The adverts have been on for over a year now..but I haven’t heard of many people buying them so I assumed we all knew…Until I had a comment on my stop snacking on sugar post,
“I’m trying to kick a sugar addiction at the moment. But I can’t bear to juice vegetables!”
Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there… don’t you know it’s bad for you?
But then, it occurred to me how would you or anyone know that drinking vegetables are bad, the media tells us smoothies and blenders are amazing. Nutri ninjas, Nutri bullet and Bella extractors are everywhere and we all know vegetables are good for us. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Breville Blend-Active
but I only use it for soups, ice creams and things that I really enjoy..
But, Blending vegetables isn’t all bad, if it’s something you enjoy. But remember, you’re removing the fiber, so if you want it for flavour and not for filling just choose a low sugar high water vegetable; cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, kale, tomatoes.
Drinking vegetables is a waste!
But then, it occurred to me how would you or anyone know that drinking vegetables are bad, the media tells us smoothies and blenders are amazing. Nutri ninjas, Nutri bullet and Bella extractors are everywhere and we all know vegetables are good for us. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Breville Blend-Active
but I only use it for soups, ice creams and things that I really enjoy..
But, why are they bad?
The most important thing I’ve ever learnt with healthy eating in mind is that you should never waste your ‘fuel’ or calories on liquid. Our body needs calories to survive but our foods are so calorie dense already we can’t afford to add them all up in a few drinks.
But vegetable smoothies are a 100-200 calories, they can’t be that bad.Well, let’s think about that, shall we? What vegetables do we choose to turn into a smoothie, the nice ones! The vegetables that are sugary already, so they taste good when you drink them, which is why they’re more calorie dense than you’d think.
What else can I have instead of a vegetable smoothy that fill me up and still is healthy for 100-200 calories you could have;
- A banana and a roasted sweet potato!
- Roasted cinnamon spiced Apple and rice flaked porridge (gluten free)
- Bacon wrapped eggs (two)
- A paleo waffle and fruit salad ( a small one)
- A paleo waffle and bacon (a small one)
- A poached egg on a courgette hash with onions tomatoes and mushrooms!
There are tonnes of healthy alternatives, these are just similar in calories, feel free to browse then recipes page if you want some inspiration. But, back to smoothies…
So, why don’t they fill us up?
Vegetables are great for cooking with and for eating as the grounding process our mouths and stomach do only ground it to a paste and don’t break them down into a liquid (removing the fiber). So Essentially, when blending vegetables you’re breaking down all of the fiber, yes even the special blenders that promise not to if they make it smooth they still break it down.
Fiber is important for vegetables because the majority of the time we’re eating them we’re doing it for health, to fill us up and stop us from snacking on bad foods, fiber acts like a barrier.
Imagine a bucket (that’s your stomach)
Next imagine the bucket full of hay. (the bulky fiber in the veg)
Pour your vegetable juice through the hay.. Goes in pretty quickly, right?
Now, If you crushed and squashed it into a paste it take a pretty long time to move to the bottom of the bucket!
Pour your vegetable juice through the hay.. Goes in pretty quickly, right?
Now, If you crushed and squashed it into a paste it take a pretty long time to move to the bottom of the bucket!
That’s what happens! A blender smooths out all the bulky fiber and makes absorbing the sugars in the vegetables happen quicker. Raising your blood sugar levels much quicker and leaving you with an almost empty stomach.
 |
| Sometimes they really taste nice… |
But, Blending vegetables isn’t all bad, if it’s something you enjoy. But remember, you’re removing the fiber, so if you want it for flavour and not for filling just choose a low sugar high water vegetable; cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, kale, tomatoes.
Hope this helped in any of your breakfasty and healthy decisions!
*I’m making a Christmas hack / Christmas sugar post so make sure you come back for that!
*I’m making a Christmas hack / Christmas sugar post so make sure you come back for that!
As always, if you like the article, why not like me on facebook too?
