Drinking vegetables vs. chewing?

[Lynn in WI]

Does anyone else wonder what is lost by not chewing their vegetables? I love the idea (and ease) of green smoothies but I'm wondering how much value is lost, especially with respect to green leafy vegetables, in the absence of mastication.

 

Thoughts?

[DarlaS]

:confused: I couldn't possibly chew them better than I could blend them. Since the digestive enzymes in saliva pertain mainly to breaking down of starches, I don't think it's a concern.

 

I feel better when I make them a regular part of my diet--and it allows me to get more raw greens in. That's enough for me!

[Chris in VA]

:iagree:

:confused: I couldn't possibly chew them better than I could blend them. Since the digestive enzymes in saliva pertain mainly to breaking down of starches, I don't think it's a concern.

 

I feel better when I make them a regular part of my diet--and it allows me to get more raw greens in. That's enough for me!

 

You are probably getting more access to the nutritional value by grinding them up so well!

[Ferdie]

Not sure the difference, but drinking them gives my dh nutrients that he wouldn't normally consume. My dh is not a raw spinach fan. He wouldn't choose a spinach salad for lunch. However, he puts 3 cups of baby raw spinach in his smoothies.

[DarlaS]

:iagree:

 

You are probably getting more access to the nutritional value by grinding them up so well!

 

There's a book I just remembered called Green for Life (Victoria Boutenko) that states this very thing. Much (all?) of her evidence is anecdotal, and the recipes are only so-so, but it's a good quick read.

[CatMomof3]

I don't know if there has been a study done comparing the two. But if smoothies are the only way for you or your family to get your fruit/vegetable daily then I don't see the harm.

[usetoschool]

"Saliva is the body's own health juice. Besides helping with digestion, saliva contains a recently-discovered substance called epidermal growth factor (EGF), which facilitates the growth and repair of injured or inflamed intestinal tissue. Perhaps this is why animals lick their wounds. " (Dr. Sears).

 

Many places I have read about juicing and smoothies suggest "chewing" the smoothie, not because it needs to be broken down to digest but because it needs saliva mixed in with it for proper digestion and the saliva itself is beneficial. Basically, don't chug down the smoothie. It also helps with the fullness factor and your body recognizing the smoothie as a meal.

[DarlaS]

"Saliva is the body's own health juice. Besides helping with digestion, saliva contains a recently-discovered substance called epidermal growth factor (EGF), which facilitates the growth and repair of injured or inflamed intestinal tissue. Perhaps this is why animals lick their wounds. " (Dr. Sears).

 

 

A good argument for not spitting--which is a disgusting habit anyway. ;)

 

Does anyone really chug a smoothie? I guess you might be tempted to if it were really bad. :tongue_smilie:

 

I tend to sip mine or else it doesn't satisfy for long (bit don't let them sit around too long. Ick.).

[Orthodox6]

I suspect that one loses the ability to detect satiety when drinking, rather than eating.

 

What about changes in the effect of a vegetable's natural fiber content?

[Shelly in IL]

Thanks.

[LizzyBee]

The one disadvantage I've read about is that you're not getting the fiber when you replace fruits and veggies with juice. Of course, as long as you're getting enough fiber, it doesn't matter if some of your fruits and veggies are juices or smoothies.

[stripe]

What about changes in the effect of a vegetable's natural fiber content?

There is only a difference in fiber if you use a juicer, which removes the fiber. (You pull that part out when you clean it.) If you use a blender, it is just being ground up; you consume everything you put in the blender, just mashed up.

 

That's the difference between drinking apple juice and eating an apple. But if you're pureeing spinach (whether as a soup or a beverage), you're not removing the fiber.

[Rebecca VA]

Here's a very quick and easy smoothie recipe. You can buy Bolthouse Farms juices in the supermarket (produce section) or Whole Foods -- these are fruit puree juices and are kind of thick. Blend about two cups of the Bolthouse Farm stuff with two bananas and a cup and a half of plain, fat-free yogurt.

 

We make these smoothies almost every day at our house. You can buy red berry puree, blue berry puree, mango puree, and a few other flavors.

[Lynn in WI]

"Saliva is the body's own health juice. Besides helping with digestion, saliva contains a recently-discovered substance called epidermal growth factor (EGF), which facilitates the growth and repair of injured or inflamed intestinal tissue. Perhaps this is why animals lick their wounds. " (Dr. Sears).

 

Many places I have read about juicing and smoothies suggest "chewing" the smoothie, not because it needs to be broken down to digest but because it needs saliva mixed in with it for proper digestion and the saliva itself is beneficial. Basically, don't chug down the smoothie. It also helps with the fullness factor and your body recognizing the smoothie as a meal.

 

This is what I was thinking. The act of chewing (introduction of saliva as the food is broken down) is an essential part of digesting foods that were meant to be chewed. I really am curious how much nutrition is lost when this step is skipped.

