Green Smoothies: What Does the Science Say?

[@philb5426]

Watching this video while drinking my morning smoothie made me go through a roller coaster of emotions... from "Oh no, its bad" to "whew" to "oh no!!" to "Thank you berries!!"

[@eddyf4426]

What would we do without Dr. Greger's tireless work so we dont have to.. I love this guy!

[@peterfox6159]

He is not tiring because he LOVES it :D But you are right. I NEEEEEEED this channel ... XD

[@odenbarrett4249]

man i absolutely love it when you say "Put it to the test" gets me every time

[@lpc90]

In a nutshell, add some berries and greens to any smoothies you make.

[@AlexSwan]

+MilkisPoison where's the high fibre content in soy milk? That's where the beans came into play previously.

[@TKMP-xv2zl]

If I am going to pay that much for raspberries I am going to enjoy EACH one individually and not dump them in a smoothie. :)

[@yes2542]

@@TKMP-xv2zl Frozen berries are cheaper

[@Profile.4]

@@TKMP-xv2zl you're a broke bitch

[@mareezy]

Thank you Lee, I wish Dr. Greger would get more to the point sometimes

[@connieskitchen2587]

WOW, I was getting nervous at first thinking I was harming myself with my smoothies when I was listening to the begging of this video, But then to hear at the end that the exact smoothie that can help you is the exact smoothie I make myself all the time........ 1 Banana 1 Cup of Blueberries 1/2 cup Homemade Almond Milk 1/2 cup Filtered Water Big handful of Spinach and/or Kale and/or Other Healthy Greens This happy Gal is off to make a Smoothie ;-)

[@louiealcala3623]

Connies Kitchen I heard water dilutes the nutrients when you blend, not sure how to go about that

[@benb6801]

Connies Kitchen I thought the banana was bad to blend ?

[@TaylorPhase]

still pretty bad. should replace the banana with an avocado

[@swimbait1]

I make basically the exact same smoothie almost everyday lol. Only difference is I use home made oat milk. Love it.

[@theodoregifford3861]

I was drinking a home made banana spinach smoothie when I saw the thumbnail for this video. Halfway through the video, after the publications on apple smoothies, I put the smoothie back in the fridge with the intent of reducing my fruit pureé consumption long term. Then I finished watching the video and, with the broader context at the end, retrieved my smoothie from the fridge. What a rollercoaster ride!

[@Gngrcpl]

Haven't tried berries in my green smoothie yet. I really like my green smoothies with mango and pineapple. It's just goes so well together!

[@peterrohr1328]

Thank you for taking your time and explaining the details. Gives a whole new perspective to making smoothie recipes.

[@dustinhansford8270]

my smoothie recipe is kale, carrots, rainbow chard, broccoli sprouts, tomato, blueberries, Apple skin, orange/lemon peel, garlic, ginger, flax milk for the liquid and some Greek yogurt or banana on occasion.

[@Clickens]

sounds good. When you wrote this I wasn't vegan yet and now I'm stuffing my face with fruit and veggies. If you'd told me that I'd be making kale smoothies some day I'd have said you're crazy.

[@johannesbrahms9528]

My favorite: 1 cup Leafy Greens 1/2 Cup Cruciferous Vegetable 1/2 Cup Berries 1 Banana or Mango, peeled/pitted 1 tbsp Flaxseed, ground 1 tbsp Ceylon Cinnamon, ground 1/4 tsp Tumeric, ground 1 dash Black Pepper, ground 1-2 cups Water

[@dorothymcmurtray4239]

I'm hypoglycemic and nothing stops the hypoglycemic dips after drinking a smoothie, even made with low-sugar fruits like berries and green apples. A little protein powder helps but not much. WFPB for 3 years.

