12/09/2014
Everyone always asks me how to make a smoothie... so here's one thing I think you need to know.
How to make smoothies
Wash the vegetables & fruits.
Pre-cut the vegetables.
Put food with the highest water content (i.e. apples) first.
Make sure you add enough (purified) water for blending. This usually means that most food is covered with water. If you don't use enough water, the produce, nuts or seeds don't blend well.
Blend long enough so your foods will be really smooth, but not so long that they get warm. (Unless you'd like to make a warm soup of course).
You could warm up soups or drinks by blending for a few minutes.
Benefits of Blending
Once you know how to make smoothies you'll be rewarded with the following benefits:
Better absorption. Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach are hard to digest when raw. Today, people don't have jaws that can break the cell walls of these foods into a creamy substance.
If you use a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendec blender, the blending will break the cell walls of the produce. Even the cells of tomatoes and carrots break. Thus, you'll absorb the lycopen and beta-caroten easily. This way you make it easy for your body to absorb all the wonderful nutrients of the vegetables and fruits.
A smoothie uses the whole food, no waste.
Unlike juicing, with a smoothie you keep all the fibers of the food.
Smoothies are a great way to eat your vegetables. Greens are the most alkalizing, mineralizing and healthiest foods. But not always the most palatable. By blending them, you can combine them with fruits or herbs for delicious tastes.
Blending is the quickest and easiest way to prepare (large amounts of) raw food. Virtually no preparation time. You can make the most delicious smoothies in just minutes.
No pans to scrub. Blenders are very quick and easy to clean.
Smoothie recipes are easy to find and to follow.
Because blending retains the fibers, smoothies stay well (in the fridge) for up to 24 hours. So you could make them the night before, or bring them along when you travel.
I actually left a smoothie in an air tight bottle in the car and forgot about it for a whole week. It was hot outside, so temperature in the car must have run up to 110 degrees F (40 C). When I found the smoothie a week later it still looked fine, no mold, no smell, not even oxidized. I didn't drink it (just in case), but I was surprised to see how long it stayed well.
Considerations
High speed blenders are the best if you want to learn how to make smoothies. They make the best quality and smoothest smoothies. They actually break the cell wall and thus increase the absorption of nutrients such as beta carotene. However, they are somewhat of an investment. The Blendtec and Vitamix cost 300-600 USD depending on the country where you live. Absolute worth it though. You'll use them daily.
Blenders might make quite some noise when you operate them. Not something you want to do when the kids are asleep.
Best Raw Food Blender
If you'd like to learn how to make smoothies, you need to know what blender to use. What is the best blender for making smoothies? High speed blenders that can break through the cell wand of green vegetables. Because then, you will get much more out of your smoothie and can easily absorb vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients.
Therefore, Vitamix and Blendec blenders are an absolute must when you're serious about raw food. They're also the most popular amongst raw foodist. They are the only blenders that break the sell wand and are powerful enough to handle tough fibers - like those of ginger - well.
The best selling Vitamix an Blendtec blender are relatively expensive raw food tools. However, if you compare to a stove, think about how often you'll use it, and the enormous health benefits, it's actually a bargain!