 

I know folks who chew their milk--I always thought it was just a quirk. Maybe they're on to something.

[DarlaS]

I know folks who chew their milk--I always thought it was just a quirk. Maybe they're on to something.

 

I think they're over thinking it. It's impossible to sip reasonable quantities (not gulping) of liquid without salivating. It would mix in with whatever you were drinking all by itself and you would then swallow it. No "chewing" required. Or maybe I'm weird. Do other people only salivate when they actively chew?

[Lynn in WI]

I think they're over thinking it. It's impossible to sip reasonable quantities (not gulping) of liquid without salivating. It would mix in with whatever you were drinking all by itself and you would then swallow it. No "chewing" required. Or maybe I'm weird. Do other people only salivate when they actively chew?

 

You definitely salivate more when you're chewing. I don't think chewing milk (or other liquids) necessarily adds anything to digestion. But drinking foods that are meant to be chewed--that's my question.

[Orthodox6]

There is only a difference in fiber if you use a juicer, which removes the fiber. (You pull that part out when you clean it.) If you use a blender, it is just being ground up; you consume everything you put in the blender, just mashed up.

 

That's the difference between drinking apple juice and eating an apple. But if you're pureeing spinach (whether as a soup or a beverage), you're not removing the fiber.

 

Thanks ! The theory of gazpacho.

 

Still speculating that satiety detection is impaired, though.

 

P.S. Is this a thread for "raw food" adherents? Could not determine precisely.

[Lynn in WI]

P.S. Is this a thread for "raw food" adherents? Could not determine precisely.

 

Nope. Not intentionally, anyway. Just thinking about swallowing pureed foods that are meant to be chewed and what might be lost in the process.

[Peela]

Well, if you or your kids wodl sitdown and eat a couple of handfuls of spinach for breakfast, go for it!

Green smoothies were invented so that people would eat their greens, since most people dont.

I am sitting here drinking one right now! 4 oranges, skin removed (not juiced so nothing is wasted), a handful of chopped frozen bananas, 2 handfuls of baby spinach, and a splash of water. Its very yummy and even my green smoothie reluctant son will druink this one.

 

When it comes to juicing...I think its important to do both. Nothing can compare to the quantity of nutrition you will get in a juice, or the alkalyzigin quality of a vegetable juice. You probably wouldnt sit down and eat half a dozen sticks of celery and a few carrots in one sitting. I am wary of how much fruit I juice because of the concentration of it. But I do think its important for the body to also receive whole foods and to chew them. I just think its hard to do enough of that to get enough nutrition.

[stripe]

Nope. Not intentionally, anyway. Just thinking about swallowing pureed foods that are meant to be chewed and what might be lost in the process.

I think there's nothing wrong with pureeing soups and sauces (like tomato sauce) -- it's a way to include other vegetables without it being so obvious, and for some, make a more pleasing texture.

[Dobela]

Chewing also burns more calories than just swallowing.

[Orthodox6]

I think there's nothing wrong with pureeing soups and sauces (like tomato sauce) -- it's a way to include other vegetables without it being so obvious, and for some, make a more pleasing texture.

 

When my children were toddlers, and still making friends with a wider array of foods, I found a solution which all four truly enjoyed. I would puree cooked vegetables, sometimes adding pureed tuna, and stir the result into homemade pancake batter. I didn't mind that they ate these pancakes with maple syrup, because I knew what else they were eating ! They never, ever caught on. They just demanded more.

[Aggie]

When my children were toddlers, and still making friends with a wider array of foods, I found a solution which all four truly enjoyed. I would puree cooked vegetables, sometimes adding pureed tuna, and stir the result into homemade pancake batter. I didn't mind that they ate these pancakes with maple syrup, because I knew what else they were eating ! They never, ever caught on. They just demanded more.

 

 

I'll try anything, and have, but THIS!! ::::fullbodyshiver::::

 

Oh, my....a tuna pancake!!

 

Orthodox6....you have risen to a new level in my book!:lol:

[stripe]

When my children were toddlers, and still making friends with a wider array of foods, I found a solution which all four truly enjoyed. I would puree cooked vegetables, sometimes adding pureed tuna, and stir the result into homemade pancake batter. I didn't mind that they ate these pancakes with maple syrup, because I knew what else they were eating ! They never, ever caught on. They just demanded more.

Impressive.

 

I once had a nurse yell at me for giving my 12 mo old son pureed vegetable soup. She seemed to think the fiber would all disappear. I wondered (silently) if she swallowed her carrots whole and ignored her advice. This was before the "sneak liver into brownies" movement.

[abbeyej]

The one disadvantage I've read about is that you're not getting the fiber when you replace fruits and veggies with juice. Of course, as long as you're getting enough fiber, it doesn't matter if some of your fruits and veggies are juices or smoothies.

You're talking about two different things though. Juicing removes the fiber. Smoothies don't impact the fiber content at all.