Blended food has been gaining traction in recent years due to its purported convenience and health benefits. It involves liquefying whole foods—including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and even nuts and seeds—and consuming them in liquid form. This can be a great way to sneak more nutrient-dense foods into your diet and get the micronutrients your body needs to function optimally.
Proponents of blended food tout its ability to improve digestion, boost immunity, aid weight loss, and provide a quick source of energy. But is blended food actually healthy? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence.
The Benefits of Blended Food
Blending whole foods can offer many benefits. First, it can be easier to digest than solid foods since the blending process breaks down the cell walls of the food.
This makes it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients from these foods. Additionally, blending helps preserve more of the vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables than other cooking methods that involve heating.
Blended food can also be an effective way to increase your intake of micronutrients without significantly increasing your calorie intake. Since you are consuming all the parts of a food—including the fiber—it can help fill you up without adding too many extra calories.
Potential Drawbacks
Despite these potential benefits, there are some drawbacks to eating blended food as well. First, while blending makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients from fruits and vegetables, it also makes it easier for your body to absorb sugar from these same foods.
So if you’re trying to watch your sugar intake or limit calories, this could be an issue.
Additionally, while blending helps preserve more vitamins and minerals than other cooking methods that involve heat, this isn’t necessarily true for all nutrients. For example, some studies have shown that blending reduces levels of antioxidants like phenolic compounds in fruits and vegetables.
Conclusion:
Overall, eating blended food can have some potential health benefits but should be done with caution as there are potential drawbacks as well. Eating too much sugar or not getting enough antioxidants from blended foods could negate any potential health benefits so it’s important to monitor what you consume carefully.
Is Eating Blended Food Healthy?
Ultimately, eating blended food can have its advantages but should be done in moderation as part of a balanced diet.