God has provided an abundance of delicious fruits, vegetables and nuts to nourish man. Nothing could be more appealing than sitting down to a bowl of fruit salad with the vibrant colors and textures of the different berries and fruits or a fresh vegetable salad with such a variety of vegetables that are all different, yet complementary to each other.
However, for various reasons many are not able to enjoy these delicacies in their natural form. Some people have trouble masticating their food and do not receive its full nutrient value. Others are suffering illness or recovering from illness and need some concentrated nutrients that are easily digested. Others may just want to give their diet a boost. In these cases both juicing and blending have their place. In our household we do both.
Juicing, which requires a juice extractor, strips away the fiber, leaving just the essential minerals and vitamins. The nutrients from this juice are absorbed into the system within about 20 minutes because there is no fiber to deal with. For anyone who is ill or recovering from an illness, this is a great way to receive nourishment into the body quickly to build up the immune system. People who have bowel or digestion issues also benefit greatly through juicing because they receive the much needed nutrients which their bodies cannot receive by eating foods that contain fiber. Many of the natural healing programs require from one to ten glasses of juice each day to build up the immune system so that it can battle disease.
Blending requires a high speed blender to process the different vegetables and greens. The high speed of the blender helps break down the cell walls of the food to such a degree that the protein and other nutrients are made more available for the body’s use. These blended salads are much more substantial and filling than juice, allowing you to receive all of the nutrients along with the fiber, making a delicious “green drink” depending on your choice of vegetables or fruits.
See the excerpts in the table from Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s newsletters on the advantages of blending your salad as opposed to eating it.
What are the advantages of eating a blended salad as opposed to eating a regular salad?
By Dr. Fuhrman
All plants are composed of cells whose walls consist mainly of cellulose, which is a type of carbohydrate. A plant-based diet (one rich in fruits and vegetables) contains a large amount of cellulose. Humans do not have the enzyme capable of breaking down cellulose, so we cannot utilize cellulose as an energy source. If we eat cellulose-rich, raw greens without thoroughly masticating them, we lose much of the food value.
To get as many nutrients as possible into your bloodstream, the plant walls must be broken open to release the nutrients inside the cell. When we simply chew a salad, about seventy to ninety percent of the cells are not broken open. Blending raw, leafy greens guarantees that a higher percentage of nutrients will be absorbed into your bloodstream for your body to use.
www.drfuhrman.com/FreeNewsletter.aspx/HealthyTimes_8pdf?code=4CABE05E-F371-4CAB-8BB1-24F93B5DA7C8
Healthy Times Newsletter No. 8 • July 2003
By Dr. Fuhrman
The greatest benefit of blending is the increased absorption of important nutrients. By just chewing your food you absorb about 15–25% of the nutrients, but blending makes your body able to absorb up to 95%!
www.drfuhrman.com/library/bulletin/March_Recipe_Newsletter.html
I am very thankful that Dr. Fuhrman has made this interesting information available. Depending upon your health needs or the health needs of your family, juicing or blending your foods is an option and may help to nourish and/or strengthen the immune system. (In fact, as I stated earlier, I do both in our home.) A strengthened immune system is a real blessing to have in this time in which we live because of the variety of health issues, which are increasing. God supplies us with good foods and we need to use them in such a way that our bodies may absorb all of the nutrients possible and prosper in good health.