The One Huge Mistake That’s Making Your Smoothies Way Less Healthy

This is a really interesting and timely article on how fat is an important part of nutrient and vitamin absorbtion. For many years all fats have been demonized, but it’s part of a health diet, and also required by many nutrients and vitamins to do their job!

In general, I think of healthy food as something that’s unique and personal—what makes your body feel best is often different from what will make mine flourish, and we should eat as such. But there are a few places I draw the line, and one of them is when […]

Contents

• 1 Fat Free Salads Are Not Always Best
  • 1.1 It’s Easy To Fix

Fat Free Salads Are Not Always Best

Click here to view original web page at www.mindbodygreen.com

Below are some excepts from the article:

In general, I think of healthy food as something that’s unique and personal—what makes your body feel best is often different from what will make mine flourish, and we should eat as such. But there are a few places I draw the line, and one of them is when I see people consuming fat-free salads or smoothies.

But the fat isn’t only a healthy part of smoothies and salads—it’s a necessary one. That’s because the very greens that you feel good about filling your plate or glass with are loaded with fat-soluble vitamins. Leah Silberman, a registered dietitian and founder of Tovita Nutrition, explains. “Many vitamins, namely the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, require a source of fat for optimal absorption,” she says. “Certain antioxidants behave similarly and become far more bioavailable when consumed in conjunction with a healthy fat. Lycopene, the abundant phytonutrient in red tomatoes is more efficiently absorbed when both cooked and eaten with a drizzle of olive oil.”

It’s Easy To Fix

The good news? The fix is as simple as you think. “Ensuring you’re getting enough fat with your veggies is as simple as adding your favorite nuts to your leafy green salad or using an extra-virgin-olive-oil-based dressing,” says Silberman. For my smoothies, I love to use ½ an avocado, some soaked nuts or seeds, hulled hemp hearts, coconut manna, dairy or nondairy yogurt, or some nut butter. For salads, I love adding skin-on chicken, using extra-virgin olive oil in my dressings, adding tahini for a creamy, bitter note, or topping everything with toasted nuts or seeds. The healthy fats in these foods also help with satiety, ensuring your smoothie or salad will actually keep you full until your next meal.

“I don’t recommend drowning your food in oil and healthy fats but rather not being afraid to incorporate it into your meals and snacks,” Silberman says. “A little (healthy) fat goes a long way!”