Michael Van Straten’s new book Super Food, Super Juice, Super Health combines healthy super foods with culinary expertise to bring you the very best book on enjoying eating whilst doing yourself a huge favour and treating your body like a temple!

Super Food, Super Juice, Super Health contains over 250 recipes which aid health generally and can even help with specific ailments ranging from acne and back pain to varicose veins and herpes!

Not only does Super Food, Super Juice, Super Health have some of the best recipes I’ve ever used (see below), it is a mini encyclopaedia of nutritional science with easily read scientifically rigorous sections on the role of food and drink on energy production and other bodily functions from immunity and circulation, right through to positive thinking and sensuality. After each introductory section specific recipes are given for each health concern.

Each individual recipe has a comprehensive overview of health benefits as well as a handy ‘vital stats’ quick glance paragraph. Every single one of the recipes uses readily available ingredients and is easy to prepare (otherwise I would be lost!).

Michael Van Straten has included an A-Z on the benefits of key raw ingredients and the specific beneficial nutrients found in each, an A-Z of vitamins and minerals, in what food/drink they can be found and why they are needed. There is also a ‘health booster’ section on common ailments and what natural food/drink sources can be used to treat them. If you are like me and are very ‘hit n miss’ when it comes to making stocks, the book even has a section on all the stocks you will need for the recipes.

As you would expect, the book is well indexed and organised to make for easy reading and finding information quickly, the design its self is a work of art, the accompanying pictures sublime!

Super Food, Super Juice, Super Health is a must for every kitchen! The holistic approach to the role of nutrition in human health is gravely lacking; Michael Van Straten fills this gap in culinary knowledge with great recipes backed up by good science which has been tried and tested by human experience over the centuries! If you buy one cooking book in your life, buy this easy going and aesthetically pleasing but rich rich guide to boosting your health from all angles!

A teaser for your taste buds! (My review of two individual recipes)

Avocado Smokie

Will I ever eat anything else again? Well… balanced diet and all that. This recipe is killer, if you want to impress the mother in law this is a sure winner (but you may need to go easy on the Tabasco). Far too few people use avocado effectively in cooking or smoothing, Michael Van Straten shows you how to use it properly, easily and as an accompaniment to possibly the best fish in the world. He also clears up some horrible misconceptions about two of the best sources of fatty acids available in your diet! This recipe would be great for those with poor circulation or high LDL (Bad) cholesterol due to the HDL (Good) cholesterol in the salmon and avocado.

Passionate Pumpkin

Where I come from pumpkins are scary not passionate! Ah well! This smoothie is a great flavour combo of pumpkin, mango, apricot and saffron with the added goodness of sesame seeds and wheat germ. The flavour is tangy yet rich causing an avalanche in your mouth (metaphorically… ok, you got that). Not only will this tantalise your taste buds but it’ll also ramp up your erm… *cough* life, aid in production of male gametes and soothe menstrual cramps (for women that is, if you’re male and experience these see a doctor very soon!).

As for the methodology, rather than juice your fruit I’d be lazy and just whack all the ingredients into the smoothie maker together, but then I guess I’m rather biased.

Michael Van Straten’s Super Food, Super Juice, Super Health is on sale at Amazon for the ridiculous bargain price of only £12.30. Get it now, you wont be disappointed!

Unique features make this machine quick, easy and fun for everyone–children and adults alike. A dispensing tap allows for continuous mixing and easy dispensing and the specially designed goblet funnels all your healthy, fruity ingredients into the blending blades and tap outlet. An ingenious mixing stick designed for use while the machine is in action is the secret to the perfect smoothie, allowing you to add all your ingredients without having to stop and remove the lid to stir.

The Kenwood Junior is available in silver or white, I personally prefer the silver, although they both function the same way so colour doesn't really matter. The Kenwood junior is one of the cheapest on the market offering a good capacity and motor power.

2 Speeds, one for mixing and dispensing and one for smoothing This machine will blend in about 20secs, which is by far the fastest I’ve tried.

Again the machine features the ‘hole in the top’ for adding ingredients as you go a long and the “ingenious” (I never thought of ingenious, don’t get me wrong it’s great, but anyone could have thought of that, right?) stirring rod.

Blend your smoothie for a mere 20 seconds and the super powerful 800W motor will help those blades crunch up the ice and fruit. The extra large stainless steels 2 Litre goblet not only makes you look like a professional smoothie-er, it also makes this Smoothie Maker perfect for having friends over or even hosting your own Smoothie Party.

Unique features make this machine quick, easy and fun for everyone–children and adults alike. A dispensing tap allows for continuous mixing and easy dispensing and the specially designed goblet funnels all your healthy, fruity ingredients into the blending blades and tap outlet. An ingenious mixing stick designed for use while the machine is in action is the secret to the perfect smoothie, allowing you to add all your ingredients without having to stop and remove the lid to stir.

If this Smoothie is not the right one for you check out some of the other reviews, and have a look at the wide range available in our shop

After buying cartons of Innocent Smoothies, it is a joy to actually make the smoothies myself each morning! There are loads of great recipes and they all taste just like real innocent smoothies. The recipes are easy to follow and the helpful hints and tips are very useful. I love the quirky way the book is written, and have had a few laughs with them. A much more exciting to way to get your 5 a day than munching through apples! This book is a must have! Well done Innocent!