<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>PAMPY'S POST 2.16 - THE LIQUID MEAL MYTH</strong></h3>
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Recently I was offered a commercially made (blended) healthy juice, and, I must say I enjoyed it!

<em>This got me thinking!</em>

While the constantly increasing pace of our modern lifestyle opens itself up to quick and <a href="http://www.bp28dayprogram.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/nkkkn.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-3001" src="http://www.bp28dayprogram.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/nkkkn-300x206.jpg" alt="nkkkn" width="261" height="179" /></a>easy liquid meals, like juices and protein shakes, I think many need to be mindful of liquid meal dynamics.

For example; let’s say you whip up a homemade juice, using one of those blender bullet models with the following ingredients;

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<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;">Apple (1-3)(and OR banana, mango, pear, rockmelon), Beetroot, Celery, Spinach, Kale, Lemon, Mint and Ginger.</span></blockquote>
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Now, is this good for you? Well, the obvious answer is yes. It is loaded with a stack of immune supporting goodies, including being chockers full of vitamins, and, vitamins are great? Right!

And, given the sweet zing of fruit, it is also friendly on the palate. This time friendly meal in a glass goes down nice and easily – and quickly.
<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;">Now then, in my opinion, based on experience, I don’t believe juicing should replace a solid meal, or act as a multi-vitamin hit.</span></blockquote>
Juicing using a blender or specific juicing machine, eliminates the majority of rich fibre – you know, the stuff you chuck out when cleaning the unit.
And, as I said many times before, fibre is king. In short, fibre helps control and stabilise our insulin balance, assists in informing us when we’ve had enough to eat – STOP, and, as food containing fibre is broken nice and slowly, it also assists in letting us know when it’s time to eat again – usually not for an extended period of time. And of course it also plays a significant role in waste management.

So, if someone has a genuine interest in dropping a few pounds, I can’t help but think focussing on eating whole real foods is the way to go. Eating whole real foods takes longer to consume (well beyond liquid options), and this is a good thing. Whole foods reduce total calories consumed and promotes dialling in one’s most ideal calorie intake. Liquid meals fail in these areas.

*Some juicing outlets will throw up to 3-4 pieces of fruit into a medium glass. There’s <img class="alignright  wp-image-3000" src="http://www.bp28dayprogram.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fgfgfgff-300x200.jpg" alt="fgfgfgff" width="263" height="175" />no way you would usually consume 3-4 pieces of fruit in one sitting, and within 2 minutes. Fruits natural toxins (and fibre) would usually prevent this from happening.

Juicing when used as a meal is broken down (gastrically) super quickly, meaning, you’ll usually be in need of more food (calories) far faster than they would be from consuming whole real foods – which are broken down more slowly and release energy more sparingly.

Oh, and I don’t believe you can have both a real meal and a juice – this basically doubles your calories, coupled with a *spike in insulin (blood sugar), however natural, from the juice.
<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;">*Once again my experience suggests if you’re naturally more Clydesdale than Thoroughbred, regular spiking of blood sugar will prevent (limit) weight loss, irrespective of training habits.</span></blockquote>
Now then, what about if you’re training hard, you’re pretty close to your ideal weight, and you’re looking for a post session recovery hit. Bingo! Now we’re talking. In this case, consider throwing in a tasty (natural) sugar boosting hit within 10 minutes of finishing your session. The goodies will be absorbed almost immediately, thus promoting faster recovery (in terms of your depleted muscle and immune systems).
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<h4><span style="color: #993366;"><strong>What about protein shakes!</strong></span></h4>
Again, I just don’t get it. I have most certainly tried a number of versions over the years, both for recovery post heavy training sessions, and, as fill me up on the go calories.
Again, it feels like it’s cheating the system – a system unbroken for centuries – until more recently that is. Shake options are usually unsustainable, and, with modified flavours, colours, and aroma’s, I can’t help but think this opens itself up to disaster down the track –<a href="http://www.bp28dayprogram.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/745px-Protein_shake.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-2999" src="http://www.bp28dayprogram.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/745px-Protein_shake-291x300.jpg" alt="745px-Protein_shake" width="203" height="209" /></a> particularly when food is eventually re-introduced.

While I appreciate the convenience factor, I just can’t believe with an extra 3 minutes of preparation time, real whole food trumps modified food everyday – and always will. I mean, c’mon, we’ve got teeth for a reason.

In respect to weight management (loss), it can be approached the easy way or the right way. The easy way often involves modified liquid meals, the right way involves taking your time to determine what real foods, and only real food, works best for that person.
<blockquote><span style="color: #008080;">Eventually, a healthy brain will naturally program one’s desires &amp; appetite toward their ideal weight for life.</span></blockquote>