Fiber & Smoothies: Does Blending Destroy the Benefits? - Ask a Nutritionist

Dishing Up Nutrition

Nutritional Weight & Wellness, Inc.

Health & Fitness:nutrition, Nutrition, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Education

4.3 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do smoothies destroy fiber and nutrients, or are they a healthy way to get more fruits and vegetables? In this Ask a Nutritionist episode, registered and licensed dietitian Alyssa Krejci explains whether blending breaks down fiber, how smoothies compare to juicing, and what oxidation actually means for nutrient loss. She also shares practical tips for making balanced, high-fiber smoothies with protein, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies so you can enjoy them as a meal, snack, or even dessert.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition's midweek Ask a Nutritionist program.
0:13.9	If you are enjoying this show, let us know by leaving a rating and reviewing it on your favorite podcast platform.
0:22.8	Your feedback is appreciated and helps others find the podcast. Now, onto today's show of answering a question from a fellow
0:29.1	Dishing Up Nutrition listener. The question is all about smoothies. They asked, is it true that when I use my cuisine art to cut up various vegetables
0:40.3	to put into my smoothie, that I lose things such as fiber content? This is a great question,
0:47.0	and one that I have been asked as a dietitian a handful of times over the years. Hello, I am
0:53.3	Alyssa, a dietitian here at nutritional weight
0:55.9	and wellness. I provide nutrition therapy counseling to clients both in person and virtually
1:01.7	from our Egan and St. Paul, Minnesota offices. So, eating the recommended amounts of daily
1:08.0	vegetables and fruits is not always easy.
1:11.6	According to the CDC, in 2019, most surveyed adults did not meet daily fruit and vegetable intake recommendations.
1:23.6	Specifically, only 12.3% of surveyed adults ate the recommended daily amounts of fruit,
1:30.9	and only 10% of surveyed adults met vegetable intake recommendations.
1:36.3	Also important to note the recommended amounts referenced in the survey were for 1.5 to 2 cup equivalentsents of daily fruit and two to three cup equivalence of daily vegetables.
1:50.1	Smoothies, a blended drink with fruit and vegetables, can be a quick, delicious, and portable way to enjoy both vegetables and fruits, helping to boost overall daily intake of both.
2:05.8	A smoothie can pack plenty of nutrition when you know how to make them, and they can be a whole
2:11.6	meal, a part of a meal, or a snack. Some smoothies even taste like dessert.
2:19.2	Today's listener is specifically wondering whether the blending process
2:23.7	destroys the fiber and other nutrients from the vegetables and fruits being added to the smoothie.
2:30.8	The short answer is no.
2:40.2	Blending your vegetables and fruits into a smoothie does not destroy the fiber in them. Using a blender to make a smoothie just breaks up the fiber into smaller pieces. In some
2:49.0	instances, like for people living with different digestive challenges,
	...

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