Orange Strawberry Squash Smoothie
This two-serving sipper is a delicious way to help you reach your daily fruit and veggie requirements. Like many smoothies, you could blend it into a drink or a smoothie bowl. If you want to make more of a meal out of it, add protein-rich enhancers, like protein powder or Greek yogurt.
This smoothie bowl packs 27 g of protein to power you through a long morning. Plus, wild blueberries are packed with antioxidants and fiber.
If a non-dairy smoothie is more your style, this one, with plant-based protein powder, makes a delicious and filling meal.
Cottage cheese provides the protein in this layered drink. Its made parfait-style so the smoothie and cottage cheese are kept separateperfect for days when you want to dig in with a spoon.
Practicing Food Combining With Smoothies
If you love your smoothies, you may be reading the rules of food combining with dismay. Blending a smoothie is the ultimate in combining a lot of different foods in one easy meal. Its what makes smoothies so nutritious, delicious, and convenient. If you think you want to try food combining to eliminate digestive issues, you dont have to ditch your smoothies. You can practice food combining with smoothies. Here are some tips to help you get started:
What Is The Vegetable To Avoid
Nightshade vegetables, like peppers, potatoes, and eggplant, are are controversial, because many claim they can cause inflammation, according to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietician. This can lead to some pretty serious complications down the line: heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, to name a few.
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The Little Known Benefits Of Blending Fruits And Vegetables
Staying healthy and fit has become one of the main goals among people of all age groups. Considering the increasing number of health issues, thanks to their unhealthy lifestyle, it is essential to take the right steps to stay healthy. One of the easiest ways to stay healthy is to include green smoothies in your diet. All you need is some healthy green vegetables along with a good grinder and blender. Though most of you may cringe at the thought of drinking green smoothie, however blending vegetables can give you a lot of benefits. The range of grinder and blender from KENT make it easy to make your favorite smoothies in minutes. In this blog, we discuss the health benefits of blending vegetables and fruits.
Best Vegetables For Smoothies
Published: by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN //
This post highlights the best vegetables for smoothies and recipes that use them! Youll learn about the best greens for smoothies and the best veggies to blend. Use my tips to get your daily vegetables in a smoothie that actually tastes good.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my affiliate disclosure.
When my readers ask about easy ways to increase their veggie intake, I almost always mention smoothies! Drinking vegetables is more palatable than eating veggies for some people. Plus, you can put a LOT of produce in a single smoothie.
Even better, whipping up a smoothie requires minimal prep time. But making a vegetable smoothie that actually tastes good does require some thought. Thats why I put together this post on the best vegetables for smoothies. Spoiler alert: leafy greens arent the only veggies you can blend.
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Cons Of Juicing And Blending
There can also be some downsides to blending or juicing, especially when you drink juices or smoothies as a meal replacement.
Cons of juicing. Juice diets or cleanses have become a popular way to lose weight quickly. But when you drink juice as a meal replacement, you deprive your body of the calories and protein that it needs. You might lose weight quickly, but you also lose water and muscle mass, which isnt sustainable long-term.
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Additionally, fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels, so drinking too much juice may cause your blood sugar to spike. Fiber is also responsible for keeping you full, so you might be left feeling hungry after drinking only juice.
Cons of blending. Blending smoothies wont cause your blood sugar to spike as much as with drinking juice, but they can raise your blood sugar levels because of all the fruit. To help keep sugar in check, use no more than two servings of fruit per smoothie.
Too much fiber can cause problems like gas and indigestion. With a smoothie, you might eat too much of it without realizing.
You May Be Eating Too Many Calories
One of the mistakes you could be making with your smoothie is by drinking it in addition to a large breakfast. “Adding smoothies to your meals may result in too many calories and weight gain,” says Braslow. “Tune into the calories in a smoothie and make sure it fits within your daily calorie budget.”
Rather than doubling down on breakfast foods, Braslow recommends consuming your smoothie by itself: “Alternatively, using a smoothie as a meal replacement may be a nice choice for weight loss.”
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What Are Green Smoothies
While most smoothies contain at least one serving of fruit, green smoothies also have the addition of some kind of green leafy vegetable. The most commonly used leafy greens in green smoothies include spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, or mixed greens.
You might automatically assume that something green is good for you, but the healthfulness of smoothies can be debated. It is important to remember that everyone is an individual, and smoothies may work for some and not for others.
Lets review both the benefits and risks of drinking green smoothies.
