Why EAT and just not DRINK your smoothie? Weekend on Smoothies!

So far so good.. The weekend was not as bad as I had expected it to be. My husband got a little creative and decided to make chickpeas and naan for breakfast. The meal smelled awesome! I had little bit of chickpeas but avoided the naan. 

I also attended a birthday party on Saturday afternoon and ate only 1 small piece of celery stick there. Didn't feel like eating the cake and passed it totally. Yippee!

Then in the evening while shopping for my groceries I felt really hungry. I saw a box of mixed nuts on one of the aisles and just grabbed it. Opened it immediately and ate couple of almonds. Then at night while I was chewing my smoothie for dinner I thought I should share why we need to chew our smoothies and not just gulp them down with a straw. 

Going back to Biology 101:

The process of digestion begins in the mouth. The mouth has the ability to reduce the size of food particles (with the help of teeth) by cutting and grinding. While the dimensions of food are being reduced another important function is going on simultaneously.

The salivary glands are secreting saliva, which is mixed with food. The combination of reduced food particles mixing with saliva is the beginning of digestion. Saliva contains an enzyme called Ptyalin which is an enzyme that helps to break the food down for the digestive process.  

But still why do we need to chew our smoothie?

If we skip chewing our smoothies or juices then we also skip giving our digestive system the enzyme that will help with digestion of these smoothies. This enzyme helps to digest carbohydrates and it begins that process in the mouth.

Chewing also helps the body decide the exact composition and amount of enzymes needed to digest the food. Chewing also raises the temperature of food to match the temperature of the body (ever experienced brain freeze while drinking ice cold drinks?) making the food more bio available for the body. In other words our body is able to use the nutrition form the food or smoothies better when it is chewed properly. "It’s like getting it on track in order for your body to use it".  

How much time would you give if you were to eat 1 cup spinach, 1 cup blueberries, 1 apple, 2 kiwis and 2-3 cups of water? May be an hour?  So give at least that much time to drink your smoothie. If you just gulp it down then you are not only missing the beneficial enzymes needed for digestion but also the nutritional benefits that go along with smoothies.

Back to Smoothie for the Day....

2 large leaves of collard greens

2 stalks celery

1 mango 

1 apple

3 kiwis

1 cup water

Love the taste! Relished this all day Saturday!

I liked the combination so much that I just doubled the amount and consumed it for all my meals. 

I think I ate little too much on Saturday, so Sunday morning I didn't feel like eating anything. Moreover, its good to give our system break once in a while so I decided to go on a water fast for Sunday. Just water and may be teas. It's almost 1 pm as I write this and so far I have stayed on my plan. I am hoping I will stay on this for the rest of the evening if I don't get too too hungry. Good Luck to me!

Confessions for the weekend:

Chickpeas, nuts, little salad and tea. I know I can do better than this. I know I will improve.

Gratitude Day 6 and 7:

Thank GOD and to that wise person who came up with the idea of weekends. It's so important for us  physically, mentally and spiritually to go on a break every now and then. Breaks help our bodies and mind to relax, rejuvenate and recuperate. Without a concept of weekends or vacations we would be turning into working machines.

Prayers for next week:

I am planning to take my journey one step ahead and start with juices. I can use all the prayers from my lovely readers.

Sources:
Benjamin D, "Are you chewing your smoothies", Available online at Healthy, Wild and Free, June 2013