Is this smoothie unhealthy?

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Half a banana
mixture of milled nuts and seeds (tablespoon or two)
spinach
kale
celery
kefir

I have been having this thinking it’s healthy and a good way of getting things in, but now people are saying smoothies are really unhealthy because of how you consume the food - is this that bad? I blend it and drink it straight away.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/are-smoothies-good-you

That explains the idea behind why smoothies aren’t always the best option quite a bit. Ultimately though it’s up to portion size and what you put in it

Based on the article that @Devilshands linked to, your smoothie is not unhealthy. It talks about ingredients being converted into free sugars - but there can't be much sugar in kale, spinach and celery - can there?!

Your recipe seems packed with good vitamins and minerals, and kefir is brilliant for your gut health. If I was having your smoothie I'd feel like 😇😇🙂

Thanks this is useful. I thought it was a quick easy way to pack in everything at breakfast instead of chopping fruit or cooking tomatoes/mushrooms/eggs/porridge and as it was mostly veg I figured it would be grand!

I’ll have a rethink.

This was my thinking? But maybe it does due to the process? I’m very confused! It’s take me ages to eat all those things whole and mornings are a nightmare with the kids!

The main concern is around fruit as it makes it easier to spike insulin , a mixture is best and yours sounds fine to me

By grinding it all up you are effectively turning into processed food. Far better to eat it whole and uncooked.
Digestion begins with the eyes then the nose and mouth, feedback to the brain initiates the secretion of the specific enzymes needed to break down the food initially in the saliva and is mixed into the food while chewing. The act of chewing and tasting further stimulates the brain to secrete enzymes into the stomach ready for when the food arrives and release of emulsifiers by the liver to digest fat.
By making into a smoothy it bypasses all these processes and we probably don’t absorb any where near the available vitamins and minerals because none of the enzymes are available in the gut to facilitate this.

People who are tube fed do not thrive when given just liquid food, they have to have enzymes added to the feed because the body is not stimulated to produce them.

Thank you, this is very interesting. I’ll find a new way to consume those things and work out a different quick breakfast. Porridge or Greek yoghurt.

Hmm. The science is interesting and thought-provoking. I may need to adjust my smoothie habit.

I think on balance for me, having your smoothie would remain a healthier option than not having it. Because as you say, I would be highly unlikely to get all that good stuff down me in non-smoothie form early in the morning.

So then I'd probably end up having a carb, fat or sugar heavy, high glycaemic index breakfast or mid morning snack instead! I think at least the smoothie must be a benefit by filling you up and preventing unhealthy snacking.

It just seems to be a good way of packing it all in. Even the milled nuts and seeds which I don’t tend to have otherwise because who wants them dry but I hate nuts so I don’t have them at all otherwise.

Going to have to have a rethink!

Well it's around 300 Kcal. Nothing wrong with that. But if you are having that THEN breakfast it would become quite calorific

No it is breakfast!

How often do you have it?

Less healthy than eating these things as whole fruit and veg, more healthy than not eating them. If you enjoy it and can turn it into a long term habit, I’d stick with it- don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Most week days!

There's quite a few studies showing blended fruit has a lower glycemic index than eating it's whole counterpart.

All this crap about insulin spikes being "bad" needs to fuck off unless we're talking about diabetics.

Absolutely
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this as a breakfast for most people. People are arguing over whether whole v juiced is healthier while sitting on mumsnet eating chocolate probably.

I think there is a big difference between the OPs smoothie and a fruit based one which is likely to spike blood sugar. The fat from the nuts and kefir will help to slow digestion as well as being great for the microbiome and the veg will provide lots of good nutrients. I think it is a very healthy breakfast and far better than what 90% + of the population eat.

The science is not about the content or its affect on glycemic process, but about how the body absorbs the nutrient. Digestion starts in the mouth and chewing is a key trigger for secreting the enzymes necessary for digestion and ultimately absorption. If you bypass this process the smoothie content is unlikely to be processed.

The vagus nerve is vital for digestion, providing the feedback mechanism for the gut.
Without information the gut will be unprepared for digesting the food you eat. Taste, texture and smell are all essential to the process.
Foods in fluid form pass through the stomach and gut rapidly, apart from milk which when it hits the stomach curdles and forms a fairly solid mass that both fills you up and slows down its passage.
Adding milk to a smoothie will help.