As is clear from my last post, I am becoming ever more interested in nutrition and what our bodies need to function properly. It is especially important, in this world of excess candy, crisps and soda, that our children are educated about food.
My youngest son is much fussier than his brother and it is tough to get him eating five a day. Truth is we are all better off with ten a day! Fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of our daily nutrition. Many people ingest the right amounts as part of interesting modern diets like paleo and alkaline, but I am only partially convinced by the principles behind them. Yes a great deal of alkaline foods are some of the best food sources for humans, but that is not to say all acidic foods are bad. To be fair the latter does generally suggest an 80/20 split between alkaline/acidic options and basically comes down to including a lot more fruit, vegetables and things like almonds.
I certainly don't think western science and medicine are always correct - I must be clear on that - but the methodology insists on careful analysis of hypotheses, often using placebo controlled trials. This does yield a great deal of useful information, but I am not entirely comfortable with the determination to unpick things like spices to isolate active compounds. Yes they want to understand exactly what yields the positive effect, but pharmaceutical companies also want to package or modify this chemical so they can generate profits. That is the primary motivation.
I recently visited India, as part of my job, and had a very interesting discussion re Ayurveda with my friend Vinay. We talked about how substances like Turmeric are not - by Ayurvedic principles - packages of chemicals that need to be unpicked. There have been recent trials to test curcumin, an important constituent of turmeric, to better understand its anti-inflammatory properties. Such trials have not always yielded the expected positive results. But why would we not assume that all the constituents of turmeric work synergistically to exert their effect. Of course it would be unscientific to just assume that they would, but there are many examples of people benefiting from the entire spice - especially in countries like India where it is an important part of the daily diet. It would be useful if additional tests could focus on the whole food item and its effect on the body - that sort of trial doesn't benefit pharmaceutical companies, however, so it is unlikely to receive significant backing.
It is well known that turmeric is fat soluble. That is why people gain the maximum benefit when this bright yellow spice is eaten as part of a balanced meal.
It is well known that turmeric is fat soluble. That is why people gain the maximum benefit when this bright yellow spice is eaten as part of a balanced meal.
Fruits and vegetables contain a plethora of vitamins and minerals, as well as water, fibre and often decent amounts of protein. Phytonutrients - plant chemicals - are, however, never cited on the nutritional labels that are required by law. In this modern world we are concerned with macro nutrients - carbs, protein, fats and fibre but we don't specify an RDA for critical antioxidants like beta carotene and lycopene. There is increasing evidence re the importance of these chemicals as part of a balanced diet, yet most people do not even consider their existence.
Chlorophyll and other pigments provide vital nutrition, which helps stabilise and improve our health. We evolved to eat large amounts of plant foods, but the agricultural revolution has introduced an awful lot of convenience foods and hollow calories. Our bodies want more.
Having conducted my research and decided to adopt fruit/veggie smoothies as a critical part of my daily routine, it was necessary to purchase a blender and start testing some recipes. At first I did not know if I would continue with this drive long term, so I went for the cheapest blender I could find. Literally a tenner from Argos, this 400 watt device epitomised the word basic, but it performed pretty well. It happily shredded most things I put in, but you did need to chop the food first and whip the greens and water before adding fruit. Yes there were always some chunks left in the mix, but overall the mixture was ok. It smashed open plant cell walls and presented me with a digestible mixture. This little gem also sported a 1.5 litre plastic jug, so there was enough to deliver smoothies to two adults and two kids.
The biggest negatives were that it looked cheap and plastic - obviously - and was very, very noisy. It sounded like I had a garden vac turned on every morning. Also the harsh motor worked very hard and I have to wonder how long it would have lasted. But for a tenner, who cares!
It quickly became clear that this was one habit I had no intention of quitting. As such, and with the initial trial a success, there was no escaping a more expensive option. I conducted a great deal of research and the Vitamix always seemed to come out on top. Problem is they sell for about £500 and there was no way I would part with that sort of cash for a blender.
The Tefal Blendforce and Blendforce Maxi looked like viable options. They use a new Triplax blade system that ensures items are finely milled. It was a 'Which' best budget buy, but reviews on Amazon and other sites were quite mixed. Several people reported breakdowns after only a few days or weeks. Others commented on burning smells from the motor and concern about the jug leaking. One has to wonder just how well Which magazine tested the device and perhaps they should extend their assessment over a longer period. At £50 it was a fairly sensible price, but it only carried a one year warranty and I had seen enough by now to decide it wasn't for me.
And so it was that I stumbled across a review by www.alkalineanthea.com . Her video consideration of the Magimix convinced me that this was the way to go. The device was backed by incredible reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. One site had hundreds of comments all giving five stars. So I stumped up around £150 for the cream coloured model (bit pricier than the black version but matches the toaster!) at John Lewis and man does it produce a smooth end product. It is a lovely looking device and will automatically deliver a perfect smoothie. Even tough veggie stems are smashed into the tiniest of particles. You are presented with a superbly healthy end product and I must admit it is far smoother than the Argos budget option. Which magazine again fell down, however, because although they cited this as one of their Best Buys, they also comment on the noise level being quiet. It certainly is not. A big improvement on the Argos value blender - you can talk to someone in the same room! - but not what I would call quiet when operating near full speed. The lower settings are much better though.
The kids were very excited to see the new machine operating and with this finer blend I am sure I can get more veggies into the mix. That can only be a good thing and with a three year parts warranty and twelve years on the motor, this should be a piece of kit that will last.
