Smoothies: Three Things to Watch Out For

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Smoothies can be a great way to eat more fruits and veggies but I don't recommend drinking them with reckless abandon.  And here's three reasons why...

1.  Smoothies aren't a panacea for good health (for two reasons).

Smoothies can be a great addition to a healthy, plant-based or vegan diet, but they can also trick you.  Here's two different ways...

One - when you blend up your food, the blender is actually doing some of the pre-digesting of the food for you.  This makes it easier to consume more calories without feeling as full.  

For example, if you were to drink a smoothie made of 2 bananas, 1 cup of frozen cherries, a half cup of almond milk, 5 dates and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (that's an awesome smoothie that I love by the way), you could fit all of that food into just one glass.

(There's a little left-over.  This is a small mason jar.  This is would all fit into a pint glass).

(There's a little left-over.  This is a small mason jar.  This is would all fit into a pint glass).

Same amount of food as the smoothie on the left but you actually have more food to eat when it's whole.

Same amount of food as the smoothie on the left but you actually have more food to eat when it's whole.

If you were to eat 2 bananas, 1 cup of cherries, 5 dates and a half cup of almond milk whole (not blended), you're going to feel more bulk in your stomach.  This will make you feel fuller.  

When you physically munch of food (versus sipping it through a straw), your insides are going to have to burn more calories to actually digest the food as well.  

Eating the whole fruit is more likely to fill you up than eating it blended.  however, it's the same amount of calories.

Eating the whole fruit is more likely to fill you up than eating it blended.  however, it's the same amount of calories.

Two - if you ate the standard American diet and did nothing but drank a smoothie everyday, yes that's better than not, but it's unlikely you'll experience any tangible health benefits from it.

You're more likely to fit into those old clothes you love in the back of your closet by eating whole, plant-based meals 80% of the week and not drinking smoothies.

However, if drinking healthy, vegan smoothies is going to help you eat healthier throughout the rest of the day, then that's freakin' awesome.  Drink 'em up!  Just avoid these types of smoothies...

 

1.  Avoid smoothies with dairy products

Dairy is associated with asthma, allergies (1), type I diabetes (2), multiple sclerosis (3), acne (4) and it doesn't promote weight loss (5).  If the reason you're drinking a smoothie is for health, ditch the dairy.  

Use plant-milk or silken tofu for a healthy plant-based or vegan smoothie instead.  Silken tofu (not firm or regular tofu) is soft and creamy like yogurt and takes on the flavor of whatever you mix it with.  

 

2.  Avoid smoothies with added sugar.  Here's where you'll find them...

There's a good chance there may be added sugar in a smoothie when you buy it at a smoothie chain... fast food smoothies so to speak.  

I was in the Philadelphia airport a few weeks ago and stopped at smoothie and frozen yogurt place in the food court.  Sugar was listed as an ingredient in a lot of the smoothies.  So, I ordered one that didn't include sugar (who needs sugar if you're eating blended up pineapple and mango?).  

It just so happened that I watched the person make the smoothie (for no particular reason) and, she added sugar.  Argh!  So I kindly pointed out the listed ingredients and she made me a new one.   

It's common for "smoothie restaurants" to use added sugar.  Stick with sweeter fruits for a naturally sweet taste instead.

If you're making smoothies at home and won't it on the sweeter side, add dates (pick or cut them into pieces) or date paste.  Dates are incredibly sweet and they're packed with nutrition.

 

Take Control Now

Are you a smoothie drinker?  Why or why not?  If you have a great smoothie recipe, please share it by clicking 'comment' below.

 

References

1. Sackesen, C. et al., 2011. Cow's milk allergy as a global challenge. Curr Opin Allergy Clin immunol. Jun;11(3):243-8

2. Gerstein, H., 1994. Cow's milk exposure and type I diabetes mellitus. A critical overview of the clinical literature. Diabetes Care, Jan;17(1):13-9.

3. Malosse, D. 1992. Correlation between milk and dairy product consumption and multiple sclerosis prevalence: a worldwide study. Neuroepidemiology, 11(4-6):304-12.

