I have seen the light - Vitamix update

[cindyleigh]

I bought one. 

Wow ....this thing isn't a blender, its a homogenizer.  Probably stronger than what I have in the lab.

It.is.awesome!

[teetime]

What have you made?!  I made a chive dressing with my mini sized (shitty) cuisinart just because I was too lazy to get out the vitamix last night and realized I've been spoiled ... too many chive chunks.

I do want to compare my mini sized (shitty) cuisinart peanut butter (which is actually pretty delicious since I've discovered the trick of adding a little hazelnut oil) with some made in the vitamix but am worried the amount I like to make won't work in the vitamix (if I wanted a whole jar I'd just buy it)

[wherestheportojohn]

Woot! Cindy!

[cindyleigh]

What have you made?!  I made a chive dressing with my mini sized (shitty) cuisinart just because I was too lazy to get out the vitamix last night and realized I've been spoiled ... too many chive chunks.

I do want to compare my mini sized (shitty) cuisinart peanut butter (which is actually pretty delicious since I've discovered the trick of adding a little hazelnut oil) with some made in the vitamix but am worried the amount I like to make won't work in the vitamix (if I wanted a whole jar I'd just buy it)

I wish they made a mini vitamix - something magic bullet sized.  So far I've just made two things - a blueberry/ice slushy thing last night for dessert and a spinach-carrot smoothie today.  Both were much better than what I've made in my Oster blender.  Really no comparison. 

I'm almost out of peanut butter so I think tomorrow night I'll try to make it in the Vitamix. 

[merigayle]

yes, i wish there was a bullet size option for the vitamix!!!!!!!!!!! Unless something has a lot of liquid, it is hard to make a small amount. Do you now understand the hullabaloo?

[cindyleigh]

Do you now understand the hullabaloo?

yep!  I'm converted!

[moroccangirl]

I use mine almost daily to make Adam smoothies. I need to look at the recipe book and try something different.

[OldBaldHippie]

I've only made smoothies and margaritas...I should try something else...can you make cole slaw without liquefying it?

[merigayle]

I made cashew cheeze finally in it the other day and it turned out so creamy and smooth, which was one of the main reasons i wanted to buy it. The food processor left it a bit lumpy.

[wherestheportojohn]

I love the way hummus and peanut butter (duh, not together) turn out with the Vitamix.

Need to make fresh batches for the weekend. Nummy!

[ZiggyStardust]

It.is.awesome!

Agreed!  I use mine everyday to make a smoothie for breakfast (plain Greek yogurt, assorted fresh or frozen fruit, throw in some greens).  I definitely feel better having that every morning than I ever did having cereal with milk or oatmeal--not sure why, but I feel less *bleh.* 

I just read Fat Chance, so I am a bit bummed at the idea of missing out on fiber from the fruit/veggies, but I figure I wouldn't eat a handful of spinach or carrots at breakfast, so as long as I'm getting other good stuff (like vitamins), one smoothie a day isn't the worst thing in the world and won't pave the way to metabolic syndrome...

[cindyleigh]

I just read Fat Chance, so I am a bit bummed at the idea of missing out on fiber from the fruit/veggies,

why do you miss the fiber by making a smoothie? 

[pfunksbn]

I got a Nutribullet recently and I am liking it a lot.  It's pretty powerful for the size. And very easy to clean.

[gebuh]

I made cashew cheeze finally in it the other day and it turned out so creamy and smooth, which was one of the main reasons i wanted to buy it. The food processor left it a bit lumpy.

I'm going to need that recipe.
I sent dd2 some cashews, she pounded them by hand to make a sauce.
Can the vitamix replace a food processor?

[merigayle]

I'm going to need that recipe.
I sent dd2 some cashews, she pounded them by hand to make a sauce.
Can the vitamix replace a food processor?

Hmmmm. There are probably still things I would want to do in the food processor over the vitamix.

this is my favorite one and i used all cashews instead of half macadamia.
http://spabettie.com/2012/08/17/vegan-goat-cheese-recipe/

this was good with HALF the lemon juice

http://reciperenovator.com/special-diets/vegan/how-to-make-shredded-vegan-cheese/

[ZiggyStardust]

why do you miss the fiber by making a smoothie?

