More than ever before, there has been an increase in fitness requirements. While exercise is largely encouraged, many fitness and health professionals advise that we watch what we eat. Smoothies Trusted Source Smoothie - Wikipedia A smoothie, or smoothy, is a drink made from pureed raw fruit and/or vegetables, using a blender.[1] A smoothie often has a liquid base such as fruit juice, dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, ice cream or cottage cheese. Smoothies may be made using other ingredients, such as non-dairy milk, crushed ice, sweeteners (honey or sugar), vinegar, whey powder, chocolate or nutritional supplements, among others by personal choice. en.wikipedia.org have therefore become very popular in recent times. We often see recipes for these drinks as we surf the internet when looking for something healthy. The question that many ask is whether these smoothies are actually beneficial. Since they are blended, does blending destroy nutrients? In this post, we consider these questions and more.
We will discuss what nutrients are and the effect that blending might have. Also, we will see what can be done to prevent the loss of nutrients, if any, that results from blending.
The first thing to know is what constitutes nutrients. What are they, and what do they do? Well, nutrients are substances found in food that help the body to replenish itself, reproduce, and thrive. There are numerous nutrients in nature, and many of them are great for the body. While some nutrients are created in the body, they are often in minute quantities and need to be supplemented by food.
With the right foods, you can get all the nutrients that you require to boost your health. It is highly recommended that the nutrients you get come from the food that you eat. Anyways, these nutrients are obtained from food and play a vital part in good health and growth.
There are two groups of nutrients. These are the macronutrients and the micronutrients.
The macronutrients are the foundation of every good diet and give you the energy you need. They include nutrients like fats, proteins, carbs, and even water.
These are the nutrients required in small doses by the body. They include the minerals and vitamins found in food.
We now know what nutrients are and the role they play in the body. How does blending work? What are the benefits and the drawbacks of blending? We will answer that in this section of this article.
To understand what blending does, we have to consider the basic blender – your teeth. How does chewing work, and what is the effect on fruits and vegetables?
The blending process is similar to what happens when you chew food. Chewing makes it possible to eat food without choking on it. Additionally, chewing breaks up any fibers that hold beneficial nutrients. The more chewing, the more the nutrients are accessible. Therefore, it is beneficial to chew food before swallowing.
The chewed food passes to the stomach, and digestion commences. The food is broken down, and a healthy body will process most of the nutrients in the food.
Blending is very similar to the chewing process. Like chewing, blending works to break down the fibers in the food and releases the nutrients as it blends the food.
The primary work of the blender is to change the food’s appearance by making it liquid. It makes it easier to take into the body as all you have to do is drink it. The process of blending does not destroy the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables.
Fiber is essential for the body and particularly for the digestive system. It also helps to regulate blood sugar. As the blender works, it does not destroy the fibers in the food. Instead, blending hastens the process of digestion by breaking the food into pre-digested food. Therefore, it aids the body in the quick absorption of nutrients.
What are the benefits of blending your vegetables? Let’s highlight some of the best benefits.
Vegetables are complicated foods. They usually come with fibrous exteriors that serve to protect them from the elements. Therefore, to get the nutrients, you have to peel back the layers. You might require to peel back all the layers before you can get the nutrients, and that is what blending can do for you.
The nutrients are great for the body and need to be extracted from the outer walls. Without blending, you achieve this by chewing the food. And although you might not be gulping down your vegetables, you might still not be getting all the benefits. However, when you blend the fruits and vegetables, you break down the food and cut out one step. If you are good at chewing food, then you will find blending especially helpful.
Furthermore, the quick digestion initiated by blending will likely make the nutrients more readily available to you. With blending, it becomes easier for the body to process and optimize nutrients.
Blending also serves as an excellent and often healthier alternative to using food supplements. With blenders like the NutriBullet NBR-601, you will have an easy way of blending your food quickly and on the go.
Since blending gives you a head start, so to speak, when it comes to digestion, it can help you if you have digestion problems. By blending, the stomach does not require to do hard work of breaking down the vegetables. While vegetables have a great effect on the body, they can prove difficult on the digestive system. The result of this extra work might be bloating or stomach upset. Therefore, by blending, you can give your digestive system a break.
Furthermore, if you are unable to break down your food properly chemically, you might have benefits from blending the produce.
One of the easiest means of staying healthy and losing weight is reducing the amount of food you eat. Many of the foods that are blended come with a good calorie count. Therefore, you can eat or drink as much as you like without being bothered about gaining weight.
You will feel less hungry and will have an easier time making healthy eating choices instead of eating unhealthy food.
When you blend your food, it breaks it down into liquid form but still keeps the fiber content intact. Thus, it is a better alternative to juicing your food. Fiber is pretty essential for regulating digestion, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and more.
Blending is an excellent way of adding greens to what you eat. It will improve the delivery of oxygen to the body cells. Blending will also help you to add more foods to your diet. By blending, you can get a wider variety of vitamins and minerals required for good health.
Blending is great, but it makes it rather easy for you to overload on sugar. You might not find the taste that appealing, which might make you add more sugar than is necessary for the mix. This can lead to flooding your body with nutrients and sugars, spike blood sugar levels.
Another downside of blending is the potential of suffering from dysfunction of the digestive system. If you replace blended food with whole form meals, it can disrupt your digestive system. The migrating motor complex of the intestines might become slower, which can increase the growth of bacteria in the gut.
Some experts say that blending leads to more than eighty percent loss in nutrients. They say that it is because of the oxidation that happens when you blend your vegetables. According to them, the air is sucked into the blender as it works, which oxidizes the food. However, is it true?
Oxidation does occur as you blend, but it is false that it destroys such a large percentage of the food’s nutrients. Oxidation occurs whenever we eat food and is something that is inevitable when blending or eating fruits. This does not, however, mean that the fruits have lost the majority of their nutrients. Blenders with glass jars can help to reduce the oxidation that occurs during blending.
The Hamilton Beach brand is renowned for its high-quality blenders that will serve you well for a long time.
No, it does not. Blending will not ruin the fiber in your food, and while a professional blender will break down the fiber, it does not destroy the fiber content. There will still be the fiber in the smoothie that will give you the health benefits that you require.
No, it does not. Blending will not destroy the nutrients in your greens. Even affordable blenders do a good job of maintaining the nutrient content of your food.
Here are tips on how to get the best from your blender.
By reducing the time spent on blending, you can reduce the loss of nutrients due to the heat created.
Drink the smoothie immediately after you make it. If you cannot drink right away, store the drink in the refrigerator.
Do not soak the fruits or vegetables in water after they have been cut. That could cause them to lose their nutrients.
So, should you chew your food or blend it? As we have discussed, chewing is great, but blending is easier and might even help you get more value and nutrients from your fruits and vegetables. Does blending destroy nutrients? No, it does not.
A smoothie serves as a healthy alternative to other processed foods, and by adding it to your diet, you will get even more sustenance.
