thoughts on blending fruit and veg for smoothies .. is it more calorific ?

[hidingmynamesake]

I will get more fruit and veg int me if blended ingo a smoothie .. but is it not as good for you ?I have read the sugar is not as good for you if blended ,, are there any truths in that ?

I have heard similar about mashed potatoes vs boiled potatoes...the cell wall is damaged in the mashing/blending process, meaning that the natural sugars and starches are released more quickly than if you were to eat the fruit and veg in their natural form.

I don't know whether or not it's true, but I have noticed that if I have a bowl of home-made vegetable soup (which I always blend into a smooth consistency) does seem to make me sleepy and lethargic afterwards, more so than if I eat whole fruit or veg. So maybe there's something in your theory, or maybe it's the bread that I eat with it that's the problem, not the soup itself.

I think part of the issue is that people don't think about the amount of fruit that they put in.

Snacking on fruit you might have one or two pieces, but often in a smoothie there ends up being 8/9 portions.

When I had gestational diabetes they also said the blending releases the sugars so causes blood sugar spikes much more than eating fruit normally.

They said it wasn't necessarily bad for you, you just had to keep it in mind, and keep in mind what you put in.

Yes that's right about the sugar. It becomes 'free' sugar. It also doesn't keep you full as long as it is quicker to digest. Better off eating the fruit.

you’ll be consuming more sugars and less fibres than when you just eat fruit and veg.
I guess if that really is the only way you are willing to eat fruit and veg, then it’s better than no fruit and veg. But smoothies are not exactly healthy.
just think about what you need to put into them to make them drinkable. You’re not going to be drinking a pure broccoli smoothie. It’s going to be bananas, berries, mango or whatever sweet sugar rich fruit and a bit of broccoli.

Use berries (I get mixed "wonky" frozen berries) instead of bananas and the like. Berries are very low in sugar; I'm type 1 diabetic with a continous glucose monitor and berry smoothies don't spike my glucose at all.

Something can’t gain calories by being processed without adding things in. Your more likely to consume more because your not chewing.

It makes no difference whatsoever. The difference is if you eat a banana you will likely eat one banana. Blended you will eat 4. Calories in versus calories out is all that matters for weight loss.

If it means you consume more fruit and veg and fibre then do it - you didn't mention weight loss as a goal but if it is one just keep a track of what you put in it as you would track anything else, and balance it more towards veg with berries.

I wouldn't worry too much about the sugar spike thing so long as you are blending whole fruit and veg rather than juicing them as you are keeping all the fibre and vitamins that way. If you are worried about reducing sugar overall then I would look elsewhere in your diet where it is less likely to come with all the good stuff you get from fruit!

fruits are high sugar - grapes are wee sugar bombs

We are encouraged to eat the whole fruit - skin included because then the fibre intake is worth more to the body which counteracts the sugar content

Throw a banana, a handful of berries ( or more ) yoghurt or milk into a blender, you will be having a lot of sugar and calories - and be hungry within a couple of hours . Make a platter of sliced fruits, spreading a nut butter on hard fruit slices. and munch your way through, you will manage half the amount that went into the blender and you will be fuller for longer

This time of year - SOUP. I was ( and to some extent still am ) the original veg dodger. I make a lot of soup now to get it into me. I hate broccoli, yet I adore broccoli and stilton soup.

It won’t have any more calories in it you blend it but the sugar will hit your blood stream more quickly and cause a spike in your glucose levels in a way it wouldn’t if you ate the fruit whole. The subsequent crash will make you more hungry.

Better to eat the fruit whole. Fewer glucose spikes and you’ll be more satisfied with less.

I love a cucumber, spinach, kale and berry smoothie with either sugar free protein powder or plain yoghurt.

I don't get this on a science perspective. Mashing/blending can't break up actual molecules, you need enzymes for that, so sugar molecules are the same no matter whether you eat a smoothie or a whole fruit. I also don't understand how you can have less fibre in a smoothie, in a homemade one don't you put the apple in with skin?

What is different is that in a smoothie you might have a banana, half a tin of peaches, maybe some frozen mango chunks or an apple, some yoghurt, honey, etc. you would struggle to eat that much in a single sitting. So it's the volume of calories rather than the blended breaking up long chain sugar molecules to smaller ones.

The fibre I haven't a clue about.....

It’s because the body doesn’t use as much effort to digest it as when it’s whole.

It doesn’t affect the calories in the food (obviously, where would the calories come from?) however, it increases the glycemic index / reduces the fibre and the fibre is good for you. I suspect you are also more likely to consume more food overall if blended vs eating the separate items (assuming you make something tasty!)

Edit - I’ve just this up and the fibre changes form so the insoluble fibre is reduced, rather than the fibre overall. It’s the insoluble fibre which helps slow the absorption of the sugar.

@SpicyGlitch, It can't gain calories, but chewing is a far more efficient than drinking at starting the digestive process.

I could explain more but you can search for it. Eating slowly helps as well. Saliva contains enzymes.