Is it Good to Blend Vegetables?

Blending vegetables can make it easier to follow the 5-a-day rule. Making a tasty drink is faster and easier, but is it good to blend vegetables?

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Summary

Blending your vegetables can make it easier to get your 5-a-day of those healthy superfoods. Throwing your veggies into the blender and making a tasty drink is faster, easier, and possesses many of the same health benefits as eating raw foods any other way. But is it good to blend vegetables?

What are good vegetables to blend? A good rule of thumb is nothing too fibrous and, in this article, we’re going to tell you why. Are there some vegetable blend benefits? What are the nutrition facts of mixed vegetable blend products? Should you make them yourself? This article will detail many of the health benefits of blended vegetables and how you can add them to your diet to increase your nutrient intake.

What to Blend (and how to make it delicious, too!)

If you’re new to blending vegetables, start with products that are soft and sweet. Spinach and lettuce make great backbones of good vegetable shakes, and you can add fresh or frozen fruit for natural sweetness [1]. This means all you have to do is wash your greens, pop them in the blender, blend, and enjoy all in 5 minutes or less. No more of that chopping and prepping.

Vegetables like celery and other fibrous, woody plants are very healthy for you but may not get chopped as finely in a blender unless your blade is extremely strong. While healthy, the texture may be problematic for some.

You should try experimenting with different vegetables to see what you like best. You can juice vegetables and lose that fiber and some nutrients by doing this [2, 3]. Blending ensures you get the whole food with very little processing [4].

The Nutritional Value of Blended Vegetables

 Vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition, and blending is a great way to maximize those benefits [5]. Cooking vegetables can reduce their nutritional value, destroying the healthy compounds they contain. Blending can help you maintain the healthy phytochemicals in your vegetables like flavonoids and antioxidants that can fight disease and keep you healthy [6, 7].

Several review studies showed the health advantages of eating more (and many different types of) vegetables, included less oxidative stress, improved skin health, lower inflammation, better immune system functioning, and lower risk of cardiovascular disease [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13].

Vegetables can also keep your gut bacteria healthy [14]. You can blend your way to health by ensuring your diet contains a wide variety of vegetables blended into quick, nutritious, easy-to-prepare drinks.

Read “5 Vegetables that Affect your Gut.”

Variety is the Spice of Life!

Many of us don’t take advantage of the wide variety of fruits and vegetables available in our local grocery store. Mixing and matching different vegetables in blended shakes can get you a wider range of nutrients typical of a diverse diet.

In a recent study, participants who ate more vegetable variety ate more vegetables in general and reaped the health benefits associated with this [15]. There’s no reason to be bored by vegetables – Try something new!

Blending Vegetables Can Reduce Food Waste

A study performed in India found that blending vegetables and fruits into a smoothie is a great way to reduce food waste. This study was performed on an industrial scale but translates to your fridge, too [16].

Have you noticed you can’t eat all your fruits and vegetables before they go off? Chop them up, freeze them, and make yourself a nutritious blended vegetable drink—this harnesses the beneficial nutrients without feeding your garbage bin with endless vegetable leftovers. 

You’ve Officially Completed the First Step.

Wanting to know more and learn about alternative ways to prepare your vegetables and increase your vegetable intake is the first step toward achieving your 5-a-day (or more) goals.

Many countries have been focused on teaching people about the many benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, the story of which has been overpowered by the excessive advertising by fast food and junk food companies trying to sell their products [17].

You’ll never see a carrot or bunch of spinach with health claims on it, but we see fast food proclaiming high levels of vitamins or nutrients every day.

In Conclusion, Is it Good to Blend Vegetables?

With fruits and vegetables, blended or fresh, you know you’re adding micronutrients and compounds your body needs to run and prevent disease [18, 19].

So, try blending your vegetables today and see if this method is a way to increase your vegetable intake. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations, and feel free to add a scoop of protein powder for an additional energy boost or some fruit for sweetness.

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