The FastDay Forum

I have just found this article on the BBC website which questions the general belief that taking smoothies is better for you than coffee since they add more fruit to your diet. The article seems to point out that this is not really the case and since this is something which Dr. MM himself has been involved in, this would appear to be quite a sound study. It would therefore be interesting to get other people's views on that.

I have never had a smoothie in my life before, but I do drink de-caffeinated coffee on my non fasting days with a little bit of milk, and no sugar. However, even that never amounts to any more than three cups of coffee in any given day.

Hi there

I have to admit I am not keen on smoothies, I just cant stand the texture grrrrrrrrrrrr just cant stomach that pureed state so its a no no for me but a big yes for coffee lol, I have never had sugar in mine and I really love espressos

I cant speak re which is healthier, but as for me I will never give up on my beloved coffees
id rather just eat fruit in their natural form!

The article doesn't go into the exact ingredients in the smoothie but if you ever frequent a juice bar where they make smoothies count how many pieces of fruit they put into a smoothie/or juice - you will be surprised.

The amount of sugar in the drink (as mentioned in the article) is often very, very high. The amount of caloies in a smoothie can be relatively high. A mango smoothie from a juice bar close to my home contains about 440 cals. Given that you can drink it in about five minutes and still find yourself hungry shortly after as all it really does is spike your blood sugar is telling. I know if I drank one It would just start the blood sugar roller coaster and give me the munchies.

When I think about eating on a fast day I often only eat 350-400 cals and that is made up of a small piece of meat/fish and a big plate of mixed vegetables such as a stir fry. Now why would I want to drink 440 cals on my regular eating day (my TDEE is 1500cals) on a drink?

Ultimately I believe in eating food, whole food so I would prefer to eat a 250g (edible portion) mango and 100g of natural yoghurt. The total cals would equal approx 250 cals.

Bring on fresh minimally processed fruit and veges.

I will also admit to be a coffee lover but I limit myself to one black coffee (no sugar). Any more than that and I struggle to sleep at night. So even though the article suggests 2-5 cups I couldn't drink that much coffee on a daily basis.

Fasting has taught me so much about how much to eat, what to eat and how easy it is to eat everything in moderation, including a bit of the bad stuff not to over-do things (well at least not too often ) . Knowing how my body responds to different foods e.g. Sugar spike triggering hunger it made answering the question about smoothies easy for me.

Prefer the whole fruit and love my coffee. Always black and sugarless and probably too much. I rarely drink filtered now only instant to reduce the caffeine hit! I do not like any form of tea, and yes I am English. I do not have decaf as try to limit the amount of chemicals I put in my temple!

I'm really pleased to read more articles waving the flag for coffee as I get fed up of the anti-coffee mantra. I adore my daily cup of java, occasionally I have two which is hardly going OTT. My first cuppa of the day is normally a 'bulletproof'

I was a rawvegan for quite a few years (not now) but never did get the fruit smoothies thing as they are waaay to sweet for me. The sugar content would send me almost into a coma. I subscribe to the Jason Vale school of juicing/smoothie making which is "eat your fruit and juice your veg". So once in a while, I do actually like a healthy juice which is normally something like cucumber, celery, root ginger, lemons and apples (pretty low GI), blended with some lightly steamed cooked kale. Granted a litre of this is around 400 cals, but on a hot day, when you are fasting, it makes a welcome change.

Nice ideas Rawkaren. With regard to smoothies, I always think that whole fruit contributes to one's fibre intake, is slower to eat and therefore more satisfying.
I too enjoy coffee (and tea) both with a little milk which help get me through a fast day.
I'm sure Bobshouse enjoys delicious coffee, we always enjoy coffee when in France.

I love my Late on food days and wouldn't switch it for any smoothie. I do like those now and then but I would be very aware of how many fruits and therefore sugar is in it. They are fine in summer but this time of year I wouldn't waste my calories or money on them.

Coffee is hard to beat all year round. It warms you up, refreshes and re-energizes you and tastes great. For me the all-round winner