juicing & blending for smoothies v/s eating whole fruits & vegetables?

borichfan1

I just want to know everybody's opinions on using the Nutribullet Nutri Ninja machines to make smoothies & the Juicing machines to juice fruits & vegetables v/s eating whole fruits & vegetables? I have all 3 of the machines mentioned above, & i like green smoothies with green appls & pineapple & spinach, with coconut water. But i was doing the math on contents & calories & sugar contents of the smoothies, also the smoothies are not filling like eating. I realized i may be consuming too many calories & sugar from fruits in smoothies, & i was reading online that eating fruits & vegetables is far better than making smoothies & juice. I want to loose weight. But my smoothies may be doing more harm than good. Opinions?

DaintyWhisper

If you want to lose weight, then you'll want to make sure that you keep a close eye on your calories. Measure what you're eating accurately and eat how much the site is telling you to. As for smoothies vs whole fruits/veggies, choose the one you like. Neither is better than the other for weight loss. If you want a smoothie, drink one! If you're in the mood for an apple instead, eat an apple! There's no reason to solely choose one over the other. I personally find eating fruits more filling, but I do like smoothies in the summer! Both can be enjoyed equally as a part of your diet, as long as you enjoy eating them.

Evamutt

I'm having a smoothie as I write. I measure/weigh everything in my smoothie. I want to share what happened to my husband about 2yrs ago. He had to have all his upper teeth pulled & decided to wait till his gums are all healed before getting a denture. That's when he started using the nutribullit for most of his meals, besides soft foods like peanut butter. He put whatever I cooked in there along with some almond milk, so if I made chicken & rice & veggies, he'd whiz it up to make a cream soup. Then he researched & found what things are good for you, like nuts, flaxseed etc. He was overweight & on insulin for over 10 yrs & he was so addicted to sweets. That nutribullit went kaput (our son gave us his used one) by that time I was making all kinds of smoothies. I was never a fruit eater so it was a great way to have them plus I put veggies in too. We ended up buying the nutribullit Rx so we could put ice in it & it makes hot soup too. He lost all his extra wt & got off insulin. I used unsweetened almond milk but when I ran out of it one day, I just put my tea in or water & don't really notice a difference, I'm so full from my smoothie...I use non fat greek yogurt, frozen fruit mix, usually a "healthy meal" or protein powder & a little xanthan gum to thicken it, mine came out to 222 cal

nickssweetheart

borichfan1 wrote: »

I just want to know everybody's opinions on using the Nutribullet Nutri Ninja machines to make smoothies & the Juicing machines to juice fruits & vegetables v/s eating whole fruits & vegetables? I have all 3 of the machines mentioned above, & i like green smoothies with green appls & pineapple & spinach, with coconut water. But i was doing the math on contents & calories & sugar contents of the smoothies, also the smoothies are not filling like eating. I realized i may be consuming too many calories & sugar from fruits in smoothies, & i was reading online that eating fruits & vegetables is far better than making smoothies & juice. I want to loose weight. But my smoothies may be doing more harm than good. Opinions?

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with a smoothie. I have some planned for this weekend, in fact, as I have some bananas I have to use up. Based on anecdotal evidence and from what I understand about the research it does seem as though they are less filling for many people, including me, than eating the equivalent amount of fruit/vegetables.

But only you know what works for you. If you like them and they make start your day off right or fit into your schedule better than eating your food, go right ahead. I wouldn't worry unless you find that you ARE getting hungry before your next meal or that you are having trouble staying within your calorie goal.

As far as the juicing, I admit to having a prejudice there, especially for people who want to lose weight. I dislike the thought of wasting all that healthy, filling fiber. Personally I wouldn't recommend it as a regular replacement for actually eating vegetables.

But I'm not the one that has to eat your diet. You are. The BEST food plan is the one that meets your nutritional goals and makes you happy.

NovusDies

I think you have gotten decent answers. I will add that you shouldn't get obsessed with a single food item and believe it might harm your diet in some way. Experimenting with what to eat, when to eat, what to eat with what, takes time but as long as you are at a deficit you will lose weight. You won't get it right every day so be patient with the process.

ghudson92

I make a smoothie in my nutri ninja when I am in a hurry or I have random bits of fruit and veg to use up. I add some pea protein powder to make it more filling and it works for me, though I know it doesn't fill everyone up. Other times I will use the fruit and veg to make a fruit salad or a quick veg stir fry. It really depends on what you fancy, if it fills you up and if it fits in to your calorie goals.