[@urasoul]

this is what i am guided to do intuitively

[@ianbyrne5329]

drinking a smoothe is better than not drinking a smoothe at all thats the bottom line

[@mjs28s]

That's right! I almost roll my eyes when someone (usually overweight or fat like the average person) says something to me like, "What about all the sugar in that smoothie?" Then I have to explain why I am slim and they aren't even though I am around 70% calories from carbs (whole foods for nearly all of that). Then I have to explain that "sugar" is nearly a meaningless term when it comes to whole foods and is not the same as table sugar. Followed lastly by my asking them to explain how my smoothie that contains: bananas, dates, blue berries, mixed berries (black, rasp, strawberry), oats, walnuts, flax, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, spinach, kale or collard greens, broccoli, turmeric, pinch of black pepper, mustard powder, amla, and a slice of ginger, is all supposed to be bad for me because of the high carbs (around 275 to 300 grams per smoothie). Its almost like they ignore that one breakfast for me probably has 250% more fiber in it than they eat all day let alone most of my micro-nutrients are almost all covered and I am getting lots of plant sterols, flavonoids, anti-oxidants, etc, .....and then I watch them finish their lunch of overly mayo'd macaroni salad and greasy fried chicken from the grocery store deli while also giving them a stupid look and swear to never talk about my breakfast with them again. My smoothie sounds like a pain to make with all the items, but it is a whopping 4 minutes to prep and blend with nearly 45 seconds to clean the blender with soap and water and 10 seconds to rinse it. I'll take it for health and not having to also waste so much more time in the kitchen prepping and cleaning up a meal per day.

[@80slimshadys]

No i wouldn't say that neither would Dr Esselstyne, he says that smoothies give you atherosclerosis. it injures your liver, glycates protein, and injures the endothelial cells

[@jordandthornburg]

80 Slim Shady's what's the evidence?

[@rogerc23]

When Americans are now drinking 30% of their calories because of smoothies you know there is going to be problems. Oatmeal takes ten minutes to cook. Add some mushroom and onion and server over berries and spinach. You get all the goodness without the insulin spikes.

[@anthonyh2540]

@@80slimshadys lies

[@m0L3ify]

I have a cinnamon cocoa blueberry oat spinach smoothie every day that's out of this world! And it keeps me satisfied for hours. One of those at lunch and I'm good until dinner.

[@amirprog]

But these studies made on fruits only. what happens if you blend lettuce to these apples? the title says "green smoothies" but the resraches he talked about did not contain any greens with the fruit.

[@StephyGrowsWeed]

did u watch the very last of the video?

[@amirprog]

+StephyPlantbased Yes

[@santianzo2861]

+Amir Amran you are lying.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+Amir Amran re watch the other two videos, especially the cliff hanger question in the last one. Moreover lettuce is just plain water no nutrients nothing Dr. Greger covered this so why would anyone ever consume that in salad or smoothie over other greens that are packed?!

[@theatheistpaladin]

+Amir Amran All smoothies have some level of fruit in them. That should be what is studied. Seriously, who would have only greens? Doesn't sound very appetizing.

[@JulieOParkCity]

I also include in my blueberry smoothies hemp hearts, chia seeds and ground flax seed for a whole food protein and many more seed oriented phytonutrients.

[@Mrhokey]

wow so refreshing to see a balanced impartial presentation of data.

[@mirschultz9761]

mango is my fave fruit (I'm in Florida and we have trees of the stuff all over)...so glad it has a beneficial effect, and I make smoothies with blueberries often (for brain health)...yay

[@frankv3483]

So the moral of the story is that green smoothies are good but not as good as eating huge salads without dressing? I think I will stick to the smoothies and also add lots of berries.

[@egrogan6482]

One salad dressing that actually is very good for you is this: 2 tbls apple cider vinegar, 2 tbls olive oil, tsp oregano, also add fresh (or dried powdered) garlic, himalayan salt and pepper. I use it everyday, it's delicious and very tangy. You can use fresh lemon juice instead of the vinegar. It's a Greek salad recipe, Greeks use all fresh ingredients and are very healthy!

[@matthewlake182]

Awesome! I almost always put in blueberries into my green smoothies. = )

[@omrtheater7244]

We need an update! What happens to strawberries, bananas, mangoes, dates, etc. when blended? How do they affect insulin and glucose levels over time?

[@gregwroms]

My concern with green smoothies and the large quantity of great greens you can get daily with them, are nitriles, goitrogens, and oxalates. What are your thoughts on those?

[@niffumdam]

Thank you for this great piece. Is it true that blending releases sugars or removes nutrients? Is slow juicing the way to address this?

[@darialover87]

LOL, I've had an apple smoothie every morning for almost a year. pfft "who drinks apple smoothies?" Me!

