I don’t like smoothies. Now, before all you smoothie loving masses stop reading here and immediately black-ball me, at least let me explain my case. I don’t get a lot of trendy things, I don’t even drink coffee, for shame! But I’m hyper enough as myself, caffeine would probably end up effecting me like cocaine.
I prefer to eat my food fresh, or at least not blended. (Just some design inspiration I tossed to Sprouts, they just opened a store near me.)
The running realm and the healthy living world are interconnected and whenever people find out I’m a runner and the conversation drifts to food and nutrition, the topic of smoothies seems to inevitably come up. They rave about their protein powders, their spinach combos leaving their glass looking like the Swamp Thing, they start spouting off their must-try recipes and I nod and smile. But in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “I still have teeth and I plan on doing as much chewing as I can until I lose them and then I’ll turn to your smoothies along with Jell-O and applesauce.”
Smoothies work great for TONS of folks and power to you, I can see the benefits:
* Quick and easy to make sure you hit the 30 minute recovery window
* Convenient to eat on the go and tote around
* Wonderful for people who don’t like fruits and veggies and thus need to sneak them in
* Adding protein to them is easy and great for people who are lacking in that department
Again, more fun I thought Sprouts may enjoy. 😛
I get it, and keep on blending if that’s what you need and it works for you. But I’m one of those crazies who really do enjoy eating fruits and veggies as they are and don’t have a problem eating the real versions throughout the course of my day. I also love eggs, cottage cheese and shrimp and have no problem getting that protein amount in real food either. The ocean called and they were running out of shrimp because of me, actually. 😉 You know it if you got that last one.
So an ode to fruits and veggies today, they are great in oh so many ways, even if they are blended. With summer coming up plenty folks find them more appealing and could see using their teeth as a more plausible option.
* Water content: A portion of the water you get each day does, in fact, come from a few of the foods you eat, fruits and veggies are some of those. Obviously not enough to slack on the real liquids but watermelons, melons, pineapple, celery, lettuce and ‘juicy’ fruits/veggies supply more of that H2O good stuff.
* Fiber: Yes, running can help keep you regular, but fiber does that too! Fruits and veggies can be a great source of fiber; again celery and lettuce fall into that category, as do broccoli, cauliflower, and apples. But be warned, because of this they may be better eaten AFTER your run, not before, if you are sensitive to GI issues.
* Antioxidants: Berries are our besties for this one, those colorful blueberries and raspberries may stain your fingers but they are rockstars in the nutrient department. Pair these babies with cottage cheese or greek yogurt and you’ve got an award winning protein, carb, and antioxidant combo!
* Iron: Those dark, leafy spinach greens contain iron which is essential for runners…trust me, low iron is NO energy and it’s important to ensure you get enough of this element.
* Potassium: Bananas, because they also have more carbohydrates than many other fruits, are often thought of as the ‘perfect runner food’. The reason that their high potassium count also swings in their favor (like a chimp on a vine…sorry, lame-sauce, I am!) is because this is an important electrolytes; it’s one of the ones, that when their levels are too low in the body (along with sodium), that people have gotten over-hydrated by drinking too much water.
Eating for running fuel and health: We all know fruits and veggies are things our body need to run at its best and if you’re asking your body to run to perform it’s even more important. Sometimes people find it hard to swallow certain things even if they know they ‘should’…I can’t argue cookie dough ice cream may be more appealing than an apple, but sometimes we need to eat to fuel!
The ocean called for me...
Other quick ideas to bulk up your fruits/veggie intake:
* Toss bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. into your omelets. Not only do you get the veggies but the protein in the eggs is even better.
* Stack those sandwiches higher with more veggies; toss in more veggies to your tacos and burritos too.
* Portabella burgers, have you ever tried these, they are in fact awesome.
* Kabob parties! Grill up those pineapple slices along with your skewered shrimp and chicken; also, have you ever skewered mangos and papayas?? Yum! For veggies, squash and zucchini kabobs rock too.
Smoothies aren’t the only way to go and I may be a bit of an anti-smoothie-ite, please at least read my case before hating me. And if smoothies are your slurp of choice, that’s okay too. 🙂
1) Are you a smoothie lover or hater? If so, what’s your favorite kind of smoothie?
