. I had lost 9 pounds...

...and believe me, that first 60 days was the toughest. But someone once said "if you can do something for at least 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit."

It is now two and a half years later, and I have lost 50 lbs. My workout intensity has increased, so I have gained muscle mass in place of fat.

I do not smoke and I do not drink alcohol. I have more energy, my memory is better, and all vital statistics like blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., are back to normal.

Medications? I take none. I eat more, but, I eat foods that help with weight loss. I like to think of my diet as "heart smart". I did a body mass test, and the results showed my body age to less than my physical age by 11 years.

This is so amazing to think I could, in such a short period of time, reverse the cycle I was on. I am not saying this to brag, I just want to point out where I was and where I am today.

Which leads me to the point of this web site...and the creation of the Smoothie Insider.

...Why are Smoothies So Important to My Diet?

When I began this quest, it was necessary to alter my eating habits. Instead of eating most of my daily intake at dinner time and at 10 pm, I had to start eating smaller amounts, but more often, and that included having something for breakfast.
I would also take small snacks to have at mid morning and mid afternoon.

I knew enough about nutrition to know the foods I had been eating were out.

But, the bottom line, I just needed to start eating more fruits and vegetables.

And less in the way of processed foods you buy from the store and fast foods. (Yes, I love those Cheeseburgers)

I was really looking for weight loss foods that could help me out with this. I bought several books covering various aspects of nutrition. I really needed to understand the big picture.

As my body started to adapt to this to this new way of eating, I found myself getting hungry, as if I was not taking in enough nutrition. I had jump started my metabolism, and it was telling me I needed to eat more. (Yeah!)

But I did not want to consume more calories, and jeopardize my losing weight. I read several books on the subject of super foods, and sugar in the diet.

What made sense to me was the concept of bio availability , or your bodies ability to absorb nutrients out of the food you eat. This seemed important!

So, it stood to reason that whole foods, fruits, and vegetables when broken down to very small pieces, would be better for you because you could absorb more of the nutrients, and it would aid in digestion.

The other problem I was having is I really missed eating dessert. To me, a bowl of ice cream, and fresh Willamette Valley Berries is like a little slice of heaven.

One day, we were walking through a Costco, and there was this demo for a commercial blender that could liquefy almost anything, without skipping a beat. Ironically, we were in the market for a new juicer, as the one we had, well, let's just say I am hard on the equipment, and I had burned up the gears.

The demo person was putting vegetables, fruit and ice in this machine, and BAM, out came this smoothie that tasted great. (I could not taste the veggies!)

We went home, and I researched the manufacturer. I was sold on this concept, so we purchased the smoothie maker

and never mind that it was not cheap, but I knew in my heart if we applied the theory behind it, we would be money ahead, eating better, and feeling better.

With our new purchase came a great recipe book on how to make smoothies, soups, frozen desserts, spreads, bread, and so on, all with a healthy twist.

Back to writing that book. My smoothie making adventures lead me to try all sorts of new recipes. And the result was I felt like I was getting more nutrition out of the food I was eating, and I was eating more servings of fruit and vegetables with ease.

My hunger pains had subsided, and I finally felt some control over the amount of food I eat, and what kinds of food...

...And the more I researched the subject, the more enthusiasm I gained. The Smoothie Insider was born!

Here is an added benefit: as I write more content for the Smoothie Insider, I get to do more research into the subject of nutrition. And hopefully, as this site develops, and you the reader enjoy it, you will be able to add to it too by adding comments, recipes, and more.

The Smoothie Insider is meant to be a place where people can learn how to make smoothies, and gain some insight into nutrition, weight loss, and just plain better health by making small changes in their daily lives.

The Smoothie Insider will be evolving over the next 24 months, so be sure to add it to your favorites, and check back from time to time. Until then!

Best Wishes,

Don Kowalski

P.S.The Smoothie Insider would like to hear from you. The name Smoothie Insider would give you some idea as to the types of content we would like to develop. We would like to publish your ideas in the Smoothie Insider, as we get further along in the site development. Thanks...Don

Remember, Eat Smoothies for Your Health, and for Your Life!

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