[@darialover87]

+Hannah H with that said, I also eat tons of berries and bananas later in the day, and my apple smoothies have dates in them...not sure if those are helping though lol

[@louiealcala3623]

Atomic Skies according to this doctor, you are probably diabetic by now, ahhh don't know what to believe anymore, so many opposite opinions for every single topic, the problem is their stands seem logical

[@5tw3b45tcf]

Nts: blended fruits, juice can spike blood sugar and insulin, and then cause blood sugar crash (body panics). Ingesting over a longer time can reduce the panic response. Berries, however, can improve the panic response.

[@jeanneamato8278]

Not only do I add 3 types of berries to smoothies but also bananas, beans, greens, oats, and tofu. I also take 30- 45 mins to drink it.

[@nas0075]

What is the opinion on cancer fighting superfood smoothies for someone with an ileostomy? Had Peritoneal carcinomatosis so after crs/HIPEC I have been left with a ileostomy and cancer free until now that new growths have been found in peritoneal and hepatic(liver) growth. Wanted to start using smoothies or juicing(which would be better) but don't really know if there is any benefit to it with an ileostomy. Any input would be greatly appreciated as I can't find much on this.

[@ThePANDA1885]

That's great as I'm really enjoying the mayo recipe smoothie. It actually tastes really nice!

[@canids]

I've heard it said that consuming nuts and other oils interferes (slows) the absorption of sugars into the system,

[@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398]

Nick Nick yes I have read that in many of the teachings of Greger and Barnard

[@jbates725]

But...the title of the video is "Green Smoothies" but there was no mention of greens at all, only fruit.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+Jocelyn Bates he covered thta in depth in ther other two videos in this series. so basically greens actually have increased absorption when blended but no one ever drinks just plain greens. if you add fruits like apples to it u get that burst of fat and increased n decreased Blood sugar levels which are not good. But if u combine them with berries then u get the increased absorption of greens w/o the spikes from blended fruits.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+sn12 also whole fruits including apples wont give u that burst of fat in ur blood or the spikes n dips in ur sugar levels. So whole fruit is always the best but only certain fruits blended with greens works. Hope this helps.

[@jbates725]

I hadn't seen that this was one of a series of his, makes sense now, thank you. :)

[@Thorndyk3]

He's jjust totally killed of the weight-watchers diet of not having smoothies. Add berries, everything's ok. Love this guy.

[@diananguyen4886]

Thank you so much for sharing this video. Dr

[@TKMP-xv2zl]

I never liked smoothies. I would go "ooooh Yuck". However, I loved vegetable soups. I would throw in lots a celery, some onion, perhaps some lentils, whatever. Then at the end I would puree it with my hand blender so I didn't need vegetable stock. That is when I realized: I am just eating a HOT smoothie. Rather than a cold sweet smoothie, I was eating a hot savory smoothie. So I suppose smoothies are good, but you have to know how you like them. :)

[@louiealcala3623]

Ceil Constante why wouldn't freshly made smoothies not contain enzymes?

[@1imesub]

Thanks for the tip, Dr. G.

[@MM-uv3vb]

What are the effects of blended greens in smoothies (without berries or fruits)? He didn't go into that

[@serhioromano]

What sources do you use for your studies? For example I have an argument with someone and he wants me to reference my statements to science studies? For example right now I know only one trusted source which is New English Journal Of Medicine. But I am sure list of sites where you can search through studies is not so big. Please help me to learn the skill to make my own short study just like yours to answer a question.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+Sergey Romanov they are all listed on his website under this video there check out nutritionfacts.org

[@atomicwheeler]

+Sergey Romanov The Lancet is another good place but with all these site sometimes bad science gets put with the good. The Lancet was the 1st to bring us Andrew Wakefield's the MMR vaccine causes autism the study that was later proven false.

[@serhioromano]

Kyle Luchetti This is the problem. When i read study in full usually my opponents can find there something in their defense. In the same study you can find slick statements that say opposite things.

[@ninjaturtles12121]

Sergey Romanov thats why is why Dr. greger's analysis' are the best as he compares multiple studies with various designs, controls, etc and then combines them for the most clear evidence. arguments can never be won by citing just one study. Also design of study is of paramount importance.

