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

I watched the video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcTTVut78YQ

As far as smoothies are concerned, I would have thought it depends on what you put in them and why you're having a smoothie rather than eating whole foods.

Smoothies are an easily digestible way of consuming a lot of energy (calories) for people who have difficulties, for example with chewing or other difficulties with digestion. So they're good if you're ill and/or in danger of malnutrition. They're not so good if you're overweight and trying to lose weight or diabetic.

They also tend to be very sugary. It's easy to forget that fruit and even vegetables are mainly sugar. Of course, they're better for us than added sugars or starchy food and they do contain a range of vitamins and minerals. One of the biggest advantages of whole vegetables and fruit is that they contain fibre, but this is broken down in smoothies, so the sugar is metabolised more quickly. Great, if you want an instant energy boost - not so great if you're diabetic or want to feel full for longer.

It's very easy to pack a smoothie with far more calories than people think. That probably isn't too much of a problem if they're a meal substitute, but not so great if people are using them as a drink in addition to a meal.

In the video, the doctor claimed that being overweight/obese is the biggest risk for certain cancers, including breast cancer, which in many post-menopausal women thrives on the oestrogen produced by fatty cells. Smoothies can contribute to obesity, if people aren't aware what they're drinking, so they're not an "other" risk factor - they could be part of the problem.

Not all meat eaten n sandwiches is processed meat, ham, yes, not good to eat every day, but occasional beef and chicken are not usually processed, if the bread is white that isn't good for you either. In general, it's good to eat different things not the same things every day, higher in fibre and lower in saturated fat and make sure you have a rainbow of veg. There look to be other risk factors too, genetics, Crohn's, being overweight, too much saturated fat,too much booze , tobacco use, being inactive, older. I hope the doc gave you better lifestyle advice as well as judgement

Yes. I have a Nutribullet. I bought some HUEL flavour boosts recently though and I think I’m a bit addicted to my smoothies.

I make a Nutribullit smoothie each morning for breakfast.

I put in : handful of spinach. Half an avocado. Banana.
Handful of blueberries, handful of raspberries, some almonds and maybe some ginger.
I blend it all up with some coconut water as it needs some sort of liquid.

It’s very filling and I never feel hungry even by lunchtime.

Also, I seem to have lost weight. But I have been having this concoction for a good few years now.
I must be on my third Nutribulit blender now.

Smoothies are processed food.
Even babies wean on finger foods now.

My dentist said smoothies are really bad for your teeth.
Too much sugar and acids all in one go.

I’ve found the podcast. It just popped up again after I listened to something else. It’s Nutrition and cancer. Do’s and Don’ts. University of California Television Donald Abrams MD. It’s on utube. The reason I listened to it the other night was that so much of what he said was the same as the advice given by Tim Spector and although it was specifically aimed at cancer prevention it was also about how diet affects our health in general.

M0nica

Chestnut processed foods eaten in moderation or as an occasional treat will do you no harm at all. A diet entirely of process foods will be bad for your health. The same could be said of diet high in meat, dairy products, even fruit or vegetables.

I repeat, there is no such thing as bad foods, just bad diets.

Well anything can be eaten as an occasional treat and it will do no harm. But ultra processed foods are definitely 'bad foods' and should be kept to a minimum. Dr Chris Van Tulleken conducted an experiment which showed they are highly addictive and actually alter the brain. This was shown in a BBC documentary called What are we feeding our kids?

More details here:
Dr Chris van Tulleken and ultraprocessed foods

Farzanah, sorry!

Dear me MOnica you are so darn sensible there’s very little on most threads that I can find to disagree with you about. Have just seen this thread and I believe you are right……..again!

I do have to be careful when I have a smoothie. . Then again, if I go anywhere I have to adjust my diet accordingly for about a week beforehand!

Chestnut processed foods eaten in moderation or as an occasional treat will do you no harm at all. A diet entirely of process foods will be bad for your health. The same could be said of diet high in meat, dairy products, even fruit or vegetables.