Adding Veggies To Your Smoothie
While leafy greens are a great start to vegetables in your smoothie, are there other ways to add in veggies that wont have you doing the plug the nose and gulp routine? Yes! There are tons of great veggies that add nutrition to smoothies, without altering the taste. In this fruit and vegetable smoothie, I added cucumber and celery. Celery is loaded with fiber and antioxidants, as well as nutrients that help lower blood pressure. Cucumber, which is actually a fruit that most people refer to as a veggie, contains fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium. Both green ingredients are bright, crunchy, and pair nicely with the lemon and ginger for a happy wakeup call.
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Should Fruits Vegetables Be Mixed Together
Heres a great way to get your kids to enjoy their whole fruits and vegetables..Click below for a sing along sheet with all the lyrics..http://www.badanamu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Feels_so_Fresh_01.pdf.Join the Badanamu Club for a free song activity to do along with Badas Fruit and Vegetables.http://eepurl.com/VGlwP.About Badanamu:Badanamu started with an idea to change the world of early learning. Young children can learn and engage with ESL, phonics, and STEM lessons through our educational songs and nursery rhymes..We create high-quality, educational songs for you and your kids to enjoy together. Learn about animals, colors, numbers, and much more! Its time to embark on a playful adventure full of love and discovery with the cute and adorable Badanamu friends..Social Media.#nurseryrhymes #kidssongs #childrensongs #babysongs #funsongs.#earlychildhoodeducation #preschool #English #education.
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John from http://www.discountjuicers.com answers the question if you should mix fruits and vegetables when juicing. He also talks about the differences between fresh and bottled juices.
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Ditch The Ice And Freeze Some Fruits
Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas , grapes, pineapple or berries. This is also a great way to not waste ripe fruits . You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender .
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You May Not Feel As Satiated
“If smoothies are often used as meal replacements, they may not be as filling as a regular meal,” says Jones. “That’s because at least part of feeling full and satisfied comes from chewing food thoroughly. Chewing is an important part of the digestive process and helps produce enzymes to break down food.”
Drinking Your Veggies: The Cons
Sugar Overload: Sugars, whether from produce or a candy bar, can cause blood sugar spikes, a big reason that Medlie products focus on veggies instead of fruit . “We were inspired to provide a better alternative to fiberless juices and sugar bomb smoothies by truly embracing the vegetable,â she says of the brand. âRather than trying to hide a little kale amidst too much mango and apple, we want to celebrate the flavor of kale, avocado, tomatoes, carrots and more â making it tasty and easy for people to fit these veggies into their busy lives.â
Dr. Nibber agrees that packing health drinks with too much sugar is a big con of liquifying produce and a common mistake that people make. Further, pulverizing produce can lead to âflooding the system with nutrients and sugars,” she says. â you can get the spike in blood sugars rather than a slower-timed release, as you would with eating them.â
This weighted material activates the conveyor belt moving everything forward, enabling absorption and processing for removal. If that weighted material isnât heavy enough, it becomes less responsive. So the MMC sometimes moves forward too soon while other times will not respond at all long-term juicing may desensitize that sensor for your MMC.â
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They May Interfere With Certain Medications
“The high Vitamin K content in leafy greens such as spinach and kale can reduce the effects of certain anti-clotting medications,” says Jones. “Green leafy vegetables are a staple in smoothies and the amount may interfere with these medications. People taking blood-thinners do not need to avoid vitamin K, but should still talk to their medical team about how much they should consume.”
Food Combining And Digestion
The main point of food combining is to improve digestion. Anyone interested in nutrition and diet, whether proponents or opponents of food combining, will agree that our modern, western diet has caused us some serious digestive issues. Our ancestors had, and people in other parts of the world still have, a natural and healthy diet, which produces a varied and full micro-ecosystem of bacteria in the gut. This ecosystem aids digestion.
The western lifestyle, including diet, has depleted this ecosystem, which is why so many of us struggle with indigestion. In one study, researchers compared the gut bacteria of children in Europe with those in Africa eating a diet similar to what our ancestors ate several thousands of years ago. The African children had many more bacteria, which allowed them to digest fiber better, to get more energy from food, and to avoid certain infectious and non-infectious diseases of the digestive tract.
Recreating a better ecosystem in our guts may be complicated. More research is needed to figure out just how we can reintroduce bacterial species that aid digestion. In the meantime, for anyone struggling with indigestion, food combining can be a practical solution.
