Are Smoothies Really Healthy?

The latest craze is getting most of your calories from liquids (smoothies).  The Raw Food “gurus” and “leaders” claim that we should aim to become “liquidtarians” and obtain most of our calories from liquids.  Consequently, this means frequent juicing and smoothie making.  Unfortunately, the consumption of smoothies or juices on a daily basis in large quantities can do damage to one’s digestive system.  Check out my article: Why Using Your Blender May Not Be As Healthy As You Think to learn why blended drinks are actually detrimental to your digestive health.

We must understand that all organs and body parts found both on and in the human body serve a purpose.   For example, we have teeth for chewing, tearing, ripping and breaking down fibrous plants and animals.  When we chew, we release an enzyme call “amylase” which attaches itself to the food in which we are chewing.  Amylase is needed for proper digestion of the food and aids stomach acid in the breakdown of whatever you are eating.

However, when we “drink our food” or consume juices and smoothies we are not releasing amylase.  This means the stomach must produce more stomach acid in order to compensate for the lack of amylase enzyme.  This puts stress on the body, and if done long term can lead to inadequate amounts of stomach acid.  Without the presence of proper stomach acid, food is not broken down completely and you will not be absorbing the nutrients in your foods.  This can lead to many vitamin and minerals deficiencies.  Are you catching my drift?

What They Aren’t Telling You About Smoothies And Juicing

So, you just started juice fasting or smoothie fasting and you feel the best in years.  You swear this is the only way to consume food and you want everyone to know about the benefits of juicing and smoothie making!  You follow all the raw gurus and health gurus and they are living proof this works.  Unfortunately, what they don’t tell you is that following this type of way of consuming food will actually come back in bite you in the long run.

Long term juicing and smoothie drinks are going to take their toll on your body eventually.  You will eventually burn out your digestive juices and most likely become mineral and vitamin deficient.  Many believe that since they are adding in super foods, raw foods, greens, seeds, and nuts that they are getting a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.  This may be true in the beginning but over time the stomach will become overburdened due to lack of enzyme amylase and will begin to produce less stomach acid. In fact, raw foods such as super foods and greens are some of the most hard to break down foods on the planet.  For this reason, you better be chewing them if you plan on eating a lot of this type of food.

Now, the occasionally smoothie or juice here and there isn’t going to hurt you. In fact, I’m guilty of incorporating my Chocolate Elixir a few times a month.  However, it’s this repetitive and ongoing consumption of liquid calories that causes harm to the body.  Unfortunately, anyone who has tried to better their health usually gets pulled into the whole juicing and smoothie scene.

Too Many Hard To Digest Foods

Those who juice or do smoothies often make extravagant creations loaded full of raw greens, raw super foods, raw nuts, raw seeds and raw powders.  Unfortunately, this is a double edged sword.  Although these raw foods are extremely mineral and vitamin rich, they will not be properly digested due to the lack of amylase.  If raw food makes up a large part of your diet, I strongly recommended you look into chewing your food instead of pulverizing it with a juicer of blender.

Again, raw food is harder to digest then cooked food which is why amylase and chewing is a must for anyone following a raw food diet.  Many raw food eaters tend to experience bloating and gas.  I personally believe this is a sign of weakened digestion and lack of proper stomach acid due to too many juices and smoothies containing hard to digest raw food.  As a result, they lose their digestive fire. Again, I’m not against any diet.  If 100% raw vegan diet works for you, great! However, almost all who follow a raw vegan diet are guilty of juicing or making smoothies for their main source of calories.

Chewing Makes Us Happy!

Yes, chewing makes us happy and does a lot more for your mental health then you may think.  The neurotransmitter serotonin releases when we chew our food.  Serotonin is the “feel good” neurotransmitter and those who are depressed often do not produce enough of this important neurotransmitter.  Furthermore, 80-90% of serotonin resides in our gut! Remember, over consumption of liquid calories in the form of juices and smoothies are detrimental to gut health.  As a result, I theorize that those who consume most of their calories in liquid form for long periods of time will eventually become depressed.

Now, I myself got tied up in the whole smoothie and juice craze when I didn’t know anything about health or how the body works.  That being said, I initially felt great, but over time began to feel awful.  It was at this point that I really began to delve into the digestive process and its effect on our well-being.  I speak from experience and my experience is my own.  However, you can see this common phenomenon of depleted energy and mood take place on those following long term juice or smoothie heavy diet.  Remember, you can’t cheat the Creator.  We all have teeth and the enzyme amylase for a reason.

The Take Away

I personally believe that juicing and smoothies are actually counterproductive towards one’s health when done long term.  Short term heavy liquids diets are OK, but anything more then 3 weeks is too much in my book.  I truly aid caution to anyone new at this or experimenting with juicing and smoothies.  The honeymoon is great, but fades away over time leaving you depleted and drained.  If you’re persistent on incorporating smoothies or juices into your diet regularly, I highly suggest adding in digestive fire starters such as cayenne pepper, lemon juice, ginger or Chinese bitter herbs.  These can help build the stomach acid that juicing and smoothies often diminish.  However, it still may not be enough to combat the stomach acid loss that juicing and smoothies induce.  Remember, digestion starts in the mouth so CHEW YOUR FOOD!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQQPuw_NDYM

 

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