Green Smoothies

[Ego]

Refurbished Vita-Mix direct from the manufacturer for $224 with 5 year warranty and free shipping right now with coupon code 07-0103-01-02

https://www.vitamix.com/Shop/Certified- ... ty-5yr-std

This is less than they sell for second-hand on craigslist. I nearly bought a refurb from them last year for more when my old VM stopped working but I was able to fix it so I canceled the order.

[Ego]

I've started adding a little fenugreek seed powder to my green smoothies.

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefit ... eek-seeds/

[Chad]

Any strength gains?

[Ego]

Yep, I can now squat three consecutive reps with the girls bar before peeing my pants.

[Chad]

Nice. This will be all over the NFL combine at the end of next month.

[maxysu]

Why don't you cook the broccoli?

[Ego]

Why don't you cook the broccoli?

No particular reason. Is it healthier cooked than raw?

[maxysu]

Thought you aren't supposed to eat it raw.

[Chad]

There are some conflicting theories on cooking broccoli or other vegetables (mostly in cruciferous family, but also others like strawberries, peanuts, etc.) with goitrogens and oxalates. The cooking transforms/removes/destroys the goitrogens and oxalates, which supposedly can cause thyroid issues (goitrogens) or kidney stones (oxalates).

The problem with cooking is that it also destroys stuff like Sulforaphane, which has been shown to have anticancer properties.

From what I have seen, it appears you would have to eat a massive, literally uneatable, amount of these raw foods to get too much goitrogen. Maybe if you have a thyroid issue you might have to modify your diet a little, but even then it appears questionable.

The same thing seems to apply to oxalates. Unless you are predisposed to getting kidney stones, it doesn't appear that a healthy person's body with a decently healthy diet can't handle some oxalates. If you are concerned with oxalates then calcium in your smoothie might be your answer. It supposedly binds to the oxalates in a smoothie and prevents them from having their potential kidney stone problem.

Also, see Ego's link above concerning green smoothies.

[jennypenny]

What base (liquid) is everyone using for their smoothies? Or aren't you using one? I was using tea (red and green) but I think I feel better when I use milk.

[Chad]

I use about 12 ounces of water, a fair amount of ice, and a 1/4 cup of grass fed yogurt. I guess you could consider the water to be tea, as I mix two teaspoons of green tea leaves directly in the smoothie.

[maxysu]

Is something like this (only 700 Watt) enough to make smoothies from carrots and such?

[steveo73]

I don't think you can really make a smoothie out of a carrot. You can juice carrots but not really smoothie them.

[vexed87]

I just dropped £440 on a vitamix, ouch. I have had my eye on ebay but these things hold their value rather well and haven't been able to get any in good enough condition at the price I wanted, so opted to buy new. After all, it's only £62.86 a year until the warranty runs out!

After experimenting with a plant based diet in recent weeks, I have loved the switch to nut/soya milk enough alone to justify the outlay. I can't wait to try the green smoothie recipes too.

[Dragline]

Ouch indeed. Well, that should give you incentive to use it everyday. Sometimes the sunk cost fallacy can be highly motivating.

[JamesR]

Healthy smoothies seems like a great idea. It's probably more healthy to minimize milk/yogurt. I'd probably compensate with bananas to keep it creamy.

[Ego]

Dr. Rhonda Patrick has posted two micronutrient smoothie recipes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys86ZgjQQYg
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQ63y5aTpo

At about 15:45 of the second video she talks about how the concerns over oxalates and goitrogens from eating large amounts of greens are not valid.

[Ego]

Silicon Valley has entered the home-made green juice market. Juicero.

http://www.vogue.com/13421774/juicero-c ... r-no-mess/

Once it closed, the machine’s logo pulsed with light. “It’s reading the QR code,” he explained, noting that if the contents were past their expiration date, the Juicero wouldn’t press them. The machine hummed as it exerted 3 to 4 tons of force, Evans told me, onto the packet. After about 30 seconds, a thick, pine-hued stream burst forth.

and....

Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi-enabled machine sends data to your profile in the smartphone app, which records your drinking habits and allows you to order the packets (which cost between $4 and $10 each, depending on flavor and quantity ordered) and track and adjust incoming deliveries.

If it all sounds almost absurdly ambitious, it is: The device’s $699 price reflects the 12 PhDs, 50 engineers, and seven food scientists in San Francisco who worked to design the system.


The video sells the simplicity. It seems like an SNL skit poking fun at the silliness that oozes from Silicon Valley, but NO! They are for real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1oHp-VvhDE

[Ego]

I've been including broccoli sprouts in my green smoothie for years. Here is an excellent video on why it is a good idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz4YVJ4aRfg

In the past I sprouted them myself but lately the price has come down so I've been buying one or two small packages of sprouts. I think I am going to start sprouting them myself again so that I can make bigger batches.

[Chad]

I sprout them myself. It's unbelievably easy with the right setup.