Blending Tips and Tricks For Maintaining an Effective Smoothie Diet

Choosing the best blender for your budget

Again, when making a whole food Health Smoothie, DO NOT use a juicer, use a BLENDER! The best blender to use for a whole food Smoothie is a Vitamix, Bosch or K-tech. They are high-quality blenders and they come with a large container that can hold up to 60 ounces. They have a strong motor that lasts for years and save time because they quickly liquefy the mixture of vegetables, hard carrots, fruit and supplements. A high-power blender has a strong enough motor to actually blend and retain the fiber. These high-quality blenders are investments in the $430 range, and the savings created by using a blender instead of a juicer are enormous when you consider the fact that no food volume is wasted, not to mention the decrease in health care costs which will be created by your new levels of health and energy.

Affordable and powerful blenders

You may also buy a simple blender at WalMart or most drug stores for between $39 and $89. These blenders work fine, provided they have a motor with at least 425-watts or more, so that they are strong enough to blend vegetables. A blender with a weak motor may not survive daily whole food Smoothies, so it's best to get a blender that has at least a 425-watt motor. Also, most of these less expensive units come with a container that is 40 oz instead of 60 oz. If the blender has a small pitcher (less than 40 oz), you may have to blend two batches instead of one. Some units such as Hamilton Beach come with a two-year limited warrantee. At that price, even if the blender breaks, it can be replaced for a minor cost. Hamilton Beach also has an 800 number and a website, www.hamiltonbeach.com, where you can order a larger container of up to 60 oz for only $15 dollars extra.

I use an Oster or a Hamilton Beach for my travel blender. There are various blenders that are probably just as good, as long as they have a strong motor. I take my less expensive blender with me on the road and it fits in the trunk of my car or in my suitcase when I travel.

Tips for fast and efficient blending

You must have a blended drink on a daily basis to gain the maximum benefits from the whole foods. I know you can be successful if you follow these steps:

• • Set your blender on the kitchen counter top, ready to use at all times rather than stored in a cabinet where you may forget about it. Human nature is such that if you see the blender ready to go, it is more likely that you will use it.
• • Have a cutting board ready for some minor preparation to cut, remove stems and seeds or clean vegetables and fruit.
• • Use sufficient water, soy or rice milk and ice in the drink so the consistency comes out smooth. The water line should come up to over half or three fourths of the blender line for proper blending of all the harder chunks of vegetables.
• • The moment you pour out the blended concoction, immediately rinse the blender and any cutting utensils with fresh, hot water. Vegetables, fruit and sprouts easily rinse with water down the disposal after blending. However, if you wait to clean the blender pitcher later with the rest of the dishes, the thick, almost caked-on layer of vegetable matter will be much harder to clean. The common excuse of not wanting to “do the dishes” may give you a false reason to not want to blend again.