Hi.
A quick one for the experts...
Does adding flax or hemp oil to your fruit smoothies impede their cleansing or digestion qualities in any way?
I only add the oils for a little bit of flavor.
But can do without it.
Maybe get the oil in the form of salad dressing or something.

Thanks!

Brian

I know that people sometimes use nut milk as a liquid base. It's too much trouble for me to bother most of the time, though. I don't know how much of the nut fat ends up in the milk, but it's probably significant.

I don't think adding them would impede anything... I have occasionally added flax and coconut oil to my green smoothies (can't remember the last time I had a straight fruit smoothie lol).

I use the oils more for salad dressings or binding agents when I make raw pies etc.



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

Fruit + oil, especially in a smoothie, would leave my stomach with some uncomfortable consequences. Oil and fruit, as far as food combining goes, is off limits, and just instinctively sounds very slippery and gurgley and bound to not be a good thing.

BUT, what's even better than oils, are the actual things the oils are derived from! (While fat/protein + fruit is also technically a combination faux pas) I would recommend tossing some flax in a coffee grinder and adding that to your smoothies. I personally love this with blended bananas and coconut water. I've heard of other people doing hemp seeds. Most importantly--try different things and see how they make you feel!

I would stick to the whole nut/seed, instead of oil: this way, you get the entire nutritional spectrum of the food, and it's easier to assure it's raw. =)

I use flax seed in my green smoothies. But sometimes I add a dollop of coconut oil and I feel satiated for longer. Am I just a Fat type? I've been trying to drink green smoothies for breakfast but it just doesn't keep me full for more than 2 hours. I use a lot of greens, too.

Thanks everyone

I use a tbsp of flax seed and a tbsp of raw coconut meat in mine. Fresh coconut meat tastes good, but coconut oil that has been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long tastes like greasy soap.

I have a combo of 1 tbsp each:

sunflower seeds
sesame seeds
pumpkin seeds
almonds (sometimes pecans or walnuts)
flax seeds
hemp seeds

which I add to my daily smoothie.

Keeps me from getting hungry, keeps some of the froth down in my green smoothie, and tastes wonderful.

I guess it's the protein. Hemp seeds have (YES IT IS TRUE!) 15 GRAMS OF PROTEIN per ounce. That's just superlative! Two tbsps = one ounce. I get mine in a 5 pound bucket from Global Eatery and I think they have the best price, and the quality is excellent.

I'm not one to use oil separate from the nut/seed except in the case of olive oil which I use so rarely lately it wouldn't matter anyhow.

Raw coconut meat is a luxury and I LOVE it - really jumps up the flavor of the smoothie IMHO.

I have NO digestion problems, and I've been doing this nut/seed/smoothie thing for about 3-4 years now.

BTW, I don't "process" anything before putting it into my smoothie - flax seeds, any seeds get ground up nicely by my Vitamix. Too much work to do it twice! [ <- inherently lazy :-) ]

Experiment, have fun, enjoy the "doing!" {Sort of a "Be Here Now" for rawbies.}

I agree that the seeds themselves are better then the oils. A lot of oils, including flax are extremely unstable. They spoil in practically no time. Coconut oil is supposed to be very stable though. For nuts and seeds I think whole are best, if your blender will process them. Fresh ground would be a close second (coffee grinder works great). Also the fiber may help with any colon cleansing needed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/2008 09:32PM by swimmer.

I just know that when I add nuts, or seeds, to my Smoothies, the blender Carafe has an oily coating. When I don't, it doesn't. I've decided no oil is Best for proper digestion.....WY

I believe that fats are an addictive taste and can cause cravings all their own. I was standing in a checkout line a few years ago and something happened that made a lasting impression on me and it has to do with fat addiction. The lady in front of me started checking out and the cashier said to her "the extra lean ground beef is on sale right now for much less then this regular ground beef". I looked at her cart and it was loaded with many packages of the ground beef and there was very little else in her cart. She replied to the cashier "I know the lean is on sale but I like the taste of regular much better so I'll gladly pay more". She checked out and left and I realized that she was hooked on fat.

I include avocados in many of my smoothies, which adds a lovely creamy texture...not to mention subtle taste. Can't argue with the health benefits as far as natural oils go if you ask me.

Sometimes I throw in a small handful of organic oil cured black olives for a fattier feel and slight salty kick.

~lanie