How does blending/processing fruits/veggies remove the fibre?

SkinnyMiss053
SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
Something I don't understand is, how can blending vegetables/fruit remove their fibre? I mean, we chew them until they are fine also, don't we? What's the difference then if you save yourself the chewing work and just swallow it?

Replies

  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    There isn't really, why are you assuming there is?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    It does not. If you use a juicer though, then many of them, if not all, will only give you the juice, without the fruit pulp, so less fiber. If you just take the fruit, puree it and then eat everything, of course nothing changes. The only potential problem is regarding vitamin c, because it gets oxidized when exposed to air, and pretty fast, so if e.g. you blend your fruit, and consume the mix 2 hours later, you have lost vitamins.
  • SkinnyMiss053
    SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
    Oh okay. There are some veggies (spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peas) that I can't stomach whole. So it's easier for me to get them in my body if they are a finer texture. But I am eating so much of them for their fibre, (helps out my tum) that's why I'm asking.

    I didn't assume it's something I read that baffled me.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,338 Member
    Juicing and blending are often confused. As described above, juicing leaves behind a lot of the good stuff, whereas blending leaves it in.
  • SkinnyMiss053
    SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
    Also, off topic question, because I don't want to create another thread:

    Those instant oatmeal packages which you just add boiling water to, do you think you could double their volume by adding twice the water like with normal oatmeal? And not have it be like soup?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,338 Member
    Nah, you could probably get away with a little extra water, but the oats have a saturation point and after that they won't absorb any more water and it will either stay soup or boil off, which defeats the purpose of adding more water in the first place.
  • SkinnyMiss053
    SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Nah, you could probably get away with a little extra water, but the oats have a saturation point and after that they won't absorb any more water and it will either stay soup or boil off, which defeats the purpose of adding more water in the first place.

    ...darnit...haha
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited May 2015
    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/pureed-vegetables-much-fiber-fresh-1295.html

    heat damages the structure of vegetables. This renders varying amounts of their fiber useless to your body. For example, steaming or boiling carrots or broccoli destroys much of their soluble fiber. Deep-frying a potato breaks down both the insoluble and soluble fiber, leaving very little your body can utilize. For the highest fiber retention, eat your vegetables raw or as close to raw as possible. Cooking your vegetables, through boiling or any other method, can reduce the fiber your body can use by almost half.

  • Pelamblue
    Pelamblue Posts: 177 Member
    if you want more fibre in your diet, the one thing that is excellent is linseed and flaxseed. You can get both sorts milled and they go great on salad or porridge or in your smoothies.
    They will definitely keep you regular
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Pelamblue wrote: »
    if you want more fibre in your diet, the one thing that is excellent is linseed and flaxseed. You can get both sorts milled and they go great on salad or porridge or in your smoothies.
    They will definitely keep you regular


    Linseed and flaxseed are the same thing :)

  • star1407
    star1407 Posts: 588 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Pelamblue wrote: »
    if you want more fibre in your diet, the one thing that is excellent is linseed and flaxseed. You can get both sorts milled and they go great on salad or porridge or in your smoothies.
    They will definitely keep you regular


    Linseed and flaxseed are the same thing :)

    Really? Lol thank you, you just saved me money. I was going to order some from Amazon later and some chia seed. That's not the same as well is it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Hehe nah,chia seeds are different. I have both chia and flaxseed in my smoothies everyday.
  • SkinnyMiss053
    SkinnyMiss053 Posts: 65 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Hehe nah,chia seeds are different. I have both chia and flaxseed in my smoothies everyday.

    And here I thought I couldn't find flaxseeds ANYWHERE! :neutral: when actually all the damn supermarkets have them. Lol. Benefits of being illiterate. :lol:
  • Pelamblue
    Pelamblue Posts: 177 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Pelamblue wrote: »
    if you want more fibre in your diet, the one thing that is excellent is linseed and flaxseed. You can get both sorts milled and they go great on salad or porridge or in your smoothies.
    They will definitely keep you regular


    Linseed and flaxseed are the same thing :)

    Well you learn something new every day ha ha i did not know that
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Well I'm just happy I helped someone today xx
    Go forth and enjoy your flaxseed/linseed or whichever you choose to call it :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @SkinnyMiss053 , if you want to bulk up your oatmeal, try adding a tablespoon of chia. The soluble fiber on those seeds is truly amazing.
    tomatoey wrote: »
    heat damages the structure of vegetables. This renders varying amounts of their fiber useless to your body. For example, steaming or boiling carrots or broccoli destroys much of their soluble fiber. Deep-frying a potato breaks down both the insoluble and soluble fiber, leaving very little your body can utilize. For the highest fiber retention, eat your vegetables raw or as close to raw as possible. Cooking your vegetables, through boiling or any other method, can reduce the fiber your body can use by almost half.

    I call BS. Insoluble fiber is called that for a reason. I can't imagine that boiling, frying, or baking would reduce it at all. Now there might be a case that vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are destroyed by cooking, but not always. A recent study found that beta-carotene is absorbed better from cooked carrots.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/
  • Pelamblue
    Pelamblue Posts: 177 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Well I'm just happy I helped someone today xx
    Go forth and enjoy your flaxseed/linseed or whichever you choose to call it :)

    I'm going to call it flinseed
  • lisafrancis888
    lisafrancis888 Posts: 119 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Pelamblue wrote: »
    if you want more fibre in your diet, the one thing that is excellent is linseed and flaxseed. You can get both sorts milled and they go great on salad or porridge or in your smoothies.
    They will definitely keep you regular


    Linseed and flaxseed are the same thing :)

    I believe in the UK we call flaxseed Linseed so it's the same thing. Heard this yesterday on one of those commercials fro nutribullets.
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