2) Are you pretty good about getting your fruits and veggies in? What’s your favorite kinds and how do you eat them?
3) Do you use any kinds of protein powders in your recipes, smoothies included? If not what’s your top protein choices?
I’m not a huge powder person, I eat a ton of protein foods and know I’m covered.
4) Have you run into a person who refuses to acknowledge or accept you’re not a huge smoothie person?
Yes, I swear some people who try to sell Homer on the idea of the liquid donut.
I LOVE smoothies … but mostly ’cause I hate breakfast (unless it’s almost noon). I just can’t seem to stomach it, so smoothies are a good option for me.
Favourite? Hmm … raspberry and chocolate is always good 🙂
❀Barbara❀
My Running Shortz
okay, this is kinda crazy, but i was JUST leaving a comment on another blog about how much i luv raspberry and chocolate combos!! although it was for tarts…sounds like we are on a similar brainwave. 🙂
It’s actually a bit of a relief to read this, because whilst I love smoothies, I don’t make them consistently myself. I have a great food processor but it isn’t ideal for smoothies because it leaks liquid…my blender is pretty average and doesn’t cope with many vegetables or with frozen bananas. Smoothies out are mostly dairy based, or just milkshakes in disguise, and so I often go your route and get vegetables in other ways! I do enjoy them when I make them though, so I guess I’d take a bit of both approaches 🙂
yay!! power to the growing number of anti-smoothie-ites! 😉
I LOVE crunching veggies all day long but I am not a big fruit person so I will make smoothies basically to up my fruit servings and add some healthy spinach and almond milk in there too. I wouldn’t say I love them but they are good.
I’ve become anti-protein powder since my doctor said that our bodies will not absorb it as well as it can from real foods. I suspect half the healthy food bloggers that add protein powder to everything are getting too much. Your body cannot absorb the doses some of the protein shakes recommend.
yea, i kno some people go a bit overboard with the powders…there are some great products out there but to use them best u need to use some sense too…lol. 🙂
My darling Cait, I am sorry that it has been so long!
I am not a smoothie lover, or a juice lover either, I do drink a lot of coffee though 🙂
I prefer to eat my fruits and vegetables and never have trouble getting my 2 and 5 in! My favourite kind – raw or just slightly cooked depending on the variety. My favourite vegetable would have to be broccoli, or beetroot (the canned variety especially – I think it might be a kind of sickness), and my favourite fruit?? That’s a hard one – perhaps apples or peaches, in the winter mandarins or oranges. Oh and bananas, and strawberries….
I don’t do protein powder – way too many ingredients on those sorts of lists for me – this girl runs on beans and lentils and dairy 🙂
Oh, I’ve moved too! Check out my new blog when you’ve got a little moment 🙂
u are back!! i kept checking wat is now the old blog and figured u must be crazy busy with work and school…so thanks SO much for passing on the new, shiny blog url…i’m headed there now! 🙂
but before i do, i have to say i’ve never actually tried beetroot, but with ur endorsement i think i will…i trust u as a reliable source. 🙂
im pretty bipolar when it comes to smoothies. like i love them hard core for a few weeks and then never want to see ANYTHING blended (unless its a milkshake!) for months. i really love fresh fruits and veggies. my friend from school makes fun of me because i am constantly at the grocery stocking up 😉
also. im sad you dont watch TAR 🙁 haha. but its okay. I will forgive you! hope you are having a good dayyy!
haha…i like ur bipolar term!! lol…i go thru total food phases (not with smoothies) and eat the same thing literally until i feel like i OD on it and then move to the next favorite. 🙂
I SO totally, 100% agree with you on this one (well, most things, really, but especially this one). I don’t like drinking my calories – I prefer to eat them! I just never feel full after a smoothie (plus, I can’t do any of the protein powders, supplements, etc)!