I repeat, there is no such thing as bad foods, just bad diets.

I had a smoothie once. It had me running to the loo in minutes. Terrible memory. Never again.

But that's just me.

I think it’s awful of a consultant to tell someone they’d caused their cancer by eating a certain sandwich each day. Most illnesses are caused by a series of contributing factors. Bedside manner at it’s worse imo.

nexus63

I don't know if it was correct to state that categorically. Processed meats aren't good for you so it could be correct, but I'm wondering if any genetic testing was carried out on the tumour?
Some bowel cancers have a hereditary factor.

I hope you're well now.

And barbecued food.

M0nica

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.

Are you talking about basic foods or processed foods? There are definitely bad foods! It has been proved that processed foods seriously affect brain function and are best avoided as much as possible.

* He was also very anti-dairy, even eggs*

When did eggs become dairy?

I have a simple mantra for eating. Eat well, not too much, most of it plants and its corollary (in American English) ^ If it is made from a plant eat it, if it is made in a plant, don't^

When it comes to whether it should be organic or not, that for me is an environmental and animal welfare issue, not a food issue. As far as possible all the meat and dairy products I eat are organic. For beef it is meat raised to higher Pasture for Life standards, which means that meat raised this way is environmentally neutral or close to, and the same with lamb.

After that I really do not give a toss for any other dietery advice.

I like to keep it simple I dont add milk/yoghourt or oils to mine its just mainly veg with one fruit to sweeten it and water to thin it.You'll get loads of recipes online .

The podcaster said to avoid processed meat. And, if eating chicken buy organic. Again something that has been well publicised. Then again I listened to another podcast that said you can balance bad food with good so I would have thought that having lettuce and tomato would balance it out. And both podcasts agreed that you can’t be too strict with recommendations because people can’t and won’t stick to them. It sounds as though I listen to podcasts all the time. I probably do since the tv in the kitchen broke.

i got bowel cancer 4 years ago, surgeon asked me about my diet, i had severe depression and panic attacks (these turned out to be epilepsy) i ate the same thing every day 2 rolls with cold meat, lettuce and tomato twice a day with a glass of milk, now and again i would have a banana, bag of crisps or some chicken, this had been my diet for over a year, he sat there and looked at me and said, your tumor has been caused by all the processed meat, i don't know if this is true but he is a doctor and i am supposed to take his word for it, you get all these experts saying don't eat this eat more of that, i am 59 so by now i should know what is healthy for me, i take all these experts with a pinch of salt and try and do what is right for me. as a ps, my father has smoked canabis every day for 40 years, i have never tried it but i do know that i need extra painkiller when i visit once a year as it gives a massive sore head...lol

The problem with juices is the sugar rush - even many vegs (like carrots) are high in sugar. A sugar rush means a huge insulin response, which is eventually the cause of insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver. Even a smoothie made with fruit isn't good - it unlocks the sweet juice from the fibre and makes it instantly available in the bloodstream. It's marginally better than a juice only because it does include dietary fibre.

If you pack your smoothie full of things like green leaves (for fibre and nutrients), low sugar veggies and some good oils, it not only reduces the amount of sugar in the smoothie (because less fruit) but slows down the absorption of the sugar into the blood stream, causing a lower but longer insulin response.

I have a Nutribullet too and have a daily smoothie most days. I steer clear of fruit juices except for a few strawberries or blueberries if I have them and load up on (mainly green) veggies. I use almond or coconut milk, sometimes natural yoghurt, and chuck in a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil or olive oil or a nut butter. Sometimes I throw in a raw egg too (can't taste it and it ups the protein and nutrient level). All depends on what I have in the fridge really. It's all about keeping the sugar out and loading up the protein and fat to stop a sugar rush.

I do put in broccoli, celery and carrot a lot of the time. You don’t taste it at all. And I’ve got a peanut flavour boost and a salted caramel one. They are yummy.