[@serhioromano]

sdushdiu I've got this, thank you.

[@davidmason2581]

amazing! finally some science on this.

[@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398]

My smoothie has fresh ginger, frozen blueberries, frozen banana, mint from my garden, flax seeds, a couple of spiralina and chlorekka capsules and some terra greens and fresh water.

[@marniparni2487]

Thank you Dr. All this is helping me so much! P.S. love the cook book I ordered!!!

[@EternalEscence84]

Dr. Gregor, now we know about apple juice/water, but would orange juice and other citrus juices have a similar hypoglycemic effect? I'm curious to know since citrus is often juiced and used a model breakfast drink. Thank you.

[@louiealcala3623]

EternalEscence84 I was always taught as a kid that orange juice was not good 4 u since you take away the fiber your basically drinking sugar water

[@VitaminDfreunde]

Great great video!!! Thanks :-)

[@evelynannn]

Whew thank tou berry much

[@rawintuition]

Great info, thank you Dr. Greger!

[@howardbonds5106]

What about drinking carrot or spinach smoothie juice without fruits? What does that do to blood sugar levels? Do you have any answer to that one Doc?

[@louiealcala3623]

the risk of "overly rapid sugar absorption" really interesting, so is it just the rapidness of consuming the juice and not so much taking away the fiber? do you advocate veggie juicing since there's not much sugar in them if any? thank you

[@AidanWatson92]

Much sense made once again :). I have a bowl full of chopped bananas with a little blended date/banana sauce to compliment. I find this way it regulates the bodies glucose at a more steady rate due to the fibre being in tact. I've felt those sudden drops in blood sugar several times in the past & they aren't pleasant... It's more of a trial & error kinda thing going on to fathom what works best, the facts delivered here just speed up that process ;). whole fruits for the win! 🍌

[@PrincessTala83]

Thank you for this video, I've been wondering about this for awhile now! But what about the actual greens that we put in the green smoothies ?

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+Chloe M check out part 1 and 2 in this series

[@PrincessTala83]

+sn12 Didn't realise there was a part 1 and 2 , thank you for informing me :)

[@ninjaturtles12121]

Chloe M np :) put together they all make great sense!

[@joahralf]

i would like to know more about how blending affects the nutrients

[@turbonbc]

A smoothie should have 4 main ingredients. Its common sense to me. Sugars: /Fruits ect.. Greens: /Vegetables ect.. Antioxidants: /Berries ect.. Or if its a different smoothie Cacao/Herbs can be replaced as the antioxidants. Healthy fats: /Chia/hemp/flax seeds/coconut oil/avocado ect.. (In my opinion) All small additives like super-herbs and other super-foods are optional.

[@zukodude487987]

Got blended berries?

[@dhumash]

I make my breakfast shake with berries and Soy Yogurt and vegan protein powder with flex-seeds, chia seeds ..it taste amazing and keep me full till 1PM :)

[@well.thy.one.]

well how does eating the berries compare to the blended berries? perhaps eating them is the best overall?

[@sherylnapier6020]

Anyone know if he is talking about store bought fruit juices or the juicing done at home? Thanks

[@PaMcDonagh]

sheryl napier both, but cloudly is better, and blended is better than juicing.

[@user-je7pp2wg3m]

Doesn't matter. Juicing removes the fiber period

[@S6OOL]

Thanks doctor

[@jambexuk]

Not sure if insulin should be the only isolated variable determining whether we should eat whole fruits, blend them or juice them. A lot of the juicers from Charlotte Gerson (age 96), Jay Kordich (age 94) to Dr. Norman Walker (age 99) must have quite some nutritient uptake to reach their respective ages. Please do video on the difference of nutrient absorption when juicing and blending. It seems that certain combinations, such as carrots and apples are particularly healthy.

[@alfonto]

Any other fruits that will substitute berries?? It's not cheap here in a tropical country as this kind of fruits is not native.

[@AgsiSD]

Great information thank you.

[@Kombaiyashii]

What happens to the anti-oxident capacity of blended fruit/veg?

[@sidilicious11]

Super good news. I love my berry and banana smoothies.

[@DerekSimmons1]

So banana/mango/berry smoothies are fine then, right?

