What is wrong with smoothies and juicing?

After doing daily smoothies for 10+ years and juicing on a regular basis, I have finally come to understand why it wasn't an optimal choice as a daily meal for me.   I served them to my family and it was a morning routine for us.   When the kids were young, they would get their smoothie in a little plastic cup, and my husband and I would drink a large glass of it. 

Every single morning.  

It was a ritual for us.   

But now things have changed!

Don’t get me wrong.  There are positives about smoothies.

1. For a stint, smoothies and juices are beneficial if you are in a health crisis and unable to fast on water only.   

Not everybody can fast on just water.   They may not be able to take the time off work or aren’t used to fasting.  So using smoothies or juicing are a good alternative to just fasting on water, which helps the body to heal in a more slow manner than fasting on water. 

2. Smoothies and juices are great for children and people who are unable to chew for getting nutrients.

For children who won’t eat their veggies, and for people who may have dental issues who cannot chew or unable to chew for any other reason, smoothies and juices are an adequate way to get extra nutrition in.

3. Smoothies and juicing are great for convenience, on the go or a pleasurable drink.

They are a great way for a refreshing drink, or snack, or when you are on the go.

However, I don’t believe that smoothies and juices should be used as a meal every day, or used to 'get your greens in'.   Yes, they are packed with nutrients.   And yes they make consuming all those fruits and veggies so much easier.  

Here are the reasons that I believe smoothies and juices are not optimal for daily use:

1.   You are not using your chewing mechanism.

Chewing releases important enzymes, and alerts the stomach that something is on its way to be digested.   I also believe it has important features for dental health.   I have had dental issues most of my adult life and I have to wonder if using smoothies on a daily basis hindered my dental health, due to the absence of chewing.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263541.php

2.  Your stomach isn’t able to use its natural acids to digest the whole foods when you are drinking smoothies and juices instead of chewing your food

When we eat foods in their whole state, our stomachs must digest the particles left over from chewing, using our natural acids to break down the solids and send them on their way through the digestive tract.  

If we constantly introduce blended or juiced foods to the stomach on a daily basis, the stomach will not be getting its daily exercise.   The food quickly passes through without any work on the stomach’s part.   Doing this every day for long periods of time can cause the stomach muscles to get lazy and could disrupt the acid balance.

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-just-fiber/

           

3. Not feeling satisfied on smoothies and juices

When we drink our solids, we don’t feel the same kind of satiation.   It is easy to throw a quart of liquid down our gullets (and yes, I would drink a quart of smoothie every day and still be hungry).  But how easy would it be to actually chew it all as solids?   It would take a lot more effort, and it would be a lot more filling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Hh6wooFm4

But what about soft foods like mashed potatoes and oatmeal? Aren't these foods so soft that they are essentially liquid?

They may be easier to eat and don't need a lot of chewing but they are not the same as smoothies & juices.  

They are mashed.

They are not completely pulverized.  

When you blend a fruit or vegetable, you completely change the fiber structure, by  smashing them to tiny bits.  They are essentially pre-digested before you even put the glass to your mouth.   When you make oatmeal or mashed potatoes, you aren’t putting them through a blender.  So, although you may have more limited chewing, your stomach will still be digesting the fibers in a normal fashion. 

We all know how important greens are.   And it’s understandable that people put them in smoothies and juice them in order to get their nutrients in.   It’s less effort.   It seems to take less time.  And for a lot of us it just taste better.  

http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/chew/

Let’s face it: disguising the taste of kale with bananas and frozen mango makes it more pleasurable and more palatable to some who can’t handle the taste of kale and other greens, and doesn't feel like work.    We are, after all in the age of convenience.

There are a lot of people “chewing” their smoothies and juices, by holding the smoothie in their mouths and using the motion of chewing the liquid before swallowing. 

Well, that takes care of one aspect but what about the stomach doing its job?   It is missing out on the digestion of the whole food.  So, both chewing and digesting the whole parts are equally important. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7mYblX4ugE

Now, off I go to chew some parsley!