Benefits of a Blended Salad

What if I just juice the vegetables instead?

Juicing greens is good, but blending them is better. With juicing, you retain many of the phytochemicals and other nutrients but lose the valuable lignans, fatty acids, and amino acids that are bound to the cell membranes. The cellulose and other plant fibers contained in blended salads are also an added benefit. Eating whole food gives you complete nutrition.

How do you make a blended salad?

I usually start with about three to five ounces of lettuce and three to five ounces of raw spinach, but any mix of raw vegetables is possible. Put a tomato, or a fruit such as an orange or a banana, in the blender and add the leafy greens on top. Put the lid on the blender. Remove the cover of the small opening in the lid and, using either a cucumber, celery sticks or a big carrot, push the lettuce down into the whirling blades. If you have a Vita-Mix, you can just use the provided plunger to make it easier. Add a little water, juice, or soy milk if necessary. Turning the blender on and off while you push the leaves down into the mix also is helpful.The food processor with the metal “S” blade also works well, but it is usually necessary to turn it off periodically,take off the top, mix the small lettuce leaves back into the blended portion, and repeat the process.

Blended Salad Recipes

Sipping green
Green Gorilla
5 oz. baby romaine lettuce
5 oz. baby spinach
1/2 avocado
1 banana
Blend avocado with the banana,then add lettuce and spinach.

Smooth & Creamy Greeny
6 oz. baby romaine lettuce
6 oz. baby spinach
1/4 cup soy milk
8 dates

Garden of Eden
6 oz. baby romaine
6 oz. baby spinach
4 figs soaked overnight in
1/4 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. fig vinegar

Green Citrus Medley
8-10 oz. romaine or
leaf lettuce
1 orange, peeled
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 Tbsp. blood orange vinegar

Athlete’s Green Fuel
8 oz. romaine lettuce
4 oz. baby spinach
1 oz. raw sunflower seeds
1 oz. pine nuts
1 oz. raw cashews
1 banana
3 tsp. fig vinegar

Anna’s Drink & Stink
5 oz. raw spinach
2-3 medium tomatoes
2 cloves raw garlic
1 thin slice of red onion

Joel Fuhrman M.D. is a board–certified family physician who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. His private practice is located in Flemington, New Jersey.As one of the country’s leading experts on nutrition and natural healing, Joel Fuhrman, M.D. has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows including: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, Today, Good Morning America, the Discovery Channel, TV Food Network, CNBC and many more. Dr Fuhrman is the author of Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

photo credit: lazysupper

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 and is filed under Health.

Tagged: blended salad, Green smoothie, health, Joel Fuhrman, Salad, Smoothies, vitamix

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9 Responses to “Benefits of a Blended Salad”

1
David Goldbeck
April 4th, 2008 08:35

There is no doubt that a critical underpinning of a healthy diet is significant consumption of vegetables and fruit. Unfortunately, many adults do not like these fine foods - so we must make sure kids don’t develop these attitudes. Parents and teachers interested in getting kids to develop friendly feelings towards fruits and vegetables should take a look at a new book called “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond.” Out only a few months and already being bought in quantity for class use. Suited for kids of all ages as it is two books in one – children first learn their alphabet through produce poems and then go on to more mature activities. It is coauthored by best-selling food writer David Goldbeck (me) and Jim Henson writer Steve Charney. You can learn more at HealthyHighways.com
2
Annie
April 5th, 2008 19:26

Ok - my husband and I tried a blended salad for breakfast this morning and it was very good. We used a 50/50 mix of spring mix and baby spinach, added some yogurt, a couple tablespoons of almond butter, some ground flax seed and brown rice protein powder. Yummy! Oh, I also a added a little “broccoli slaw” to it.

~ Annie
3
Ed
April 6th, 2008 01:31

I found a ready to mix “Instafresh” powder that includes 30 fruits and berries, 30 super greens and vegetables, 11 nuts, seeds and sprouts all in an easy to mix, delicious, organic concentrate that comes to you with 83 Active Enzymes and Fulvic Minerals and 22 Resilient Living Probiotics. It’s absolutely the best raw whole food supplement on the market today. And all for just $1 per serving! Now that’s juicing for the new millenium! Try a sample at Http://www.urilife.net/realfoodforlife

Grace and Peace,
Ed
4
Rob
April 7th, 2008 13:05

Cool Annie, however the yogurt part of it wouldn’t be a living food you understand.

Are you still choosing to eat dairy as part of your lifestyle?
5
Annie
April 7th, 2008 13:29

Yes, of course I understand that about yogurt. The main reason is to add probiotics to my diet as well and without taking another supplement, I find that’s the simplest way to do so. If you know of another method for getting those live flora, I’m all ears.

Other than yogurt, I don’t eat dairy products very often with exception of a piece of cheese or two now and then.

~ Annie
6
Ryan
April 8th, 2008 12:38

Wow, I just tried the, “Smooth and Creamy Greeny”, and it was AWESOME! I’m a 356 lb dude on a mission to lose. I used to weigh in at a slim 198 (I’m 6′5″) 7 years ago when I was in the Military, but years of pizza, beer, and bad food made me grow horizontal instead of vertical!

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the recipes - I just bought a kick ass blender a few weeks ago for this, and I feel amazing! My body hasn’t seen this much nutrition in a long, long time.
7
Rob
April 9th, 2008 14:31

awesome Ryan - 198 for 6′5″ sounds a little light. What are you shooting for now?

are you subscribed to Darlene’s whole food recipes (weekly) ?
8
Jesse
April 13th, 2008 09:31

Rob, great article, which got me to try what is otherwise a daunting concept. I always tried to eat lots of dark leafy salads (including lots of lacinato kale and cilantro), but I found shortly afterwards I would be ravenously hungry, more so than if I had not eaten the large salad. Just the opposite occurs now when I blend the salad (or juice it, which however loses the fiber of course, which is better than any probiotic!), I feel satisfied for a long time afterwards. I guess this is due to the lack of absorbable nutrition, from poorly masticated vegetables, and maybe the high energy consumption to digest them?

I found it important to thoroughly blend the vegetables with my cheap blender in order to make a very smooth consistency which is easy to briefly chew and drink like a regular smoothie. If it’s not smooth, it’s almost impossible for me to consume. Also the banana and half (no more) of an avocado really makes it smooth. Some honey really helps for taste.
9
Rob
April 13th, 2008 12:44

Jesse - I use Sunrider brand stevia to add some sweetness, but yes, honey or Agave nectar is fine too.

I find, as you do, that avocado adds the creamyness. Hemp hearts work well too for creamyness.

here’s my “weird” find about the blended smoothie: It makes me pee a lot. If I have this at 9:00 PM, I’m up peeing 3x during the night and then again first thing in the am. My recipe makes about 6 or 7 cups worth though. That might have something to do with it, lol

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