[@jonnyjazz1]

+Derek Simmons as long as you had kale

[@StephyGrowsWeed]

just put berries into ur smoothie and greens....

[@rawintuition]

Yes, that's what I took from this!

[@3pleFly]

+Derek Simmons Seems to me like it's a little bit fruit specific. While you rather not blend or juice apples because your body would over-react causing hypoglycemia and.... you know the story. On the other you have bananas, and mangoes, that actually IMPROVE blood-sugars overtime (because of a phytonutrient mangiferin), berries improve blood sugars so much you actually have a rise in hypoglycemia. I hope next videos will discuss this further, or maybe a new topic ? can't wait.

[@Paljk299]

+StephyPlantbased bloody expensive berries are though, in comparison to bananas. Can't say I care too much for just berry smoothies either, they're ok but better with bananas as well.

[@BA-dz7ns]

but what happened when we adds greens tho? i think fibers in greens will helps to control blood sugar even with an apple smoothie

[@georgesbackyardgym]

it was interesting you said that after the apple juice or smoothly your insulin spiked than fell below fasting point where your then dumped fat into your blood stream for energy. Well isn't that a good way of burning fat ?

[@vascoamaralgrilo]

Thanks!

[@peterfox6159]

Excellent! Really helpful :)

[@dsmith6404]

I always use frozen berries to make my smoothie nice and cold

[@Vanessa-bk4nv]

Well that's good news... as I sip my mixed berry, kale, chia, and almond smoothie ;-)

[@houndjog]

Kale: has a 3:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio - an exceptionally high amount of protein for any vegetable. Like beef, it also contains all nine essential amino acids needed to form the proteins within the human body, plus nine other non-essential ones for a total of 18. In addition, kale contains omega-3s in a beneficial ratio to omega-6, and is exceptionally rich in vitamins A, C, and K1. It's also loaded with vision-preserving lutein and zeaxanthin at over 26 mg combined, per serving. Add to this an impressive list of minerals as well, including more calcium per gram than whole milk, and in a more bioavailable form. Other bioactive compounds such as isothiocyanates and indole-3-carbinol have been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

[@zeemusic]

How about making smoothies or juices then adding two teaspoons of isabgol husk to it ;)

[@veganbanana4687]

THAT kinda confirm the theory that whole is better than a part.... Interresting

[@TaylorPhase]

hows it green when half the stuff is sugary fruit? i was expecting like a kale and avocado smoothie...

[@swimbait1]

Doctor, at age 57 I’ve suddenly started getting heart palpitations and have never had them before. I don’t smoke, weight is normal, and I’m very active but my diet hasn’t been the best. Any comments?

[@Hiltie1]

As a result I do not blend apples in my green smoothies. I eat them instead and implement berries and flaxseeds and Cinnamon into my leafy green vegetables smoothies.

[@kathytr616]

- Eating apple whole is better than smoothie n juices. - Bananas, mangle n berries in general improves BGL.

[@HopyHop1]

I never make apple smoothies anyway. I make smoothies with bananas, dates, and grapes, kiwifruits, or mangoes all the time though.

[@hectorpalacios5527]

Your videos are amazing, like some people say, it saves a lot of time to people who research to get a good answer. Thanks Dr G!

[@j.s.2281]

Hector Palacios It is always good to do a little of your own research though!;)

[@ephesianarmorytchannel6838]

I wonder if your body releases the fat to compensate for the blood sugar drop, does this release stored saturated fat, which can cause more damage to the endothelial cells?

[@gf4353]

Kale, Spinach, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery. Turmeric, Beets, Cranberry s. Put in blender, LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED.

[@alvaroaballe5683]

I teach my students that human beings cannot digest cellulose because we lack the enzyme that hydrolyzes the beta(1-4) bonds. I assume that when we talk about dietary fiber digestion, we are talking about our bateria digesting cellulose. When we eat processed fiber (e.g. flour instead of whole grains) this fiber is digested before reaching the colon (starving our good bacteria). How is the fiber digested before the colon (even if it is processed)? Do we also have bateria before the colon that can hydrolyze the cellulose? If so, do not these bacteria before the colon produce butyrate? Thanks in advance.

