by Lawrence Wilson, MD

SMOOTHIES, SOUPS, PUREES AND JUICES

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is only the opinion of the author and for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

I. SMOOTHIES AND SHAKES

For development, we do not recommend smoothies, shakes or powders such as protein powders or green powders. Here is why:

1. Too much sugar in many cases. Most smoothies include sweeteners such as fruit, fruit juices, honey, agave nectar, almond milk or others. These all upset digestion and blood sugar, and are too yin (see below). They also encourage the growth of yeast in the intestines, and perhaps other parasitic organisms.

2. Too yin. The word yin is Chinese and related to physics. It is very important, although most doctors do not take it into consideration. It means cold, expanded, broken apart and not healthful at this time in history. For details, read Understanding Yin and Yang.

All powders are yin because they are broken apart. Usually, they are extracts of foods. Smoothies are also all yin because they also contain a lot of water and sweeteners, both of which are also quite yin. They often contain raw food which is also more yin.

We find that to heal the intestinal tract, which is absolutely necessary for overall healing, one must avoid all yin foods and yin supplements as much as possible.

3. Poor food combinations. Many smoothies are very poor food combinations consisting of sugars, fruits, protein powders and perhaps other things all blended together. For best digestion, simple meals of cooked vegetables, some protein and a few blue corn chips, for example, are far better.

4. Food extracts not usually as good as whole foods. The use of food extracts such as protein powders, no matter how good they are, are not as good as whole foods in their nutrient content, in almost all cases. Have lightly cooked eggs (with the yolk runny) instead of egg or whey protein powder, for example.

5. Too much liquid. Having liquids of any kind with meals is never a good idea because it competes with and interferes with the production and action of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, as well as the amylase digestive enzymes in the mouth.

It is okay to have a little water to swallow supplements with meals, but all smoothies contain too much liquid, which may severely interfere with digestion and utilization of all nutrients.

When to have smoothies or shakes or frappes. The only time we recommend smoothies are for very fussy children who absolutely will not eat cooked vegetables or take their vitamins.

II. SOUPS

We recommend only thick soups, which can be an excellent way to enjoy loads of cooked vegetables. Very thin soups are mostly water, and this will interfere with digestion. Only use watery soups if a person has a feeding tube, for instance, and cannot have thicker soup.

Thick soups are very good if they are loaded with soft-cooked vegetables and perhaps some meat that is not overcooked (Meat is best cooked less than 1 hour, and best if it is cooked far less. See Food For Daily Use for details on cooking meats.)

Meat broths. We do not recommend meat broths such as chicken broth. This does not contain much nutrition and it contains some toxins. Adding a little meat broth to a soup for flavoring is okay, but does not add much to the nutritional value of the soup.

Vegetable broths. These are excellent if freshly made. Vegetable broth that one buys in the store already made is usually much too old to be of much good.

Bone broth. This is good if made with beef bones. At this time, bone broth made with other types of bones such as chicken, lamb, goat or other may have too much lead in it to be healthful.

Bean soups. These are good, such as lentil soup. A recent addition to the program is a special bean called mayocoba or Peruviana. Note that they take a long time to cook – 55 minutes in a pressure cooker or about 5 hours regular cooking.

III. PUREED MEALS

Pureed means that after cooking the food, you put it in a food processor or use a masher or hand blender to mash it up. With pureeing, one does not add any water to the food.

This is an excellent method of preparing food, if needed. Chewing the whole vegetables is a little better, but when needed, pureed vegetables are fine.

In contrast, blending with a regular blender requires adding water. This is not as good because the water used to blend the food will dilute the stomach acid to some degree.

Pureed vegetables are excellent:

1. For anyone who does not like the taste, texture or smell of some vegetables.

2. For a person who cannot chew for some reason. This includes babies, those with bad teeth or jaw problems, and those with a feeding tube.

3. For preparing food for animals such as dogs, who may require that food be mashed up to make it more palatable.

4. To make a meal more fun for a child, for example.

IV. JUICES

BENEFITS OF JUICING

Juicing concentrates the vitamins, minerals and other phyto-nutrients in a food by eliminating the fiber. It also allows one to consume a lot of nutrients quickly and easily.

We recommend 10-12 ounces of carrot juice every day, or 1-2 ounces of wheat grass juice up to three times per week instead of carrot juice, not in addition to it.

PROBLEMS WITH JUICING

1. Cleanliness. This is the same as with other raw foods. For example, never have carrot juice from a juice bar unless you are sure the carrots and other ingredients are thoroughly washed in very clean water and soap or hydrogen peroxide.

Also, juicing machines must be washed well after every use, as they can harbor molds and bacteria. Otherwise, you could easily pick up parasites, bacteria or worse from a glass of even very fresh juice. Packaged or store-bought juice can have the same problems, and can become moldy easily if not consumed in a few days at the most.

2. Very yin. Juices are extremely yin products. The reasons are:

- juices are made of raw foods, which are very cooling or yin.

- grinding up a food makes it even more cooling or yin.

- removing the solid matter such as fiber can make the product even more yin.

Fruit juices are even more yin than vegetable juices due to their sugar content and for other reasons. This is a major reason to avoid all fruit juices.

Fruit and fruit juices are not needed or helpful for development, even if they are nutritious. This is an aspect of development science that is not well understood, but quite important if one is to develop rapidly. Very nutritious products may need to be avoided. This may seem stupid or needless, but it is required and it works.

3. Too much is very upsetting for digestion, especially when taken with food. The reason is that juices contain too much liquid, and some are bad food combinations. Always drink vegetable or wheat grass juice alone, and not with a meal.

4. Juices can concentrate toxic substances found in fruits and vegetables. This is often a hidden problem with juicing today, occasionally even when using organic vegetables. It is hard to overcome. For example, pesticides may be concentrated in juices.

Fiber in foods helps prevent absorption of some of these chemicals. To help prevent this, use only organic carrots and other for juicing.

5. Juices with high sugar content, including even carrot juice to a degree, can upset the blood sugar level. Be careful with juicing if your blood sugar is unstable. Swish the juice around in your mouth to help you absorb some of it in your mouth.

If your blood sugar is unstable, drink half and leave the other half in the refrigerator and drink it later in the day. This is not ideal because fresh is best. However, it may avoid upsetting your blood sugar too much if this is a problem for you.

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