4. Melnik, B. 2009. Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. Apr;7(4):364-70

5. Lanou AJ and Barnard ND, 2008. Dairy and weight loss hypothesis: an evaluation of the clinical trials. Nutr Rev. May;66 (5): 272-9.

Why Plants are Better for Your Bones Than Dairy

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Since we were children we’ve always heard -- "drink milk, it’s good for your bones."

We’re told this because milk has calcium and our bones need calcium.

And it’s true that our bones need calcium.  But milk and dairy products aren’t the only foods with calcium.  

In fact, there are healthier foods that have calcium (as well as a host of the other vitamins and minerals).

For example,

  • 1 cup of garbanzo beans = 80 mg of calcium (1)
  • 1 cup of kale = 24 mg of calcium (2)
  • 1 cup of broccoli = 43 mg of calcium (3)
  • 1 cup of raw carrots = 42mg of calcium (4)
  • 1 cup of brown rice = 20 mg of calcium (5)

Even a banana has calcium!

  • 1 medium banana = 6 mg of calcium (6)

Well how much calcium is in 1 cup of milk?

  • 1 cup of non-fat milk = 299 mg (7)
  • 1 cup of almond milk = 451 mg of calcium (8)

You get more calcium from drinking almond milk than from low-fat milk!

As well as having calcium, whole plant foods are smarter and safer choices for these 3 reasons...

1.  Whole plant foods contain fiber; they’re naturally low in calories and fat; contain zero cholesterol and they’re abundant antioxidants and all of the different vitamins and minerals our bones need. 

So with plants, you’ll get more bang for your buck compared to dairy.  You won’t only get calcium, but you’ll get a wealth of regenerative nutrients that are good for your whole body, not just your bones.

2.  Dairy products, on the other hand, don’t have fiber, contain cholesterol are naturally higher in fat, and they’re high in animal protein which negatively affects bones, despite containing calcium.

3.  You don’t need as much calcium as think you think. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has written extensively on what they the calcium paradox (9).  That is, countries in the world where calcium intake is low, osteoporosis (appropriately defined as hip fracture rate rates) are the lowest in the world and in affluent countries where calcium intake is highest, the rate of hip fractures is highest (9). Countries with the highest calcium intakes have the most osteoporosis and fractures. 

In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal looking at over 61,000 Swedish women for 19 years, found that people who consumed more than 1,137 mg of calcium per day had higher rates of hip fractures compared to people consuming less calcium (10).

Another study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found adolescent girls consuming the most dairy products and calcium had more than double the risk of stress fractures versus the girls consuming less calcium and dairy (11).

In light of this evidence, the WHO states that only 400-500 mg of of calcium are needed to prevent osteoporosis .

There’s one thing I want you to remember from today’s Take Control Tuesday article and it's this...

Whole plants foods have calcium and you don’t need dairy to fulfill your calcium needs.     

Now it’s time for you to put this information into action because it’s useless if you don’t do anything with it.  

To help you do that, I want you to answer this Take Control Now question and share your comment on my website (below), on YouTube or Facebook.

Take Control Now Question

How can you substitute 1 serving of dairy products with 1 serving of whole plant foods in your diet?  What are your ideas?  

And if you liked this video, which I hope that you did, please 'like' it by clicking the like or thumbs up button and show me some love!

References

1.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Garbanzo beans. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4771?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=garbanzo+beans

2. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Kale. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3018?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=kale&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=

3. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Broccoli. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2908?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=broccoli

4.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, carrot. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2937?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=carrot

5. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Brown rice. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6456?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=brown+rice

6.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Banana, Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2208?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=banana

7. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, non-fat milk. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/134

8.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, almond milk. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4161?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=almond+milk

9.  World Health Organization, Diet and Physical Activity Recommendations, accessed online September, 2014 at: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916/en/gsfao_osteo.pdf

10.  Warensjo E, Byberg L, Melhus H, et al. Dietary calcium intake and risk of fracture and osteoporosis: prospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ. 2011;342:d1473.

