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There are several benefits to eating blended raw foods (smoothies, raw soups, etc.), beyond their convenience. In this article, I will provide you with some essential information about blended foods. I will give you some of the best pieces of advice I have found over the years, my 'golden rules' of blending. Here we go...

1- Thou Shall Make Blended Raw Foods on a Regular Basis.

Blending is a great way to consume fruits and vegetables, for several reasons:

a- It's convenient. We can make a big smoothie in a flash when we don't have time to prepare a dish or sit down and chew a bunch of apples. Smoothies make great, ready-to-eat meals that can be consumed immediately or brought along to work, to outdoor activities, etc.
b- It's healthy. Blending raw fruits and vegetables breaks them down into particles that are easy to assimilate by the body. This is especially important, considering the fact that many of us do not chew well enough and/or have compromised digestion.
c- It's tasty. Raw soups, smoothies, etc., are super tasty ' everybody loves them. You'll have no trouble converting your family or kids to become fruits and vegetables lovers with blended raw foods.
d- It's great for children. Blended raw fruits and vegetables are the ideal 'baby foods' and can be added to a child's diet from an early age.

2- Thou Shall Use a Vitamix.

What is a Vita-Mix?

a- A $400 blender.
b- The most essential kitchen tool you'll ever use.
c- The best blender on the planet.
d- All of the above.

Answer: d, all of the above!

Ok, first of all let me say that I do not work for the company Vitamix nor do I make a profit by recommending their product. I'm just a happy user.

I once used a traditional blender, and then got a Vita-Mix, and never looked back. It's the best investment I ever made for any kitchen tool!

Ask any Vita-Mix owner and they'll tell you how awesome the machine is. They will also probably tell you that they use it almost everyday. I do.

It's simply the best to make smoothies in a flash, in a large quantity, make dressings, raw soups, etc.

With a regular blender you can't achieve the same texture with the same ease as you will with the Vita-Mix.

So for all of those who wonder, 'What the best blender to use?', you've got your answer. Although there are other high-quality blenders, I've never tried one that matches the Vita-Mix, a machine that's been around for decades.

If you don't have a Vita-mix, you can continue using your regular blender, but definitely put that in your 'wish list.'

3- Thou Shall Throw Away the Recipe Book That Comes With the Vita-mix in the Trashcan.

When you buy a Vita-mix you get a little booklet of recipes and instructions on how to use the machine. Although the Vita-Mix company has great marketing and a great product, I don't really know who they hired to come up with those recipes. It's the worst combination of completely vile mixtures of food you can imagine.

When you buy a vita-mix, used or new, just throw away the recipe book that comes with it. Burn it, recycle it, do anything you want with it but do not use it!

Instead, learn the proper recipes, which are no-brainers by the way. I've included all the most essential raw soup and smoothie recipes in my new book, 'Instant Raw Sensations.'

4- Thou Shall Not Try to Make Ann Wigmore's Recipes.

I don't have anything against Ann Wigmore. She certainly contributed a lot to the health movement. She also wrote a lot about the benefits of blended foods, and wrote a book called 'The Blending Book.' That book contains great ideas and information, but the recipes aren't very appealing. They'll likely turn off most people who are interested in raw foods!

So if you ever thought that 'raw soups' weren't your thing after you tried some of Ann Wigmore's recipes, don't desperate! You can come up with much better ideas with only a few 'good' examples to follow.

5- Thou Shall Blend as Briefly as Possible.

When we blend foods, oxygen mixes with the food particles. This process creates oxidation big time, meaning that each particle of food becomes exposed to oxygen, which contributes to destroying the nutritional value.

The key to benefiting from blended foods while keeping oxidation to a minimum is to blend for as little as necessary. Learn to use your Vita-Mix or blender, so that you do not need to blend for a long period of time.

A good way to do this is to use the Vita-Mix 10-speed feature. Start at the lowest speed (this doesn't create much oxidation), and as you progressively add in the ingredients, increase the speed. Then blend at high speed for a few seconds only, and bring the speed back down before turning the power off.

6- Thou Shall Clean Thy Vita-mix Immediately After Using It.

The Vita-mix, or the blender, is easy to clean. Here's how to do it. Immediately after using it, pour out your concoction, and then fill half of the blender with water and a little dish soap. Then blend this at high speed for about 15-20 seconds. Rinse once or twice and bingo, your container is completely clean and ready to use!

Problems arise when we wait to clean it. Then all of the stuff dries out an becomes hard to clean. Then we complain, 'This is too much trouble.'

The key is to clean the blender immediately after using it. Not 5 minutes later. Immediately. I guarantee that you'll save a lot of time and trouble this way.

7- Thou Shall Try as Many Combinations as possible, but Thou Shall Not Try to Make a Tomato-Mango Smoothie.

It's important to become creative with blending. Try as many combinations as possible. Try as many fruits as possible. The possibilities are endless. I discovered so many good combos just by asking, 'I wonder how this and that taste together in a smoothie?' I encourage you to do the same.

Do not think you need to open up a recipe book each time you want to make a smoothie or raw soup!

However, I must advise against the tomato-mango smoothie. I tried it once, and it is not a winner! (But who knows, you might like it...)

8- Thou Shall Avoid Using Frozen Fruits Too Often.

Most smoothie recipes I have seen in books include ice or frozen fruit. The reason is that it saves money to the restaurant preparing them, but also because people enjoy having cold drinks.

The problem with frozen foods, such as frozen bananas, berries, etc., is that they are very cold. Eating cold foods is the equivalent of putting an ice pack in your stomach. Digestion is slow, and indigestion follows.

If you want a cool drink, blend with cold water, instead of using ice. Occasionally, you may want to throw in a couple frozen bananas in your smoothies, but take your time eating it and don't swallow it cold at once.

9- Thou Shall Take Your Time to Enjoy Thy Blended Drink.

Blended foods are easy to eat, but they are also very concentrated. They are fast to prepare, and can also be fast to consume! The problem is that consuming blended foods too fast doesn't give your body the time to digest and assimilate them properly. You need to consider your blended foods 'food', not 'drinks.' Take your time to enjoy them and your body will thank you for it.

10- Thou Shall Get a Copy of My Book 'Instant Raw Sensations'

Ok, here's my little inside plug: since there was no good raw blending book, I had to write my own. At first, I wrote a booklet called 'Raw Soups, Salads & Smoothies,' which is now available on my website when you order 'The Raw Secrets.'

My latest and most useful collection of easy blended food recipes, as well as other raw recipes, is my book 'Instant Raw Sensations.' It contains an entire chapter filled with smoothie recipes, another one with green smoothies, as well as recipes for raw soups and dressings. If you haven't gotten your copy yet (it just started shipping this week), go to:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/instantraw.html