Health diet: smoothies..are they bad for you?

IMO it was just someone's opinion!

Fads in foods come and go.
Remember 'Go to work on an egg', then the scare about salmonella, then concerns about eggs being high in cholesterol?

Perhaps all-fruit smoothies might be high in sugars but surely it's better to have a daily smoothie than not have any fruit or vegetables at all?

The trouble with smoothies and juices is that fibre is broken down and sometimes removed completely. Whole foods are healthier and probably more filling, but I agree with Callistemon. Smoothies contain vitamins and minerals, so they're not bad for you, especially if you can't eat anything else.

I do seem to put weight on when I have smoothies. I do like them though.

Try soups instead of smoothies.

There's another thread going about so-called online 'experts' and this is a perfect example. Just because someone says it doesn't make it true. When it comes to food you will find a million different opinions on what is bad and good for you, so just eat sensibly and don't overdo the smoothies. There was a man who died from consuming too much carrot juice. His liver couldn't cope and he had turned orange. Everything in moderation.

I was very impressed by what he said, though. He was an oncologist that had done many years of research into how diet affected one’s outcome if suffering from cancer. A lot of what he said made perfect sense and was very similar to the things that Tim Spector has been saying. Mainly that the future of medicine needs to be aimed at prevention rather than curing illnesses once they had developed. He was very interested in gut bacteria, too, something else that the ZOE App was looking at. I didn’t set out to listen to it but it followed on from something else. I’ll see if I can find it.

Lost it. Should have made a note of who it was.

MayBee if you enjoy smoothies have them. But make sure you eat food in its normal state as well. Anything liquid and cold is quickly drunk. But it doesn't fill you up for long. Eating a hot homemade made soup slows you down eating and I have found keeps me full longer so I don't snack.

You need to eat an proper meal to keep your body in good working order. I have stopped buying some things because I am still trying to lose just over a stone after lossing 7 over a 5 year time period. I realised it's a marathon not a sprint. I have no control over some foods so I don't buy them .

If you listened to all the so called experts we wouldn't eat and drink anything. It's goes in phases. Coffee,red wine,chocolate etc is bad for you then a few months later they are good for you. All it is people making money from writing a book or doing a program about it.

We just need to use common sense . And cook from scratch it's cheaper and healthier than ready made foods. I don't mean cooking from scratch everyday . I can't do that. I make a large stew of some sort heavy in veg and pulses plus either Quorn or chicken . I portion it up into 6 oven proof dishes. And keep it in the fridge same with my lentil and whatever soup. Soup is made up with what veg I have fresh or frozen. Again 6 lunches. I eat like this all year round even in the hottest weather. As with health problems at least I always have lunch and dinner in the fridge. My breakfast porridge is made in the microwave .

My dad had a great saying any fool can follow a recipe but it's take skill to use left overs.

Smoothies are personal choice but miss out on fibre from actual fruit and vegetable. Probably good for those who have difficulty preparing food or have extremely busy lives. Some fresh fruit and maybe raw veg such as carrots or peppers would be a healthy addition.
I cook big stews casseroles and the likes to freeze in portions. I make soup every couple of days so there is always some for lunch. I make big salads but don’t put any dressing on until needed so it lasts longer.
I use stalks from all veg and rarely peel the skin as I was told by my mum that’s where the goodness is under the skin.

I agree its the fibre you are missing out on if you dont eat the fruit and veg whole as it were. I just think that at some stage in our lives we should eat and drink what we like as long as we feel well and not giving ourselves other problems.

BigBertha1

I agree its the fibre you are missing out on if you dont eat the fruit and veg whole as it were. I just think that at some stage in our lives we should eat and drink what we like as long as we feel well and not giving ourselves other problems.

But surely if you use the liquidiser to make the smoothie the fibre stays in?

There is no such thing as bad food, just bad diets. if you only consume vegetables in a smoothie, probably a no no, do it once a week and it doesn't matter a toss.

Repeat. There is no such thing as a bad food, just a bad diet.

growstuff

The trouble with smoothies and juices is that fibre is broken down and sometimes removed completely. Whole foods are healthier and probably more filling, but I agree with Callistemon. Smoothies contain vitamins and minerals, so they're not bad for you, especially if you can't eat anything else.

Juices remove the fibres but are smoothies the whole fruit and/or veg?

I'm not sure because I don't often have them.

But surely if you use the liquidiser to make the smoothie the fibre stays in?

I would think so too.

One interesting thing was he said it was it was tragic that cannabis was regarded as a recreational drug in the ( I think) 1940’s which stopped it’s potential both as a preventative medicine and as pain relief

I've often thought that if Walter Raleigh had been around in the last century and discovered tobacco, it would be classified as Class C drug!

I can't see any difference in using your teeth to liquidise smoothie ingredients, or a gadget.
It's exactly the same food.

?
Less work for the jaw

I wish I could find it and am annoyed that I didn’t make a note of who he was. But it came on after another podcast and I immediately found what he was saying interesting. I think it’s the fact that a smoothie is easily absorbed so all the roughage doesn’t pass through the intestines and maybe it pushes blood sugar levels up quickly? He also recommended green tea, blueberries and turmeric, all things that I make a point of eating. But yesterday I had my fruit with yoghurt instead of throwing it all in the blender. Another thing that the podcast made me remember was standing in a supermarket years ago and a woman next to me saying ‘ if you want to be healthy don’t eat dairy or pork’. I’ve never forgotten that! Now to try to find the podcast again. I can’t even remember what I’d been listening to beforehand.

Yes, I suppose that could be a point; it's a bit too technical for me.

So, perhaps if someone made a lumpier smoothie, that would be better, in that case?

Actually, I'm glad you posted this, because I have been considering getting a very cheap smoothie maker.
I don't think I'll bother, now.

Oh I love my smoothies. Just had one with vanilla protein powder, blueberries, apple, banana, broccoli, yoghurt, cinnamon,green tea and nuts and I buy flavour boosts, todays was strawberry. I’ve thrown in my daily turmeric golden paste, too. Perhaps I should throw in a sachet of Fybogel!

Oh that does sound nice!!
I'm swaying now towards considering trying out a small, cheap thing, now.

I think I just need to change my mindset in that smoothies are a lovely treat but not uber healthy!

Perhaps all fruit ones are sugary?
How much harm could a big piece of cucumber do, though?