Unless said smoothie is a Strawberry Daquiri. THAT smoothie I can do.
haha…u totally pegged me, i’d rather EAT me my calories!! this hungry beast doesn’t get filled up with any of the liquid stuff either. 🙂
I have to be in the mood for a smoothie. If someone gave me the choice between whole fruit and smoothie, 9 times out of 10 I would choose the whole fruit. Especially if it was from a smoothie place – they add so much sugar and it gets waaay too sweet! Fruit is almost always reliable to taste right.
oh yea, i don’t even entertain the actual smoothie chain restaurants and stuff, they always add in a bunch of stuff and again, i’d rather devour some muffins and fruit rather than drink a huge smoothie bomb. 🙂
I LOVE smoothies and pretty much anything that is semi icy. 😉 I’ve always been that way…but I totally get where you’re coming from. I also don’t like a lot of trendy things. I don’t like coffee, beer, donuts, and prob a lot more than that. 😉
I am not into pastry type stuff for breaky or eggs & bacon or even bagels…but I’d eat straight up fruit and greens or fruit and greens blended in my smoothie.
As for faves, I usually do kale, cinnamon, almond milk, banana, and blueberries. Delicious (if you like smoothies).
that’s okay, i don’t hate on smoothie drinkers…hehe. 🙂 only the ones who try to push them down my throat. 😛
that said, would u be up for an eggs, bacon and bagel smoothie?? 😉
I know this is an old post, but I really felt the need to reply!
I HATE SMOOTHIES!
I tried one again today because of my new diet and think that maybe they’re just not for me. It’s the structure I dislike… They’re thick and kinda mushy D: I like juices (though I prefer the actual fruit), but smoothies are kinda like mashed potatoes to me or something, I don’t know. The structure seems that way.
hahaha…okay, u’re like my soul sister on the anti-smoothie train!! i HATE them. for all the reasons u said and more! 🙂
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I HATE smoothies. I just want to eat the fruit by it’s lonesome.
Also it’s amazing what simply eating a banana or an orange will do for you if you were like me and liked to chase your dinner down with ice cream or cake or something. Lost some pounds making that simple switch and I still eat ice cream and cake but instead of it being a nightly thing I maybe just have some ice cream on a Saturday night or whatever. That stuff should be a treat. Not a staple of your diet. lol
haha…we are both team NO smoothies!!! 😉
CONGRATS on the weight loss and you’re so right! Balance, moderation, and still enjoying treats is the way to go. 🙂 Great job and here’s to having our cake, eating it, but having bananas too! hehe.
I hate smoothies and shakes! I know it’s mainly the consistency of them, and I gag just thinking about them. I went online with the specific instructions “diet plans that don’t include shakes or smoothies”, and what popped up!?!…dozens of sites about smoothies and shakes, and only one site that address the question. Yours!!!! Thank you. It’s nice to know I have company.
I dislike all smoothies, but then I have a texture issue and dislike yogurt, milk products (except sharp crumbly cheese), puddings and anything with a creamy texture such as cream soups, dressings, dips, gravy and almost all sauces. It took me several years to learn to eat mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. I still pass them up if something (like a plain baked potatoe) is available. So, I understand all those out there who like dry, crunchy food.
Omg! It looks like your are telling my story (except the coffee. I love it). I’m a runner too and people give me weird looks when I say I don’t like smoothies or juicing. I tell them that like to chew my food. You said the same thing!
I despise smoothies. I’m cold-natured, even in summer, and trying to drink a quart of cold fruit/veggie slushiness in the morning (or any other time of day) is NOT enjoyable. I’ll remain old fashioned and eat my fruits/veggies as they are. How can anyone not love the crunch of a Granny Smith’s apple? Fresh strawberries in Scottish Oats? Avocado and sautéed portabella mushroom tacos?
I really don’t like smoothies. Thick drinks make me gag. I do love veggies and fruit, I eat quite a bit of them. I am looking into protein powders and shakes. However, the shakes are too thick and taste terrible. I drink my coffee hot and black so, I wouldn’t add a shake. I can’t find many recipes for the powder other than, making those blame smoothies. I just want to eat it. The cold oatmeal with yogurt is a problem as well. I’m really not a dairy person. So I eat a lot of chicken, eggs and veggies. To those of you that use the powder, can it be added to hot foods? I would like to get a little more protein.