Is a food blender a nutrient absorption booster or just a waste of money?

In recent years, food wall breakers have gradually become a new favorite in the kitchen, but it is undeniable that the debate about it has never stopped since the day it came out. People who like it can't put it down. Whether it is cooking, making soy milk, squeezing juice or mixing ingredients, it is indispensable. Of course, there are also many people who think that the so-called "wall breaking" is just a flashy publicity gimmick.

Is a food blender really useful? Can it really make the nutrients in food easier to absorb, or is it just a waste of time? To know the answer to this question, there are a few things you need to know first.

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01

Blender and Juicer

“A white horse is not a horse”

Although we don’t know what the food will taste like after the cell wall is broken, people who have used the wall-breaking machine are happy to describe the taste of the food as “delicate”. In fact, the reason why the food becomes “delicate” is that the wall-breaking machine uses an ultra-high-speed motor to drive the stainless steel blade to cut and crush the food at ultra-high speed in the cup. In this process, the cell wall will be broken, and the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in the cells will be released.

So, are wall breakers and juicers the same thing? There are different opinions about the relationship between the two, and many people think that there is a hint of "a white horse is not a horse". The principles of their food crushing are quite similar, except that the motor speed of the wall breakers is faster, even up to 30,000 revolutions per minute. Theoretically, the higher the speed means the smaller the particle size of the food is cut, and the better the wall breaking effect. Of course, ordinary juicers and soy milk machines also have a certain wall breaking effect, but it is not so obvious, and there are more residues, which can easily cause the loss of nutrients.

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02

Does breaking food walls really help with nutrient absorption?

Regarding the wall-breaking machine, advertisements often say that it can instantly break the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, effectively releasing all the nutrients in the food, but the fact is not so absolute. Everyone should know that no matter how full the advertisement is, it is difficult to make up for the skinny of reality.

First of all, the nutrients in the food cells are released through the cell wall breaking process, but nutrient release and absorption are two different things! The absorption process is affected by multiple factors. For example, iron is released during cell wall breaking, but oxalic acid and phytic acid that hinder its absorption are also released, and the result may be worse than not breaking the cell wall.

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To put it another way, even without using cell wall breaking technology, there are still large gaps in the cell wall, and small molecule nutrients can pass through freely. And cooking and chewing can also achieve the effect of breaking the cell wall and releasing nutrients. In addition, don't underestimate our stomach acid, which is lethal enough to destroy the cell wall.

On the other hand, don’t forget that everything has two sides. While bringing convenience, both juicers and wall breakers will cause a certain degree of oxidation, decomposition and loss of nutrients during use.

03

Is it necessary to break the wall?

Varies depending on ingredients and person

For relatively hard foods with high fiber content, such as nuts, grains, beans, etc., which still cannot be fully digested and absorbed after chewing, it is necessary to use the method of crushing and breaking the wall. This is especially true for people with weaker digestive abilities . It is really worth preparing one.

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As for vegetables and fruits, I personally do not recommend using this type of equipment to process them. In particular, the "Scientific Research Report on the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2021)" issued by the Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that 200-350 grams of fresh fruit should be consumed every day, and juice cannot replace fruit . The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that infants under 1 year old should not drink juice, and children over 1 year old should not drink more than 4-8 ounces per day [1]. So, as far as fruits and vegetables are concerned, if your teeth are okay and your chewing function is good, it is of course better to eat fresh ones.

04

The food wall-breaking health-preserving method spread on the Internet

Be rational and don't be superstitious

In recent years, a kind of "health powder" has become popular, which is to break the wall of some plant seeds and pollen and then drink it with water to achieve the corresponding health purpose. We should treat this differently.

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Cucumber seeds, celery seeds, sesame seeds and other plant seeds are generally high in minerals and vitamins, which are beneficial to health. However, it should be noted that not all seeds are suitable for large-scale consumption, and they should be carefully selected. Pine pollen contains a variety of vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and rich mineral elements [2]. Pine pollen is easier to absorb after the wall is broken, but its health-preserving effects should not be blindly exaggerated and should be viewed rationally.

Breaking the food wall can refine the particles to a certain extent, which is beneficial to the digestion and absorption of nutrients. However, overly refined processing is not suitable for everyone. Therefore, for the majority of consumers, there is no need to blindly follow the trend. You can choose food processing small appliances reasonably according to the specific situation of yourself and your family members. Don't forget that in terms of daily dietary nutrition, the most important thing is to ensure the freshness and variety of food.

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References:

1. Melvin B. Heyman, Steven A. Abrams. Fruit juice in infants, children, and adolescents: current recommendations[J]. Pediatrics, 2017, 139(6):e20170967.

2. Wu Xiaoqin, Liu Jieer, Jin Cheng, et al. Comparative study on nutrients and non-nutrients in different varieties of pine pollen [J]. Food Industry Science and Technology, 2011, (1): 273-276.

Author: Zhang Yu, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Review | Wu Ping Director of Clinical Nutrition Department, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University

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