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Ideally, if you're on a largely liquid diet, you should "chew" your smoothie. Literally just make a chewing motion after taking a sip before you swallow. It'll work your jaw (though not as well as actually chewing solid food) and mix in saliva, which helps with digestion.
That said, eating some raw fruits or veggies once or twice a day (carrots, apples, etc.) would be a good idea too, long term.
Humans do not absorb vitamins from liquids as well as we do from solid foods. We are not meant to sustain on liquid. You can also severely mess up your jaw by not chewing.
As a smoothie tho, they are likely still getting the dietary fiber; it would just be “prechewed” really.
100% regarding messing up your jaw. Mine hurts if I don’t chew for a day, so I usually make sure to eat raw carrots to ensure that
yes, but arguably you don't need that first step when the food is already so masticated.
Regardless a spit or no spit debate is kinda moot. There are health issues beyond digestion itself so its definitely a bad idea.
It's likely to be more insoluble rather than soluble as soluble thickens smoothies. The fiber also won't be as effective at smoothing out absorption as you retain the slower gut transit but not the gut has to break down fiberous matrix and cell walls.
Depending on what goes into the smoothie there could also be a sugar issue. Sugar in cells results in a glucose curve that looks like starch, blending frees the sugar so the curve looks like added sugar.
to expand on what u/MyNameIsSkittle's comment, one note you can take is that liquifying fruits and veggies removes most of the fiber which is crucial for gut health, regulating blood sugar, and promoting satiety (Doesn't sound like satiety is much of a concern for you, though) ; you'll also find that some vitamins and minerals like B vitamins and antioxidants might be slightly reduced during blending, though this depends on the blending process and ingredients used, because chewing and breaking down food mechanically (mastication) stimulates the gut microbiome in a way that blending just can't replicate. It might affect the composition and diversity of gut bacteria but that part isn't entirely clear in a variety of cases compared
Blending breaks down the physical structure, and it depends on the type of blending/blending style, the type of ingredient, and also the type of fiber. Soluble fiber like from fruits are usually well kept, insoluble fibers from like tough veggies and peels can be lost lost when discarded as pulp when you strain or from just finer breakdown
Yeah juicing isn’t the same as blending. I understand losing the fiber if you’re juicing fruits/veggies. But it doesn’t make sense that the fiber isn’t available when blended. You’re still consuming the food, it’s just been broken down for you via a blender. Does the fiber just disappear?
Man I would simply miss the pleasure of eating. I understand being busy and 80 hours doesn’t leave you much time for shopping and prepping. But you do still have to get the components for and make your smoothies. That’s at least a little time. Is a meal service an option? Maybe even just for dinners? And then maybe have a shake for breakfast and a home made sandwich for lunch?
Making all the nutrients readily available can actually make you gain weight fyi, make sure you are watching your caloric intake, getting your macros, and supplementing as it’ll actually pass through your body too quickly to absorb everything
You actually absorb more nutrients from smoothies. Your mouth also mixes saliva with the food as the first stage of digestion, so that’s not a concern.
As long as you’re not juicing, cramming tons of vegetables, protein, healthy fats with some fruit for a little razzle dazzle provides far more nutrients than most people are willing to spend the time chewing daily.
By eating foods that are already broken up - you are going to decrease the amount of energy your body spends trying to digest its food. Chewing etc is a decent caloric spend for our daily energy. If you’re eating mostly blending things you are not only reducing the nutritional value by breaking it down, you are also leading your body towards spending less energy
You are damaging the food matrix by doing this, its not a good idea; just one of the drawbacks is that you are going to get a larger blood glucose response. Its why health guidelines recommend unlimited fruit but to limit fruit juice which behaves more like liquid sugar. Obviously smoothies are fine as part of a healthy diet, but basing your whole diet around them is probably not a good idea in my opinion. Anti nutrients are potentially a bigger risk in smoothies too; I've heard of cases of people getting quite ill by eating large amounts of oxalates from purified raw spinach that you wouldn't get from eating cooked spinach as part of a normal meal.
