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Thinking about buying a high powered blender to make healthy smoothies..but then, I wondered-- what's the difference between EATING your greens/fruits and nuts, etc. over turning them into liquids and DRINKING them??
Is there any proof that drinking them is better than eating them??
(trying to avoid buying yet another small appliance....)
You can grind up some peels and seeds with a Vitamix that you wouldn't normally eat. Here's a long list of what works for one person: Which seeds and peels to exclude from Vitamix blends - Joy of Blending I read it when I was deciding whether or not to buy a Vitamix. I don't think the cheaper blenders like the NutriBullet will grind things as well.
In the end, I couldn't justify spending $500 on a blender, so I didn't get one.
One consideration for some people might be the condition of their teeth...if someone has trouble chewing or avoids some fruits and vegetables, then they might be able to eat more kinds of produce with the right blender. But that's not a consideration for most people. I only mention it because my grandma had a good blender so she could still eat raw veggies.
I wouldn't switch from food that requires chewing (unless it was required due to a medical condition) because chewing is the first stage to proper digestion.
Nutritionally, drinking vegetables is no better than eating them if you can chew them comfortably. But, I don't think its any worse either. The fiber doesn't disappear just because you liquefy them.
Yes, chewing is important, but those articles do not discuss the topic in the context of this thread, i.e., whether chewing vegetables before swallowing is superior to having a blender do the chewing and then drinking them. We have a blender. I can tell you one advantage, it takes a lot less time to drink a smoothie than to chew and swallow the vegetables that went into it.
You can grind up some peels and seeds with a Vitamix that you wouldn't normally eat. Here's a long list of what works for one person: Which seeds and peels to exclude from Vitamix blends - Joy of Blending I read it when I was deciding whether or not to buy a Vitamix. I don't think the cheaper blenders like the NutriBullet will grind things as well.
In the end, I couldn't justify spending $500 on a blender, so I didn't get one.
One consideration for some people might be the condition of their teeth...if someone has trouble chewing or avoids some fruits and vegetables, then they might be able to eat more kinds of produce with the right blender. But that's not a consideration for most people. I only mention it because my grandma had a good blender so she could still eat raw veggies.
That's an interesting observation aout dental challenges and drinking smoothies -- one I never thought of. I have teeth and can still chew so don't mind the crunchiness of a salad..
Nutritionally, drinking vegetables is no better than eating them if you can chew them comfortably. But, I don't think its any worse either. The fiber doesn't disappear just because you liquefy them.
Yes, chewing is important, but those articles do not discuss the topic in the context of this thread, i.e., whether chewing vegetables before swallowing is superior to having a blender do the chewing and then drinking them. We have a blender. I can tell you one advantage, it takes a lot less time to drink a smoothie than to chew and swallow the vegetables that went into it.
That makes sense! I wonder about the expense of blending vegetables/fruits versus creating a salad. Seems you could go through a boatload of ingredients to make a smoothie, but maybe not?
Today I made a lunch salad with Romaine, yellow cherry tomatoes, apple, blueberries, cuke, tuna, and a tiny sprinkle of Blue cheese. Guess I could have blended the same...except the Blue cheese & tuna...lol.
I believe the argument put forth by the pro-juicing contingent is that you can pack many more nutrients into a smoothie or juice than by eating a salad.
In other words, a large salad blended does not produce much juice, but you'll feel full if you try to eat the same quantity of fruits and veg found in most juices in one sitting.
Or leave in the blue cheese and tuna, and add a little vodka
Adds new meaning to "drinking your dinner."
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