[@KingsClown]

Even if berry smoothies do not cause a spike in blood sugar the doctor did not address the issue of liquid foods contributing to over-consumption of calories and not leading to "fullness" the same way that whole foods do. Be very careful with liquid foods if you gain weight easily as I do.

[@ericmsandoval]

So what was the main reason the apples lost their proper nutrition but berries didn't?

[@songofyesterday]

And here I was afraid to eat mangos because they're so sweet. Time to eat a ton because they're freaking delicious!

[@benb6801]

So basically it’s ok to blend berries and greens ? But not any other fruit?

[@darrenbailey1336]

So heres my theory on why theres still a spike in insilin levels with the smoothy. It may be because the chewing of the apple has created a abundance of siliva which has many enzymes responcible for digestion produced by our glands, this abunance of enzymes which is not pressent with any of the tests shown on the graft may be the cause of the spike. Maybe if each sip of the smoothy was swoshed around in the mouth mixing with the siliva and activating the glands to produce more enzymes, there would be a more possitive result and prevent the smoothy from rushing throught the system. Was this theory at all considered in the testing that was conducted i wonder. Id love to hear all your thoughts.

[@energyquicksand]

Who limits themselves to 6oz. portions of smoothie?

[@swimbait1]

Fantastic

[@huangfeihonggongfu]

So +durianrider is right when adding sugar to his smoothies. it apparently won't effect blood sugar as one might have thought

[@huangfeihonggongfu]

When you're adding it to a 15 banana smoothly there's nothing empty about that. There's a boat load of nutrition there

[@AlexSwan]

Did you watch this series at all? Also, there is a recent interview on here where someone asks Dr Greger exactly that and he then explained why it's not good to do. Pretty sure this series was inspired by that interview.

[@MrSuperbluesky]

+huang feihong the smoothie suggested in this video has ONE banana some berries and greens. not 15 plus sugar

[@huangfeihonggongfu]

+Doug bananaboy its only 14 more lol

[@MrSuperbluesky]

+huang feihong good point : ) whats a dozen or so more between friends

[@jesus3373]

I'm thinking the body knows the difference between refined sugar and natural fruit sugars.

[@NickTWO111]

berries and greens yay!

[@Netinspired]

this study is disturbing in that I always thought fruit is fruit and each fruit comes with its own bunch of phytochemicals and antioxidants and whatever. but now it seems that some are more equal. anyway, bottom line is to add greens and berries to your fruit smoothie just to be on the safe side as far as blood sugar spikes are concerned.

[@dannac_8888]

WASHED BERRIES! I am so surprised he didn't mention that berries are one of the Dirty Dozen and to please wash them before consuming. Stay healthy babies! 😍

[@Tacka4Fun]

Still waiting your word on oxidation :D

[@Bajoli86]

The only problem i have with this video is that there are only fruit smoothies in it and no "green smoothy", what the title of the video says.

[@zazabank3708]

This study is not about greens ,it is about the bunch of other sugers you put into the smoothie.Green smoothie should only be about the greens because our digestive system startig with the teeths cannot process all the good things in them! My green smoothie: dandelion or rucola or parsley ( organic!) , lemon water and honey.If kurkuma w.pepper or ginger is in the fridge,even more perfect.All the other fruits I eat during the day which is much better for your digestion thean just squashing them!

[@laurenbello]

Awesome

[@PlantBuiltBody]

If you add a teaspoon of amla then you will have nothing to worry about at all!

[@ninjaturtles12121]

+Plant Built Body have u ever tried the actual fruit its soooo delicious i hate that powder!

[@PlantBuiltBody]

Yes, I buy the fruit when I can. I use the powder just for the antioxidants and the insulin blunting abilities.

[@how0will0this0end]

SO a masticating juicer is no good or WHAT?

[@FractalTrades]

Do bodybuilding doc

[@j.s.2281]

Did you not mention greens at all or did I somehow miss it? one moment he is loud and clear and the next he mumbles and talks fast. Haha. Maybe it is just my speakers...

[@blissfulbaboon]

There is NOTHING like chewing the food.Remember that.

[@Profile.4]

Who gives a shit

[@lewis9767]

But who actually eats 9 whole fruits in 1 day? Eating them in a smoothie is a lot easier...And surely consuming more is better than only consuming some now and then?