When I make raw green smoothies, do you guys think I need to worry about absorbing everything effectively?
For instance, does all that stuff put together in a smoothie actually cancel some stuff out and make it not absorb?
I put a lot in the smoothie and want to get the nutritional benefits of each thing. And, some things I do not think I would know how to eat otherwise.

For example: Today I mixed a green powder smoothie mix (which is a raw powder with loads of veggies, supplements and vitimans and minerals in it), spirulina, bananna, raspberry, blackberry, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Will all of it be put to good use in my system? Or just get washed out in the mix?

I wonder the same about all of the supplements I take in the capsule form. I usually rotate them and try to vary it up for these reasons.
What do you think?

why do you think you need supplements?

and

consider that foods are better used by the body alone one at a time.

I'd skip the "raw" powder and eat lots of veggies.

Except I take supps for B12 and D.

The only competition I see is with the flax and pumpkin, too much omega6 has the potential to inhibit the body's ability to convert the short-chain omega3 in flax to long-chain omega3. But it really depends on how much you are using, if it's 1 tbsp of each no problem, if it's 1 tbsp flax and 4 tbsp pumpkin seed then there might be a problem *if* you are also using lots of other omega6 fats in the rest of your daily intake.

fresh Wrote:
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> consider that foods are better used by the body
> alone one at a time.

I'm skeptical of this position. For example, fat-soluble nutritients from veggies are better absorbed with a fatty dressing. Following natural hygiene "principles" are eating a fat free salad will decrease how much you absorb from that salad.

communitybuilder--
>I'm skeptical of this position. For example, fat-soluble nutritients from veggies are better absorbed with a fatty dressing. Following natural hygiene "principles" are eating a fat free salad will decrease how much you absorb from that salad.<

That's interesting! I intuitively feel like I should eat a little fat with my greens too, despite raw food teachings to the contrary. Can you elaborate a little? Is it because fats are the 'carriers' of nutrients to the cells? Thanks!

Sharrhan:


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communitybuilder Wrote:
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> fresh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > consider that foods are better used by the body
> > alone one at a time.
>
> I'm skeptical of this position. For example,
> fat-soluble nutritients from veggies are better
> absorbed with a fatty dressing. Following natural
> hygiene "principles" are eating a fat free salad
> will decrease how much you absorb from that salad.

how do the other primates around the world manage without fatty dressings?

fresh,

I am breaking my moratorium on not discussing primates! As to how other primates manage without fatty dressings: not too shabbily, I suppose. But they don't have monkey labs running monkey tests on monkey foods to discern whether this or that monkey clan mightn't eat better for health and well being. Personally, I ENJOY having a bigger and more complex brain than a bonobo, fresh! There, moratorium is officially reimposed! Alakazaam!

I believe it's for the opposite purpose. The eating of greens aids in the digestion of high fat foods.

I just listened to an interview with Victoria Bouetenko. She recommends combining only the following in a green smoothie:
Water
Fruit
Leafy Greens (ensure to alternate these).

Sunflower
Raw Food Chef and Writer
Comfortably Raw
[www.comfortablyraw.com]

Tamukha Wrote:
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> fresh,
>
> I am breaking my moratorium on not discussing
> primates! As to how other primates manage without
> fatty dressings: not too shabbily, I suppose.
> But they don't have monkey labs running monkey
> tests on monkey foods to discern whether this or
> that monkey clan mightn't eat better for health
> and well being. Personally, I ENJOY having a
> bigger and more complex brain than a bonobo,
> fresh! There, moratorium is officially reimposed!
> Alakazaam!

when one undergoes study of evolutionary theory, one will find that the common notion that humans eating meat or fats, or whatever created our bigger brains is highly questionable. there are many potential reasons to explain brain variances, including social needs, hunting, communication, and others.

I guess we should follow the primates and also don't wear clothes, drive cars, live in houses, marry, use a pc, plant crops, go to college, work, play musical instruments, run for office, use phones etc.

if playing a musical instrument changes your digestive system, that's news to me brian.

Why should I follow the dietary examples of apes?? Man, on COOKED FOODS, out performed and achieved way,way more than them.
On their best day, with their best dietary habits, they aren't better than us. If fact, the primates wished they were us.
If you understood primate language you would hear some of them grumbling among themselves " Guys, I say we start cooking our foods!!!" Lol.
If anything, I should start eating like great people. Eating cooked foods.

fresh Wrote:
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>
> how do the other primates around the world manage
> without fatty dressings?

They constantly eat and don't have time to develop bigger brains. By eating more concentrated food we don't have to spend all day foraging & can create stuff like Hamlet & the Brooklyn Bridge.

communitybuilder!

Do you mean apes LITERALLY don't have time to develop bigger brains? If you are on to something here, I shall have to take three hours out tomorrow to will my brain to get bigger. Hope it doesn't explode instead!

bah, slow Internet, couldn't connect, restarted comp (forgot to c&p into word first) lost my post. such is life.

Are you all right? Also, in I'm beginning to have chats with the photo of your cat when I read your posts. Soon we'll be going out for tea. Her or his eyes are so very, very vivid . . .

there are a lot of factors to food absorption; i think it's a very simple question to ask with the possibility of both a complex answer and multiple oneess (not to mention conflicting)

if you're worried about it I would just do some research myself...never take one persons word for it

Forgot, zinc and copper compete for the same receptor sites. This doesn't mean danger in a good diet, but it is not difficult to upset the balance if supplementing with one and not the other.

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you all right? Also, in I'm beginning to have
> chats with the photo of your cat when I read your
> posts. Soon we'll be going out for tea. Her or
> his eyes are so very, very vivid . . .

Heh.


iLIVE Wrote:
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> if you're worried about it I would just do some
> research myself...never take one persons word for
> it

Sound advice!


arugula Wrote:
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> Forgot, zinc and copper compete for the same
> receptor sites. This doesn't mean danger in a good
> diet, but it is not difficult to upset the balance
> if supplementing with one and not the other.

Doesn't seem like copper deficiency is particularly common is it?

Anyway, when I was 15 I got these nutritional tests done showing I was deficient in B6, zinc & beta-carotene. Not surprising since my diet was horrible as a child (I had maybe ten fruits a year and no veggies at all save potatoes, tons of wheat, dairy, burgers, pizza, etc.

These days I suppliment with a B-complex & zinc (after not supplementing for most of my life). I don't worry about beta-carotene since I eat lots of fruit & vegetables now.