Is one of the biggest health food misconceptions the obsession with smoothies and bowls of fruit?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Why is she putting that much sugar in a smoothie? It should be mostly protein.

It's not added sugar, it's the fruit itself. When you blend it you're mainlining all that sugar into your bloodstream. And really, those pretty bowls overflowing with 5 servings of high-sugar fruit aren't much better.

Your body needs sugar, better from fruit than candy

Our bodies need glucose but absolutely don't need sugar in the form of fructose or sucrose, i.e. sugars from fruit and candy. Fruit obv has lots of vitamins which are beneficial, but concentrated fruit juice is high in fructose, which is metabolized by your liver like alcohol. You don't need fructose just like you don't need alcohol, but fruit is beneficial in appropriate amounts, i.e. eating whole fruit and not drinking a liter of fruit juice a day.

And blending fruit is not the same as Juice.

Blended fruit has less fiber than whole fruit. A blender does what your body does to fruit - breaks down the fibers that hold the fruit together. When you let the blender do the work, your body has less work to do, and you digest the fruit faster. I recommend adding protein and fat to a smoothie to help your body digest more slowly and prevent a blood sugar spike.

It does what your teeth do, not what your stomach and intestines do. The fiber is all there, alright.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obviously a lot of triggered smoothie addicts in this thread who can’t acknowledge they’re addicted to sugar.

I never drink smoothies, but I know junk science when I hear it. Sorry your assertion that fresh fruit is the same as a candy bar didn’t go over as well as you’d hoped.

You are ignorant and do not understand GI.

Tell us more about your eating disorder. I’m all ears.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Any non-diabetic who is remotely concerned about the naturally occurring sugar found in fruit is an ignorant nutjob. Fruit is good for you, people.

As a diabetic I can tell you that many “health foods” including smoothies are really not different than a large spoonful of sugar straight from the sugar bowl. Sugar is sugar.

???

But fine people. You all win. Fruit is the devil and Americans are unhealthy and overweight and stupid because we have all been blending too many bananas and mangoes. I am converted, hallelujah!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone rate my smoothie:

Almond milk
Protein powder
TONS of spinach
Almond butter
Small amt of flax seed

Zero stars. Not enough like a candy bar.

And because you blend it, as people have been screaming ridiculously, you obviously lose all the fiber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a smoothie with a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a bunch of frozen mango. And water. I feel like it’s pretty healthy.

Pulverizing/blending fruit rids it of fiber and you consume many more servings and calories when you get fruit in via smoothies. That’s why they can be unhealthy. It’s like drinking a quart of mango juice.

Pulverizing rids it if it’s fiber? Not if you are drinking the whole thing. It doesn’t disappear into thin air. You are consuming it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a smoothie with a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a bunch of frozen mango. And water. I feel like it’s pretty healthy.

Pulverizing/blending fruit rids it of fiber and you consume many more servings and calories when you get fruit in via smoothies. That’s why they can be unhealthy. It’s like drinking a quart of mango juice.

Pulverizing rids it if it’s fiber? Not if you are drinking the whole thing. It doesn’t disappear into thin air. You are consuming it.

What do you think fiber is? Imagine a spool of thread. Now imagine thread woven or knitted into cloth. Do you see what fibers are? You can’t just consume fiberless food and say you are getting the same nutritional profile anymore than you can wrap blue yarn around yourself and claim to be wearing a blue dress. It has nothing to do with the fiber disappearing into thin air. You are talking about a different state of matter. A whole apple vs Apple cider vs Apple purée have different nutritional profiles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a smoothie with a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a bunch of frozen mango. And water. I feel like it’s pretty healthy.

Pulverizing/blending fruit rids it of fiber and you consume many more servings and calories when you get fruit in via smoothies. That’s why they can be unhealthy. It’s like drinking a quart of mango juice.

Pulverizing rids it if it’s fiber? Not if you are drinking the whole thing. It doesn’t disappear into thin air. You are consuming it.

What do you think fiber is? Imagine a spool of thread. Now imagine thread woven or knitted into cloth. Do you see what fibers are? You can’t just consume fiberless food and say you are getting the same nutritional profile anymore than you can wrap blue yarn around yourself and claim to be wearing a blue dress. It has nothing to do with the fiber disappearing into thin air. You are talking about a different state of matter. A whole apple vs Apple cider vs Apple purée have different nutritional profiles.

DP. You should cite that, because it doesn't make sense.

Fiber isn't long strands that are chopped up by the blender but not your teeth, nutritionally speaking. You know about fiber supplements, right? Like Benefiber, Metamucil? You realize these are powders? That's the level on which fiber operates, not like pieces of yarn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could easily drink 5-6 pieces of fruit in a smoothie. I wouldn’t be able to eat that many pieces of fruit in one meal. I think that is sometimes the issue. You consume a lot more when it is in liquid form. And those smoothie places really load up the sugar.

