I’m sure if most of you are asked whether or not you got your recommended amount of fruit and vegetable servings today, you would say no. Sometimes we can’t help it, we want to eat foods that taste good and in some cases it is hard to get as much fruit and vegetables that we need on a daily basis. The blog I read was called Juicing vs. Blending by Katie Moore. The blog focused on some ways people can get their daily servings of fruit and vegetables primarily focusing on getting the nutrients from a liquid form. The blog focused on the pros and cons of blending and juicing.
In the blog, the author stated that juicing helps concentrate the nutritents and delivers more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into your body. Think about it this way, the idea of eating 2 carrots, 4 apples, and 3 cups of spinach might not sound appealing or possible, but with juicing you can easily consume those amount of nutrients in 12 ounces or less. Juicing has also been found in studies to decrease plaque in patients with heart disease after 1 year of drinking pomegranate juice daily. If there is one problem with juicing, it is that it produces a high amount of sugar due to the fiber being stripper away. This can cause spikes in your blood sugar and feeling hungry earlier than you usually would.
The blog also stated the pros can cons of blending your fruits and vegetables to get your daily amount of nutrients. It stated that blending helps maintain fiber unlike juicing. This will help you feel full longer. Also with blending you have the ability to add protein sources which can help give you more nutrients. One example of something you can blend is a fruit smoothie mixed with peanuts or almonds to give you some more protein. The one problem with blending is that if you add too much it can become a high calorie milkshake if you add too much like ice cream or sweetened yogurt to make it taste better. If you add to much fruit, then you could also have high abundance of sugar which can cause the same problems as juicing. The main tip the author of this blog gives is to control your portions when blending or juicing, because if you go a little overboard then you are really not helping your body the way it should. The author also provided a breakfast smoothie recipe listed below for people to try.
Breakfast Smoothie Recipe
Serves 1
250 calories
Ingredients:
· 1 single serve nonfat plain Greek yogurt
· 1 cup frozen strawberries
· 1/2 banana
· 1 tbs flaxmeal
· 1 cup raw spinach or baby kale
Directions:
· Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting article. I know first hand how hard it is to get your 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. As a college student it’s even hard to fit that into your budget. Every once in awhile I will make a quick smoothie of fruits or vegetables when I feel the need to and have seen the benefits from it. So I believe juicing and blending are both beneficial ways to get the nutrients you need.
Blog link: http://fitnutrition4life.blogspot.com/