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AIBU?

To think smoothies are more than one of your five a day

117 replies

feellikeahugefailure · 22/02/2016 19:21

I've just had a smoothie with a handful of grapes, two kiwis, handful of spinach, handful of kale and a handful of frozen mango. At least 80g of all the fruit and probably 40g of the leaves. This is 4 portions right?

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dementedpixie · 22/02/2016 19:25

I think they count as a maximum of 2 but might be wrong.

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schmalex · 22/02/2016 19:26

I think it doesn't count as four because it's better to eat the fruit/veg whole as blending it into a smoothie destroys the fibre content.

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treaclesoda · 22/02/2016 19:28

I thought they didn't count at all. I thought that once you pulverised them they didn't count any more. Was I wrong about that?

I've never had a smoothie, the thought of drinking something thick like that doesn't appeal to me.

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OddBoots · 22/02/2016 19:29

A lot of the benefit of fruit and veg is in the work your body has to do to process it, if a machine has done that work then it has much fewer health benefits.

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AdrenalineFudge · 22/02/2016 19:30

I recall reading that smoothies don't count, happy to be corrected if anyone more knowledgeable comes along?

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dementedpixie · 22/02/2016 19:32

Smoothies do count as does fruit juice. Fruit juice only counts as one portion no matter how much you have but smoothies can count for up to 2 portions. From nhs site:

A: One 150ml glass of unsweetened 100% fruit or vegetable juice can count as a portion. But only one glass counts, so further glasses of juice don't count towards your 5 A DAY.

A smoothie containing all the edible pulped fruit or vegetable may count as more than one 5 A DAY portion, but this depends on the quantity of fruits or vegetables or juice used, as well as how the smoothie has been made.
For example, for a single smoothie to qualify as being two portions, it must contain either:

at least 80g of one variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable and at least 150ml of a different variety of 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice, or
a minimum of 80g of one variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable and at least 80g of another variety of whole fruit and/or vegetable

Limit fruit juice to a small (150ml) glass a day from juice, smoothies or both. Keep it to mealtimes, as it can cause tooth decay. Watch out for drinks that say "juice drink" on the pack, as they are unlikely to count towards your 5 A DAY and can be high in sugar.

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feellikeahugefailure · 22/02/2016 19:33

how on earth do they not count? Its the whole fruit / veg just blended.

Im not a scientist but it must surely be impossible to distroy fibre in a blender.

Im sure the smoothies in the shops dont count as they are part juice. But my homemade one is just whole fruit / veg.

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SonjasSister · 22/02/2016 19:33

Check the sugar content - not great for blood sugar control as sugar all quickly absorbed. And fructose (fruit sugar) is especially fattening, supposedly. So if weight control is an issue, I'd avoid.

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eastpregnant · 22/02/2016 19:34

I thought they counted as one no matter how much fruit and veg is in there because, as others have said, by making them into smoothies you take away a lot of the benefits you'd get from actually eating (rather than drinking) the fruit and veg.

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feellikeahugefailure · 22/02/2016 19:34

It doesn't say in that link that it can't count for more than two portions though?

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feellikeahugefailure · 22/02/2016 19:35

I've just had an hour of spinning, half an hour swim and half an hour sauna. All that quick release carbs is exactly what my body craves after that (no weight issues).

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SonjasSister · 22/02/2016 19:36

Ah. Home made. Still, you've freed up the sugar compared to just chomping on the fruit. Loads better for you than toast and jam however Smile

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BorisJohnsonsHair · 22/02/2016 19:37

it doesn't really matter how many are in it, the idea of your "5 a day" is to get you to eat a mixture of WHOLE fruits and vegetables, as they take longer to eat, digest and give you much more fibre. The idea isn't to put five fruit and veg in a blender and say "job done".

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ilovesooty · 22/02/2016 19:37

The prevailing opinion seems to be that it doesn't count as four portions. Either go on making smoothies and accept the reduced portion or chew your way through the raw ingredients.

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feellikeahugefailure · 22/02/2016 19:41

WHOLE fruits and vegetables, as they take longer to eat, digest and give you much more fibre

Is is whole fruit / veg in a smoothie. I don't think they take longer to digest (there was a panorama about the same food as a soup and a whole meal and the soup took longer to digest) and im very unconvinced that there is any less fiber in something blended.

I do bleive they say no more than 2 to stop people having the innontinence smothies that are mainly juice and some whole veg, that has been blended, pasturised and already lost lots of its vitamins. No the same as something made in the kitchen and drunk asap.

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AnUtterIdiot · 22/02/2016 19:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ilovesooty · 22/02/2016 19:54

If you're so convinced you're right why did you bother asking?

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SuperCee7 · 22/02/2016 20:01

Why didn't you just google this?

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arethereanyleftatall · 22/02/2016 20:06

Because Google doesn't agree with her either but she can't argue back?

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specialsubject · 22/02/2016 20:07

why don't you use your teeth if you have them? Much better way to eat food.

kale is in season but that mix sounds...interesting. Mango is lots of water.

still, less sugar than what someone upthread has almost called the incontinence smoothies. Biggest con ever.

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dementedpixie · 22/02/2016 20:09

By blitzing them you have released all the sugars and broken down the fibres so your body is not going to have to work hard to process it. It is also too easy to just drink down large quantities of smoothie compared with trying to eat the same amount of the whole fruit/veg

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BorisJohnsonsHair · 22/02/2016 20:11

Well, OP you're the one drinking them, so believe what you like. I was just pointing out that the Government's campaign of "5 a day" was to encourage people to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

If you Google it, I'm sure you'll find that smoothies are not recommended because of the amount you take in so quickly. For example, it's much easier to drink a glass of apple juice than it is to eat 6 apples. So the amount of sugar (and therefore calories) you're eating is so much more.

If you've ever been on Slimming World diets, they only allow whole fruits to count as "free" food; juiced, smoothied or cooked fruit has to be counted in your allowances for the same reasons.

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JasperDamerel · 22/02/2016 20:17

Does that mean that blended soup doesn't count, either? So if you cook, say, carrots, celery, spinach and an apple in stock until they are soft and then blend them into a smooth soup, that counts as X portions of fruit and veg, but if you put carrots, spinach, celery, an apple and some ginger into a nutribullet and blend it into a smoothie, then it doesn't count?

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lougle · 22/02/2016 20:38

Google glycaemic index. The GI of a food is altered by its state on eating. A jacket potato has a lower GI than boiled potatoes. Boiled potato is lower GI than mashed potato.

Apple juice is higher GI than apple puree, which is higher GI than a baked apple, which is higher GI than a raw apple.

You are right that the fibre will still be there, but the fibre has been pulverised and the juice released, so the sugars will be immediately available (high GI) rather than in the whole fruit, where the sugars would only be accessed through the breakdown of those fibres (lower GI).

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Mrsmorton · 22/02/2016 20:46

YABU, they don't count as you've partially digested them before you've eaten them. I'm prepared to say YANBU though if it will make you feel better?

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