You might not be thinking about a blueberry or Chunky Monkey smoothie in January, but Tracy Davenport would like to convince you otherwise. Give her five minutes, try a sample, and it won’t matter if a blizzard is on or high summer is wilting your daffodils. You’ll be ordering one, and planning to return for more.
It all happens at Tracy’s Smoothie Place, 503 Washington Avenue.
Davenport loves a good challenge. Combined with an ongoing quest for understanding dietary health issues—she has a Ph.D in Human Development and a Master’s in Psych.—she sees her smoothies business as a way to offer opportunities for others to learn about dietary health while enjoying some delicious and healthy smoothies and frozen yogurts.
“I hope these smoothies—made without sugar or high fructose corn syrup—give people a chance to learn more about what they eat,” she says. But Davenport doesn’t proselytize, she engages. “To each his or her own about what they want to eat, but I think that information can be powerful and help us to identify options.”
It all started with her second child Ben, born in 2003 with a lifelong gastroesophageal reflux disease that requires ongoing dietary vigilance. Not only was it a painful struggle for the infant, but it impacted the whole family. And the ever inquisitive Davenport was not happy with the medical advice she received.
“There was a dismissive quality with some of the health care providers who treated my son, and I wasn’t getting the answers and information I needed to help him,” she says. “So I decided to study it myself and I suggest that anyone who has a child with the same disorder do some research and talk to those who are experiencing the same issues.”
At that point, Davenport, inspired by her need to understand how the healthcare field worked, enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Delaware and began her journey to learn about human development and healthcare. Already she’d started to read food ingredient labels carefully to protect her son from allergic reactions.
In her third year at U of Delaware, she also began as a contributor to the online healthcentral.com where she started a series about Digestive Health but has since broadened her health topics. One recent article addressed the benefits of swimming as part of one’s whole body winter workout.
Co-authoring with her husband, Mike, an athletic coach At Washington College, Davenport wrote a book about gastroesophageal reflux disease hoping to help others avoid some of the pitfalls she endured. “Acid Reflux in Infants and Children” is billed as “a practical guide for parents, caregivers, and healthcare providers” and offers firsthand experience framed by her own research.
“I’m also planning a ‘Clean Eating Day,” Davenport says. “I’ve done it with some of my students in the past—she taught Psychology for four years at Chesapeake Community College—and it’s a fun way to learn about what we actually eat.”
Participants simply write down the ingredient labels to everything they eat for a 12 hour period, bring it into Tracy’s Smoothies and find out about each ingredient. “It’s not about putting anybody down for their choices. It’s about discovery and learning. It’s fun. Keep up with us on our Facebook page for more information and announcements.”
While Davenport’s mission is to continue teaching about diet and health, one look at the list of smoothies on the blackboard will quickly dispel any idea that healthy food can’t be delicious, even slightly whimsical and decadent,
Try, for instance, Tracy’s Chunky Monkey, with peanut butter, banana and nonfat Greek yogurt to Coach Jonnie’s Recovery with blueberries, bananas, peanut butter and protein powder, to freshly blended frozen yogurt—strawberry, peach, pineapple-mango—and you’re beginning to realize that Tracy’s Smoothies Place is another great addition to Chestertown’s growing assortment of fun places to eat.
And why wait for warmer weather? Tracy offers Frozen Hot Chocolate for the daring and regular hot chocolate for the shivering.
Check out Tracy’s Smoothie Place Facebook page.
(410) 778-2203
Open 9am-4pm, Monday – Saturday
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