Chewing and Blending

I came across this segment on the Dr. Oz show that discusses a "Super Immunity Diet." In the show, Dr. Joel Fuhrman describes his "nutritarian" diet that is based on eating foods that have the highest nutrient density, sounds a lot Brendan Brazier's Thrive Forward, right? It turns out that the the foods with the highest nutrient density are plants in their most natural form. When your body is getting enough nutrients, your immune system is strengthed and protects you against disease, from the common cold to heart disease to cancer. Dr. Fuhrman describes four steps to his super immunity diet in the show segment:

1. Eat phytonutrient-rich foods (plants). 70% of your health comes from your intestinal tract. You need nutrients to have a strong immune system.
2. Eat slow absorbing foods (nuts, whole grains, pseudo-grains). Processed grains and sugar spike your blood sugar and promote fat storage.
3. Eat plant-based. Meat should be treated as a condiment (if you choose to eat it at all). We often look at the meat as the main attraction of the meal, but really, the vegetables should be.
4. Chew your food. Chewing breaks down the walls of the vegetables, where enzymes to absorb the nutrients are stored. Try to chew your food 10 times more than you normally would. (This also helps with preventing over-eating.)

I thought the chewing your food more part was interesting because I tend to be a very fast eater. Your mouth is actually where a lot of digestion happens. This got me thinking about smoothies and raw soups, which you don't chew at all. I did some online research and found that blending something is essentially the same as chewing becuase you're breaking down the food. However, you should swish the liquid in your mouth a little bit before swallowing to mix the food with the enzymes in your mouth. And since a blender is much more powerful than you mouth, blending vegetables can actually be more effective than chewing.

Have you ever thought about blending your salad instead of eating it straight? A blended salad is basically a raw soup, which I have been doing a lot of during the raw detox in the form of Energy Soup (pictured above). All you need for a god raw soup is a liquid base (water, almond milk, or rejuvelac), avocado, lots of greens, and spices. I also like to add dulse flakes for a salty taste and extra nutrition. A blended salad is much easier to digest and you can skip the fattening dressing!

Have you ever made a blended salad or raw soup? What did you put in it?