11.  Sonneville KR, Gordon CM, Kocher MS, Pierce LM, Ramappa A, Field AE. Vitamin D, Calcium, and Dairy Intakes and Stress Fractures Among Female Adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published ahead of print March 5, 2012.

3 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Your Diet

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Today is Earth Day, a day we celebrate how beautiful and important our planet, our home truly is.  I know global warming is a concern of yours and it's something I take very seriously as well.

To better protect our planet, we all know we should recycle, turn the lights off, drive less etc.  But what about our food choices?  What impact do they have on climate change?  It turns out that our food system, what we eat, has a greater climate-change impact than the transportation sector (1), (2), (3).

So this Earth day, I’m giving you 3 ways you can reduce your food carbon footprint by 60%, from the book 'How Bad Are Bananas?  The Carbon Footprint of Everything' (4).  

Now just a heads up, when I say carbon footprint, I’m referring to the carbon footprint equivalent (CO2e).  That is, the total impact of all the greenhouse gases caused by an action and expressing it as the amount of carbon dioxide that would have the same impact of all the greenhouse gases combine.  It's a more comprehensive measurement than just carbon dioxide. 

How to decrease your food carbon footprint

1.  Eat what you buy

Eradicating your waste can reduce your carbon footprint by 25% (4).   

In Western or privileged countries, “we are thought to waste about ¼ of the edible food we buy” (4).  Wow!                                           

Make sure your food doesn't go to waste by storing it properly.  Then, make sure you eat it!

2.  Avoid animal products

The author states that “sensible” reductions in meat and dairy can reduce your food carbon footprint by another 25% (4).

He says “food from animals turns out to be more greenhouse gas intensive than food from plants.”  It’s far more efficient for humans to eat plants directly so all the plant's energy goes to us humans, not the animal.

In addition, the average water footprint per calorie for beef is twenty times larger than for cereals and starchy roots (5).  

Beef and lamb are especially high in carbon because they are belching ruminants.  2.2 pounds (1 kg) of beef equates to about 37 pounds of CO2e!  Dairy foods have the same emissions problems as beef because the product is still coming from a belching ruminant animal.  2.2 pounds (1 kg) of cheese equates to about 29 pounds of CO2e.  

To implement this guideline, consume no more than 2-3 ounces of organic meat per week or, none at all!

And tip #3 for reducing your food carbon footprint...

3.  Go seasonal

This can help you reduce your food carbon footprint by another 10% (4).

You want to avoid foods grown in hothouses that are artificially heated.  You also want to avoid foods that have traveled via planes.

Ships can carry food around the world 100 times more efficiently than planes (4).  Ships are also more efficient at shipping food than food that has traveled 1000s of road miles like from one side of the U.S. to the other.  These road miles are roughly as carbon intensive as plane miles (4).  

“As a guide, if a food has a short shelf life and isn’t in season where you live, it was probably grown in a hothouse or traveled via plane.  In the U.S. in the winter time, examples include lettuce, asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, and cut flowers.  Apples, oranges, bananas on the other hand, almost always travel on a boat" (4). 

 

There you have it.  Three ways you can reduce your food carbon footprint by 60% -- eat what you buy, avoid animal products and go seasonal.  

If you’re interested in learning more about food and the environment, here is a paper I wrote on the environmental impact of food that is filled with scholarly references.  

Now I want to challenge you to put this information into action into your personal life.  Today’s Take Control Now Challenge is….

Take Control Now Challenge

Don't eat any dairy or meat products for one day -- tomorrow, in honor of Earth Day.  

Do you think you can do this?  

Put your answer and experiences in the comments section below this video.

If you liked this video, please email it to your friends and family.  Send them to www.TrishaMandes.com to sign-up for email updates and receive a free resource guide with THE BEST books, recipe websites and more for achieving permanent weight-loss and disease reversal.  

Thank you so much for joining me this Earth Day for Take Control Tuesdays.  Get educated, make a change and get support.  You can get the healthy body of your dreams.  

 
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