This is the real issue. They use a lot of fruit juices, plus other ingredients... like peanut butter and chocolate with banana.

I think y'all are confusing flavored shakes and juices with smoothies.

If you blend whole raw fruits and veggis in a blender and drink it without straining away the pulp, it is a smoothie and it is very nutritious. I am a diabetic and I eat a lot of fruits. And I drink smoothies too. If you do not add any sweeterners then you can make delicious smoothies with a whole lot of veggies and fruits. I use a combo of the following for my morning smoothie - mangos, berries, apples, bananas, lemon juice, oranges, spinach, cucumber, celery, yogurt, hemp hearts, chia seeds, acai powder, soaked almonds and inulin. And you really cannot have huge amounts of it.

[Anonymous]

Drinking fruit does not give yiu thr same satisfaction as eating it because it takes less time and effortyiur brain does

[Anonymous]

Ugh, that was not supposed to post. Tried to type:

Drinking food does not give you the same satisfaction as eating because it takes less time and effort to consume so your brain will perceive it differently and you are more likely to feel hungry more quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a smoothie with a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a bunch of frozen mango. And water. I feel like it’s pretty healthy.

Pulverizing/blending fruit rids it of fiber and you consume many more servings and calories when you get fruit in via smoothies. That’s why they can be unhealthy. It’s like drinking a quart of mango juice.

Pulverizing rids it if it’s fiber? Not if you are drinking the whole thing. It doesn’t disappear into thin air. You are consuming it.

What do you think fiber is? Imagine a spool of thread. Now imagine thread woven or knitted into cloth. Do you see what fibers are? You can’t just consume fiberless food and say you are getting the same nutritional profile anymore than you can wrap blue yarn around yourself and claim to be wearing a blue dress. It has nothing to do with the fiber disappearing into thin air. You are talking about a different state of matter. A whole apple vs Apple cider vs Apple purée have different nutritional profiles.

DP. You should cite that, because it doesn't make sense.

Fiber isn't long strands that are chopped up by the blender but not your teeth, nutritionally speaking. You know about fiber supplements, right? Like Benefiber, Metamucil? You realize these are powders? That's the level on which fiber operates, not like pieces of yarn.[/quote]

+ 1
People are very confused about nutrition. One of the best fibers I have found is called Inulin. It is a powerful PRE-BIOTIC too. The good bacteria feed on it and it helps to establish good bacteria in your gut. It comes as a powder that dissolves completely in a glass of water. Colorless, odorless and tasteless. It does not even clump up or becomes a soggy slimy goop like psyllium husk does. Drinking a glass of water with inulin 30 minutes before my lunch and dinner has helped me to lose weight easily.

It does not have to be like a piece of yarn. It can be pulverized as a powder and it will still work because it is basically stuff that takes a long time to break down (even in powder form) and so by the time you poop it out, it does not get absorbed in your body. It Some fiber(like Inulin) also provide food for the good bacteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make a smoothie with a bunch of spinach, a banana, and a bunch of frozen mango. And water. I feel like it’s pretty healthy.

Pulverizing/blending fruit rids it of fiber and you consume many more servings and calories when you get fruit in via smoothies. That’s why they can be unhealthy. It’s like drinking a quart of mango juice.

Pulverizing rids it if it’s fiber? Not if you are drinking the whole thing. It doesn’t disappear into thin air. You are consuming it.

What do you think fiber is? Imagine a spool of thread. Now imagine thread woven or knitted into cloth. Do you see what fibers are? You can’t just consume fiberless food and say you are getting the same nutritional profile anymore than you can wrap blue yarn around yourself and claim to be wearing a blue dress. It has nothing to do with the fiber disappearing into thin air. You are talking about a different state of matter. A whole apple vs Apple cider vs Apple purée have different nutritional profiles.

Nope. Puréed fruits and vegetables do not lose their fiber: https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/pureed-vegetables-much-fiber-fresh-1295.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, that was not supposed to post. Tried to type:

Drinking food does not give you the same satisfaction as eating because it takes less time and effort to consume so your brain will perceive it differently and you are more likely to feel hungry more quickly.

Perhaps.

However, drinking a smoothie made with healthy ingredients is an easy way to fuel your body with good nutrition and get your fiber, fruits and veggies in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone rate my smoothie:

Almond milk
Protein powder
TONS of spinach
Almond butter
Small amt of flax seed

Pretty good. I feel an apple in it will add to the nutrition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone rate my smoothie:

Almond milk
Protein powder
TONS of spinach
Almond butter
Small amt of flax seed

Pretty good. I feel an apple in it will add to the nutrition.

And the fiber content, actually.