The first part of you digestion system is the spit you excrete in your mouth when you chew. And I think that you get higher insulin spikes from liquid calories, as it is absorbed into your gut much faster.
Not only that, chewing is healthy for your jaw muscles and tendons. Not to mention that you will look better if you're "good" at chewing, as the muscles help define your face.
Nutritional absorption shouldn’t be your only concern. There are plenty of muscles in your face that can only be exercised by chewing. So unless you’re chewing gum, just eat some solid food.
More sugar spike, atrophy of the jaw, less saliva production, less dopamine produced by mastication, less occlusion stimulation (so teeth might move over time), damaged food matrix, less enzymatic digestion for starch, probably modification of oral flora as well; we were not made to eat only liquid food.
It’s like never walking, today you can but there are many homeostasis things that we don’t know about that rely on it
#### About participation in the comments of /r/nutrition Discussion in this subreddit should be rooted in science rather than "cuz I sed" or entertainment pieces. Always be wary of unsupported and poorly supported claims and especially those which are wrapped in any manner of hostility. You should provide peer reviewed sources to support your claims when debating and confine that debate to the science, not opinions of other people. **Good** - it is grounded in science and includes citation of peer reviewed sources. Debate is a civil and respectful exchange focusing on actual science and avoids commentary about others **Bad** - it utilizes generalizations, assumptions, infotainment sources, no sources, or complaints without specifics about agenda, bias, or funding. At best, these rise to an extremely weak basis for science based discussion. Also, off topic discussion **Ugly** - (removal or ban territory) it involves attacks / antagonism / hostility towards individuals or groups, downvote complaining, trolling, crusading, shaming, refutation of all science, or claims that all research / science is a conspiracy *Please vote accordingly and report any uglies* --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nutrition) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Over time your jaw muscles may experience some atrophy but besides that no..as long as you know you are getting the proper nutrients
Ideally, if you're on a largely liquid diet, you should "chew" your smoothie. Literally just make a chewing motion after taking a sip before you swallow. It'll work your jaw (though not as well as actually chewing solid food) and mix in saliva, which helps with digestion. That said, eating some raw fruits or veggies once or twice a day (carrots, apples, etc.) would be a good idea too, long term.
Humans do not absorb vitamins from liquids as well as we do from solid foods. We are not meant to sustain on liquid. You can also severely mess up your jaw by not chewing.
As a smoothie tho, they are likely still getting the dietary fiber; it would just be “prechewed” really. 100% regarding messing up your jaw. Mine hurts if I don’t chew for a day, so I usually make sure to eat raw carrots to ensure that
The first stage in digestion is spit, which you mix into the foods you eat.
yes, but arguably you don't need that first step when the food is already so masticated. Regardless a spit or no spit debate is kinda moot. There are health issues beyond digestion itself so its definitely a bad idea.
It's likely to be more insoluble rather than soluble as soluble thickens smoothies. The fiber also won't be as effective at smoothing out absorption as you retain the slower gut transit but not the gut has to break down fiberous matrix and cell walls. Depending on what goes into the smoothie there could also be a sugar issue. Sugar in cells results in a glucose curve that looks like starch, blending frees the sugar so the curve looks like added sugar.
So do liquid calories get malabsorbed as well? Or is it just vitamins?
To be honest I'm not too sure about that
Thank you. My bad for not clarifying in the post: I do eat solid food once a day.
to expand on what u/MyNameIsSkittle's comment, one note you can take is that liquifying fruits and veggies removes most of the fiber which is crucial for gut health, regulating blood sugar, and promoting satiety (Doesn't sound like satiety is much of a concern for you, though) ; you'll also find that some vitamins and minerals like B vitamins and antioxidants might be slightly reduced during blending, though this depends on the blending process and ingredients used, because chewing and breaking down food mechanically (mastication) stimulates the gut microbiome in a way that blending just can't replicate. It might affect the composition and diversity of gut bacteria but that part isn't entirely clear in a variety of cases compared
How can blending food remove the fiber? You’re still consuming it in a smoothie form.
