How To Get The Benefits Of Fiber When Blending Your Own Beverages!
Let’s talk about juicing. While there’s nothing wrong with adding more fruits and veggies to your diet through juicing, there is one thing missing: fiber. When food changes form, like it does when it is juiced, fiber content is often decreased. For example, let’s look at an apple:
- 4.5 grams of fiber with the peel
- 2 grams of fiber without the peel
- ½ gram of fiber juiced (1 cup)
To put this in perspective, women need about 25 grams of fiber per day, while men need about 38 grams. The average adult only eats about 15 grams of fiber per day!
What’s so great about fiber you ask? Everything! Fiber in whole fruits and veggies can …
- Improve blood sugar control
- Relieve constipation
- Aid in satiety
- Help promote a healthy weight
- Lower cholesterol*
According to one study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 1 in 10 Americans eats enough fruits and veggies.* Now that just won’t do. So, let’s talk about a few ways to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet!
- Blend ‘em in: To get all of the benefits of fiber, try blending up fruits and veggies into a smoothie. When you don’t remove the skin or the pulp before blending, you maintain all the fiber from your produce. I recommend throwing in 1-2 cups of your favorite fruits or veggies (or give ones you don’t like a try!) and adding skim milk or Greek yogurt for protein, along with ground flax, chia seeds, or avocado for some healthy fats! Who said you can’t have it all!?
- Eat ‘em whole: There’s nothing better than a crisp fall apple or crunchy green beans from the garden. Mix things up by steaming, baking, roasting, or boiling your veggies. For fruits, try adding them to your oatmeal, eat them with nut butter, or toss ‘em on top of a salad. Don’t forget all forms of fruits and vegetables matter: fresh, frozen, canned. dried and 100% juice.
