Smoothies - do they count?

[Cobblersandhogwash]

Every day I make a smoothie for me and the dcs.

Mine has spinach or kale, beetroot, banana, avocado and anything I can find really. Dcs have summer fruit type stuff.

But does blending it all up mean that the roughage and other benefits are lost?

I must put in at least five portions of fruits into each smoothie.

Any advice?

Smoothies and juices can count for one of your 5 a day only. But they're still good for you. There's lots of sugar in 5 portions of fruit, though. I think the current guidance is for your 5 a day to be made up of 2 portions of fruit and 3 of veg.

I think much of the fibre is also lost when it's blended up.

How can the fibre be lost if it's blended up? If you don't sieve it, it's still there. It doesn't magically disappear!

They do count but only once. I would be very cautious about having one every day, especially for the children. Not only is it very high in sugar it causes enamel erosion in the teeth from the acid in the fruits.

I was told by a dietician at the hospital that blending fruit and veg wasn't great; because you needed to digest them as roughage and they weren't very valuable to the body blended - and it was the most sugary way to consume it.

Would the kids eat the same fruit but as fruit? Would you?

They only count once because the fibre is already part broken down, it’s not that it goes away or ‘gets lost’ as such, but because it’s blended your body doesn’t react in the same way, you don’t get the same signals to your pancreas to deal with the incoming sugars as eating the fruit whole. Non blended fruit the fibre slows the sugars release into your body, blended it kind of overloads. So it’s fine, but shouldn’t be relied on as the main source of fruit and veg. Also worth adding things like whole oats and nuts, especially to ones that are mainly fruit.

it mushes up the fibre so your gut doesnt have to do it. not good.

also very easy to eat too much fruit if it is mushed up, and so get fat. eating with teeth allows the natural 'enough' mechanism to kick in. and never drink commercial smoothies, loads of added sugar and a great way to pork up.

source - nhs.

I think a smoothie can count as maximum 2 portions. Juices count as only 1

Just checked and it says just 1 for smoothies too. I'm sure it used to say 2. Better to eat the fruit rather than drink it

Also the fact you say you must put 5 portions in one is part of the problem, we consume way more blended then we would just eating it.