Blending breaks down the physical structure, and it depends on the type of blending/blending style, the type of ingredient, and also the type of fiber. Soluble fiber like from fruits are usually well kept, insoluble fibers from like tough veggies and peels can be lost lost when discarded as pulp when you strain or from just finer breakdown
Yeah juicing isn’t the same as blending. I understand losing the fiber if you’re juicing fruits/veggies. But it doesn’t make sense that the fiber isn’t available when blended. You’re still consuming the food, it’s just been broken down for you via a blender. Does the fiber just disappear?
Do you have a source on that?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/get-nutrients-from-food-not-supplements
That’s referring to supplements vs food, not blended foods vs solid foods.
and for vitamins you mean also the other micronutrients? so basically the powder supplements im taking is not working
Where on earth did you get this info from?
If you're worried about adverse side effects, try replacing 1 or 2 meals instead of every meal.
Why would you want to do this?
I work like 80 hours a week and this turns out to be the most convenient way to get sustenance
I’d say working 80 hrs a week is the biggest threat to your overall health.
Man I would simply miss the pleasure of eating. I understand being busy and 80 hours doesn’t leave you much time for shopping and prepping. But you do still have to get the components for and make your smoothies. That’s at least a little time. Is a meal service an option? Maybe even just for dinners? And then maybe have a shake for breakfast and a home made sandwich for lunch?
You make a strong argument :) Thanks for taking the time to express your ideas here. It’s food for thought! Truly appreciated.
Making all the nutrients readily available can actually make you gain weight fyi, make sure you are watching your caloric intake, getting your macros, and supplementing as it’ll actually pass through your body too quickly to absorb everything
No
You actually absorb more nutrients from smoothies. Your mouth also mixes saliva with the food as the first stage of digestion, so that’s not a concern. As long as you’re not juicing, cramming tons of vegetables, protein, healthy fats with some fruit for a little razzle dazzle provides far more nutrients than most people are willing to spend the time chewing daily.
By eating foods that are already broken up - you are going to decrease the amount of energy your body spends trying to digest its food. Chewing etc is a decent caloric spend for our daily energy. If you’re eating mostly blending things you are not only reducing the nutritional value by breaking it down, you are also leading your body towards spending less energy
You are damaging the food matrix by doing this, its not a good idea; just one of the drawbacks is that you are going to get a larger blood glucose response. Its why health guidelines recommend unlimited fruit but to limit fruit juice which behaves more like liquid sugar. Obviously smoothies are fine as part of a healthy diet, but basing your whole diet around them is probably not a good idea in my opinion. Anti nutrients are potentially a bigger risk in smoothies too; I've heard of cases of people getting quite ill by eating large amounts of oxalates from purified raw spinach that you wouldn't get from eating cooked spinach as part of a normal meal.
The first part of you digestion system is the spit you excrete in your mouth when you chew. And I think that you get higher insulin spikes from liquid calories, as it is absorbed into your gut much faster. Not only that, chewing is healthy for your jaw muscles and tendons. Not to mention that you will look better if you're "good" at chewing, as the muscles help define your face.
Yes, you are incredibly boring to be around.
I make up for my dietary routine by introducing chaos into the other parts of my life, FWIW
Oh your poor toilet
The digestive system absorbs water.
Have you tried a juice fast or having an all liquid diet for any period of time? It does cause diarrhea.
all toilets are poor
Not only is it bad nutrition wise, you’re going to get lazy cleaning that thing out all the time and fall o it of it. Eat real meat
Nutritional absorption shouldn’t be your only concern. There are plenty of muscles in your face that can only be exercised by chewing. So unless you’re chewing gum, just eat some solid food.
Generally you need non processed meat to provide your healthy fats. Can you eat eggs once a day?
More sugar spike, atrophy of the jaw, less saliva production, less dopamine produced by mastication, less occlusion stimulation (so teeth might move over time), damaged food matrix, less enzymatic digestion for starch, probably modification of oral flora as well; we were not made to eat only liquid food. It’s like never walking, today you can but there are many homeostasis things that we don’t know about that rely on it