Ask Christi: Is it better to eat fruit by itself or in a smoothie?

Q: I have heard that you should eat fruit by itself, so is it ok to eat it in a smoothie? I have a blueberry smoothie almost daily with almond milk and banana. Also, what is your opinion of almond milk vs regular milk for smoothies?  Thank you. 

Sincerely,
Lori


A: To answer your question Lori, you are actually supposed to eat fruit WITH a protein source and not by itself.  What can happen if you eat a fruit by itself is that you can experience a blood sugar spike and drop making you feel hungry not too long after the fruit or maybe even experience a slight depletion of energy.  What I would do is add a protein to your smoothie.  Since almond milk has no protein, I would suggest you add to it either Greek yogurt or a high quality whey protein isolate you can find in any health food store.  

Hope that helps!
Christi

Christina Bowling, MS, RD, CSSD, LD

Christina Bowling is the Director of Nutrition at Celebration Health Assessment. She contributes to the Celebrate Health blog with Ask Christi. If you have any nutrition questions for Christi to answer, please send them to CelebrationHealthAssessment@gmail.com.

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Ask Christi: Are Aritificial Sweeteners really THAT bad?

Artificial Sweeteners Proven More Addictive than Cocaine

Are you someone who can’t bear the thought of trading your diet soda for a non-fizzy drink? Or have you mulled around the idea of giving up artificial sweetener in your coffee or tea, but just can’t seem to do it? If so, you may be interested in a study that showed that it’s possible your inability to give up artificial sweeteners is more than just lack of willpower. In this study, scientists gave rats the choice between water sweetened with artificial sweetener and cocaine, and discovered that 94 percent preferred the sweet taste of the sweetener over the cocaine!

The scientists said:

Our findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals. We speculate that the addictive potential of intense sweetness results from an inborn hypersensitivity to sweet tastants.

Sources:

  PLoS One August 2007

  GreenMedInfo.com August 2007

Christina Bowling, MS, RD, CSSD, LD



Christina Bowling is the Director of Nutrition at Celebration Health Assessment. She contributes to the Celebrate Health blog with Ask Christi. If you have any nutrition questions for Christi to answer, please send them to CelebrationHealthAssessment@gmail.com.

Ask Christi: What spice should I start using to flavor my food?

The popular spice cumin has a long history of medicinal use.  It has been used to treat various symptoms including diarrhea, flatulence, gynecological, and respiratory diseases.  But a new study looked at a different effect of cumin -- its ability to enhance memory and relieve stress.

Daily administration of cumin to rats inhibited stress-induced urinary biochemical changes. Memory and cognition, as determined by acquisition, retention, and recovery in the rats, was also observed to be enhanced by cumin.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“This study provides scientific support for the anti-stress, antioxidant, and memory-enhancing activities of cumin extract and substantiates that its traditional use as a culinary spice in foods is beneficial and scientific in combating stress and related disorders.”

Sources:

  Pharmaceutical Biology July 2011; 49(7): 702-708

  Green Med Info



Christina Bowling, MS, RD, CSSD, LD



Christina Bowling is the Director of Nutrition at Celebration Health Assessment. She contributes to the Celebrate Health blog with Ask Christi. If you have any nutrition questions for Christi to answer, please send them to CelebrationHealthAssessment@gmail.com.