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List Of Fruits And Vegetables That Can Be Used In Smoothies
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Eating 2 to 6 cups of fruits and vegetables daily reduces your risk of heart disease, helps lower blood pressure, reduces the risk of stroke, helps fight some forms of cancer and reduces eye disease and intestinal inflammation, according to Harvard University School of Public Health. There is no magic combination for fruit and vegetable smoothie recipes. Experiment with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your smoothies and add fat-free milk or yogurt for extra calcium and vitamin D.
Big Blend Green Smoothie Recipe
- I start with 8 ounces of water
- Then I choose three vegetables. Typically, I use about 3 cups or large handfuls of spinach, one whole carrot and one or two small vine tomatoes.
- Next, I choose three fruits. I start with either mango, pear or apple for the base, then I add one whole orange and either 1 cup blueberries, strawberries or pineapple to flavor.
- Sometimes, I will add 1/4 avocado which helps give the smoothie a nice creamy texture while boosting the calories and healthy fat content to make the smoothie more satisfying.
Directions: Start by adding the liquid to your blender , followed by the soft fruit. Add the greens to your blender last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.
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Three Vegetable Smoothie Recipes
One of my nutrition goals is to make sure to fuel my body with nutritiously dense foods.
One of my favorite ways to get in some quick, easy, and healthy nutrition is with smoothies! I know adding vegetables to smoothies can still be a little taboo for some, so I wanted to create 3 veggie-packed smoothie recipes for beginners.
First of all, I promise you cant taste the veggies, and you wont even know that theyre there.
Looking At The Science
Aside from breaking down the science of digestion, there hasn’t been a lot of research on whether food combining is beneficial in other ways. There was one study, published in the âInternational Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disordersâ in April 2000, looked at the effects of food combining on weight loss. Researchers put 54 participants with obesity on one of two diets: a low-calorie food-combining diet or a regular calorie-restricted diet.
Each group’s food contained similar amounts of each macronutrient , but on the food-combining diet, macronutrients were separated from each other at meal times. On the regular low-calorie diet, the macronutrients in meals were mixed. After a period of six weeks, researchers found that weight loss was similar in both groups. Both groups also experienced similar reductions in blood pressure, blood glucose and insulin levels and cholesterol levels.
The group eating mixed meals did have slightly more fat loss, but researchers noted that the difference wasn’t really statistically significant. Since this study, there hasn’t been much research done on food combining, specifically.
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Gives You A Chance To Include New Foods
Almost everyone has the habit of eating only those food items that we like and ignore the rest of the healthy alternatives. Blending helps you introduce a new group of food items to your diet. Including a variety of items in the smoothie can help you get the different types of vitamins and minerals that you need to stay healthy.
How To Build A Better Smoothie According To A Nutritionist
If youre turning to smoothies as part of your strategy to lose weight or take your healthy eating up a notch, your menu may need a little attention. Done right, smoothies can make nutritious sense, packing satisfying ingredients along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and other health-protecting substances. But even some of the most healthful smoothie ingredients can add up to a lot of calories and therefore, interfere with your weight loss goals or worse, lead to unintentional weight gain. Read on to find out if youre making some common smoothie mistakes, discover how to build the best smoothie and find nutritionist-approved recipes to get your smoothie-making up to speed.
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Differences Between Juicing And Blending
Doctors recommend eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, but studies show that Americans are averaging only about one serving per day. Because of this, juicing and blending have become popular options when it comes to getting more fruits and veggies.
Juicing. Juicing is a way to consume fruits or vegetables in liquid form. You need a juicer, an appliance that separates the pulp of the fruit or vegetable from the liquid. The liquid is thin and easy to drink, and it has the vitamins and minerals from the fruits and vegetables. You do not drink parts of the fruit like the peel or pulp.
Blending. Another way to get in several servings of fruits and vegetables is by blending or making smoothies. You use the whole fruit or vegetable, sometimes including the skin. Blending keeps the fiber and nutrients that you would get if you ate the whole fruit or veggie.
When blending fruits or vegetables, you drink whatever it is that you put into your blender, as there is no separation of the pulp from the liquid. You need fewer fruits and veggies to make a smoothie than you would need to make a serving of juice, as you are using the whole product.
Can Be Tough On Digestion
Consuming cold foods and beverages, especially raw vegetables, can cause bloating and discomfort. Cooking veggies breaks down some of the fiber, as does blending. If you are having digestive trouble but you want to drink a green smoothie, try steaming your veggies before blending.
Its also wise to eat, not drink, your smoothies. Chewing signals the release of digestive enzymes and stomach acid which is important as carbohydrate digestion begins with salivary amylase. Consider your smoothie a full meal, and slowly chew each bite.
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