Blended foods have become real forerunners in today’s dietary world. Smoothies and similar blends of whole, healthy foods, herbs, and spices are providing a convenient way to ramp up our intake of nutrients.
Now, we’re not saying you should pulverize all of your meals and snacks – unless you have a medical reason to do so. However, adding two or three smoothies to your day can have a superb nutritional impact. Better yet, the whole family can get in on this game and reap the nutritional benefits!
If you have been giving it some thought but are still not convinced, here are nine reasons to start adding blended foods to your diet today.
1. Save on time
Smoothies are particularly popular with busy families on the go. When you are lucky to find more than five spare minutes to stop and prepare a meal, a blended meal is the perfect solution. Dropping a few ingredients into a blender and whipping it into a “meal-on-the-go” is a great way for people everywhere to make food that fits into their busy schedule.
2. Easier to chew
Let’s face it, vegetables can have a rubbery texture and be time consuming to chew. Slow eaters may find that blending them up is far preferable for getting their daily greens. Besides, you will be a whole lot more likely to get your picky eaters of the family the variety of wholesome foods they need when they are all blended together.
3. Easier to digest
When you consume blended food, your body doesn’t have to expend much energy breaking it down during the digestive process. Therefore, drinking blended meals leaves extra energy for your body to spend on other processes like healing.
4. Increase your liquid intake
Most smoothie recipes call for water or other liquids. These extra liquids help you prevent dehydration, while providing moisturizing fluid for your skin and other tissues. However, its a goood idea to aim for at least eight glasses of water on top of your smoothies.
5. Pleasing to the palate
Unfortunately, many of the greens that are so very good for the body can have a bitter taste. Healthy greens like raw spinach and kale can be difficult for some people to enjoy without something to lighten the taste. Blending them up in a smoothie with other delicious foods like apples and honey makes for a meal that will definitely please the palate.
6. Maximum nutrients
Some foods lose nutrients when they are cooked, especially fruits and vegetables. When you blend you get the full benefit of many nutrients. This provides quick fuel for the body and helps energize you all day long.
7. Great flavor combinations
There are many things you may not want to eat separately that end up tasting great all mixed together. Things like pecans, oats, spinach, kale, and mango might not all be appealing individually, but together, the flavors combine to make a creamy taste sensation.
8. A day’s worth of greens in a drink
9. No cooking time and quick clean up
Few meals will ever be simpler than a smoothie. There is very little prep time and planning involved. You can even use up leftover fruits and vegetables from the day before.
Best of all, there is absolutely zero cooking time involved, and the clean up couldn’t be much easier. Simply wash out the blender and you’re done.
Click here for some awesome smoothie recipes that the whole family will enjoy!
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.greenthickies.com/15-reasons-blended-food-diet
http://www.blendingfood.com/diet-benefits
http://www.drugs.com/cg/complete-blenderized-diet.html