Saree_maree Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I have read all of the rules and recommendations and am aware that smoothies are frowned upon even when made with compliant ingredients. However, please hear me out. I am planning my Whole30 now and want to get this hammered out. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and on those days I typically have as part of my breakfast a green smoothie made with one whole banana, a few cups of raw kale and/or spinach, a stalk of celery, a tablespoon of either flaxseeds or coconut flakes, and plain water. I have this alongside 2 hardboiled eggs and half of a baked sweet potato. On work days I have 10-15 minutes to eat breakfast (on a good day!) and I don't think there's any other way I could stuff down 2-3 cups of vegetables. On non-work days I do not have smoothies. Let me add that this breakfast typically keeps me satisfied for 3-4 hours and also that at 4'11" and 89-90 pounds weight loss is not one of my goals. What is the verdict? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuilterInVA Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Still frowned upon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 If you can do some food prep the night before (or batch cook one or two days a week as many do) there's no reason why you can't have some grab & go options available for the days you work - vegetable frittata, veg/egg/meat muffins, that sort of thing. If you can manage a few hard boiled eggs and some sweet potato then I don't see the problem in adding a little more.The thing is... drinking food leaves us less satiated than chewing food becasue our bodies don't actually register that we've eaten as it is the act of chewing that initiates the digestion process. Also your flax seeds are a poor choice of fat and should be used only in moderation.Whole30 is not just about eating compliant foods for 30days. It's about looking at our relationship with food, ditching bad habits, and creatin new healthier ones.Your body will thank you for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saree_maree Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I do already make all my meals for workdays the day before, and I batch cook sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs a week's worth at a time. The smoothies I have found so convenient because I can have them in a bottle and drink them at the nurses' station while I'm charting, where we are technically not allowed to have food, and therefore not worry so much about choking my meal down so fast. And the satiety issue has not troubled me, as I mentioned. But since it seems like it's really a dealbreaker I will forego the smoothie for 30 days and try to make up the extra veggies at meals 2 and 3. Thank you for prompt response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted August 23, 2015 Administrators Share Posted August 23, 2015 I agree completely with jmcbn, try the Whole30 without smoothies first. But your height-weight combo and the desire not to drop weight prompts me to tell you that you are actually the subset of Whole30-ers where smoothies MAY not be as frowned upon as they are for the general population. Google "Whole30 keeping weight on" and read the article. Note that it doesn't outright say that you should be eating smoothies daily but if you are in need of a mass of extra calories and you are unable to get that from starchy veggies and lots of fat, a smoothy WITH your template breakfast would be alright. Notice though that you would still be having the full template breakfast of veggies, protein and fat....the smoothie would be in addition if you find that you cannot eat enough real food to maintain your weight. In summary, please try the optimal no-smoothie way first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafarer Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Gah! Saree_maree... I feel for you! That's certainly how I used to handle my desk during the day... with smoothies in my "coffee" cup. We former smoothie addicts should form a support group. Maybe at your desk you could fill your retired smoothie container with soup? Chunky vegetable soup? Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saree_maree Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Seafarer, I love your soup idea! Would it have to be a chunky soup? Is the Whole30 take on pureed soups the same as it is for smoothies? EDIT: Never mind, I searched the forum and found my answer. Looks like pureed soups are okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafarer Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yeah, I'm going to make soups & try to tell myself it's my New Smoothie Recipe. If you ever figure out why pureed soups are okay, but not pureed smoothies-with-vegs, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yeah, I'm going to make soups & try to tell myself it's my New Smoothie Recipe. If you ever figure out why pureed soups are okay, but not pureed smoothies-with-vegs, let me know. Here you go: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/13579-smoothies-vs-blended-soups/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lissa Kristine Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't smoothies a bit of a grey area? They aren't exactly encouraged, but they aren't forbidden either. Personally, I will probably have a few smoothies during my Whole30. My smoothies are usually just water/coconut water, vegetables (at least 2 cups) and fruit- and I'm working at cutting down the fruit in it. I would definitely pair it with something else. On days when I'm running out the door, I might grab a green smoothie (with some coconut milk in it for a bit more fat), a couple hardboiled eggs, and a baggie of baby carrots (for some extra veggies). It won't be a daily or even weekly thing, but having that as an option is definitely ok with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lissa Kristine Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 And fyi, my smoothies are usually VERY thick. They resemble those baby food puree pouches in texture more closely than a beverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't smoothies a bit of a grey area? They aren't exactly encouraged, but they aren't forbidden either. Here is the official word on smoothies from the Whole30 Can I Have Guide: Smoothies: We’d rather you didn’t This is a very popular question, with a very unpopular answer. Smoothies (generally made using lots of fruit) are technically compliant on your Whole30, but we strongly recommend against it. Food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we’d rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie. - See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.1f3fw935.dpuf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Ok, here's the thing (& this is not directed at anyone in particular on this thread, or anywhere else on the forum) There are rules, and there are recommendations on Whole30.The rules are non-negotiable. The recommendations are in place for you to follow to ensure that you get the absolute optimum results from your Whole30.More often than not those who choose not to follow the recommendations are the ones posting in theTroubleshoot forum on day21 or so, asking why they might not be experiencing the Tiger Blood, why their energy levels are fluctuating, or why they continue to have sugar cravings.None of the mods here are smoothie haters per se, nor do we have a vendetta against fruit, dried fruits, and nuts/nut butters - although it's probably fair to say that each of us would rather eat twigs & leaves than resort to a larabar, regardless of the emergency...!!We are here to help each & every one of you have a successful Whole30 - and sometimes that means that we have to encourage you to do things a little differently to you 'norm' and at least try to follow the recommendations.It's only 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Smoothies are fruit slurpees. You can add spinach and other greens but there's always that fruit component. I drank smoothies and coffee for over a decade. You know what happened? T2 diabetes. My belly swelled up like the Michelin Tires Man. It's taken me 15 months to reverse the curse of smoothies and coffee. Both are cortisol nightmare fuels. Much has been written on the forum about smoothies. Do I think they're worth the convenience? Absolutely not. If we do what we've always done we'll get what we've always gotten. My stock answer is ditch those smoothies for the rest of your life. The coffee/cream duet and smoothies made a mess out of everything for me. If someone had told me what these Mods are telling you, I would've listened. Many are now eating baby food pouches. How many 125-200 lb babies do we know? Those are formulated for babies and often have pureed applesauce as the number one ingredient. Whole foods are where the healing comes from. They're good medicine. Recommendations: No Smoothies and No Snacking. Some of the best advice for a truly successful Whole 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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