The Birth of The Blender

Using a machine to pulverize our food is some what of a new phenomenon.  In fact, the first blender ever created was in 1922 and it was not for food purposes. Rather, it was intended for malted drinks.  It wasn’t till 1946 when the Starmix was the first blender to hit the market and be used for ‘food processing.’  It would take another 20 to 30 years and a man named Jack Lalanne to bring the food processor, or blender, to where it is today.  Fast forward to today, it’s normal now to walk into someones house and see a blender on the kitchen counter.  In fact, you can’t even turn the television on without seeing some sort of commercial promoting the health benefits of pulverizing your food in their blender.

So, whats wrong with using a blender?  Isn’t it good that your breaking up tough fibers found in food and making it more digestible to your body?  Isn’t it good that we can combine all the latest super foods into one drink and down it in less than a minute?  We are doing our body a favor, right?

The Digestive System, Stomach Acid, And Blending Food

The whole point of having a digestive system is to transform food into usable energy.  Essentially, this transformed food becomes part of your body and who you are.  Now, the digestive process is a delicate process, and every part of this process has its importance. In fact, this process can be broken down into three parts: The Cephalic Phase, The Gastric Phase, and Intestinal Phase.

The Cephalic Phase begins before food even enters the stomach.  Your brain begins the digestive process in anticipation of the food that is about to enter your body.  The Gastric Phase occurs when you begin to chew your food, and begin to release saliva and amylase.  Amylase is an an enzyme found mainly in saliva, that converts starch into simple sugars.  These enzymes acquired during this phase of digestion actually help you digest your food when you swallow it.

When the food enters the stomach, the Intestinal Phase of digestion begins.  During this phase the stomach begins to release acid and pepsin which help further prepare the food to be digested.  The food then moves further down the intestines where its exposed to tiny small fibers called “microvilli” which release enzymes to further digest the food.  You begin to absorb nutrients from your food when it’s exposed to the microvilli.  Finally, the food moves through the small intestines where it ends up being exposed to your gut bacteria.  Its at this point that the bacteria begins to ferment the starches and fibers and prepare what ever food is left over to “leave your system.”

Does Your Smoothie Require You To Chew?

Now, when you make a smoothie, do you pulverize it to the point where there is no need to chew?  If so, you need to rethink your actions.  I don’t care how healthy you may think your smoothie or green drink is; if your not chewing it, your doing damage to your body.  As mentioned before, saliva and an enzyme called amylase are released when we chew our food.  Unfortunately, if your creating ‘healthy’ smoothies that don’t require you to chew, you are essentially skipping The Gastric Phase of digestion.  And as mentioned before, all three of these digestive process work in synergy together.

How Not Chewing Is Destroying Your Health

So what happens when you forgo The Gastric Phase of digestion?  Well, for one, your body is not producing the correct enzymes for proper digestion of that food for when it enters the stomach (Intestinal Phase).  Consequently, your body will recognize the absence of saliva and amylase that should be attached to the food and will begin to produce more Acid and Pepsin in an effort to digest the food. This is terrible news for individuals who already lack insufficient stomach acid to begin with.  Furthermore, if done enough, you will essentially weaken the concentration of acid in your stomach due to it having to overproduce.  If your unaware of how important stomach acid is for health, check out my article HERE.  Remember, saliva and amylase help in the digestion process, and without these enzymes present, your body will be working harder.

So what happens if you lack the stomach acid to compensate for the absence of saliva or amylase?  Basically, the body will move the food down the intestines as it normally would. However, when it reaches the microvilli, it will not be able to release enough enzymes to break the food down. This is because the saliva and amylase, as well as stomach acid, did not do their part in the digestion process.  Essentially, the food will not be processed enough for the microvilli to break it down. Consequently, you will not be absorbing any nutrients from that ‘healthy smoothie’ whatsoever!

Should I Stop Using My Blender?

Luckily, you can still enjoy your smoothies, but you must do so in a very particular way.  When you blend, make sure you’re pulsing the ingredients, and not pulverizing.  By pulsing, you are ensuring that the smoothie will be chunky and will require you to chew with each gulp.  This will activate the ever so important Gastric Phase of digestion. As a result, the proper enzymes will be released to break the smoothie down properly.

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