As I recall, the author (Robert Lustig) claims that the pulverizing action of a blender shreds the insoluble fiber.  So, you're missing out on some of the fiber that would normally accompany the sugars.  That's what I remember off the top of my head right now, anyway--if anyone can correct me or elaborate more, great (I recall there was a discussion of Fat Chance in Yammering a couple weeks back).

Like I said, though, I look at it as a win nonetheless, because I wouldn't be getting vitamins from kale or spinach or carrots at 5:30 a.m. if I weren't consuming them in smoothie form...

[cindyleigh]

As I recall, the author (Robert Lustig) claims that the pulverizing action of a blender shreds the insoluble fiber.  So, you're missing out on some of the fiber that would normally accompany the sugars.  That's what I remember off the top of my head right now, anyway--if anyone can correct me or elaborate more, great (I recall there was a discussion of Fat Chance in Yammering a couple weeks back).

Hmmm, not sure I agree with that hypothesis.  We do a pretty good job of breaking down insoluble fiber during mastication and in the gut.  In fact, insoluble fiber needs to be broken down for its positive effects on GI health.  That is why older folks with poor teeth or dentures (and so poor mastication) often need insoluble fiber supplementation ...and why they have so many GI disorders.

I did a PubMed search and couldn't really find information one way or the other ....but I did find this in a "Google" search.  So at least this Dr. and I are in agreement:

http://www.oprah.com/health/Does-Blending-Fruit-Reduce-Its-Fiber-Content

[ZiggyStardust]

Hmmm, not sure I agree with that hypothesis.  We do a pretty good job of breaking down insoluble fiber

My bad!  It was soluble fiber that he claimed was affected by blending.  Not sure whether there's any factual basis to that, but his premise was based on the relationship in whole fruits between soluble fiber and sugars.

[cindyleigh]

My bad!  It was soluble fiber that he claimed was affected by blending.  Not sure whether there's any factual basis to that, but his premise was based on the relationship in whole fruits between soluble fiber and sugars.

Ah.  Well,  not sure that makes much more sense since soluble fiber is ...soluble!  Doesn't Lustig have a reputation for making sweeping "opinion" statements that have no data in support?  I'd take his musings with a grain of sugar (lol!).

[ZiggyStardust]

http://www.oprah.com/health/Does-Blending-Fruit-Reduce-Its-Fiber-Content

Whoa--Oprah goes head-to-head with diet doctor du jour Lustig!  Who'll win that battle?     I feel like there's a whole lot of quasi-science in the world of nutrition.  I give his overall premise some cred just based on his standing as an endocrinologist, so I hope he has an up-to-date understanding of the metabolism of food, but some of his proclamations are a bit...strident.

Basically, the way I see it is, as long as I'm not mixing up my breakfast smoothies with Jack Daniels or ice cream, they're composed of natural foods! And the Vitamix makes it all so darn palatable!

So, what else have you made in yours??

[cindyleigh]

Whoa--Oprah goes head-to-head with diet doctor du jour Lustig!  Who'll win that battle?     I feel like there's a whole lot of quasi-science in the world of nutrition.  I give his overall premise some cred just based on his standing as an endocrinologist, so I hope he has an up-to-date understanding of the metabolism of food, but some of his proclamations are a bit...strident.

Basically, the way I see it is, as long as I'm not mixing up my breakfast smoothies with Jack Daniels or ice cream, they're composed of natural foods! And the Vitamix makes it all so darn palatable!

So, what else have you made in yours??

Well, its not Oprah.  Its a MD who wrote an opinion article for Oprah's site.  Basically his short piece says that he has "heard" of the whole Vitamix pulverizing fiber but he hasn't been able to find any research to support it.  So he can't say its true....but it didn't make sense to him for the same reasons I gave (i.e. mastication and gastric juices will do the same).

I totally hear you about the quasi-science.  I do tend to be quite skep about anything that isn't referenced in PubMed ...and even then if its not in a high impact journal, I'm dubious.  And even some high impact journals publish crap.  That's just my training and experience as a scientist.  Also, I've met a lot of MD/PhDs with odd theories over the years that just don't hold water.  How they keep their academic appointment I have no idea (Lustig, by the way, is currently on leave from UCSF).

In my Vitamix, I am learning what works for me and what doesn't. 

For example, anything that contains carrots and blueberries will taste great ...but it looks like baby poo and I just can't get past that. 

Mostly I stick a variation of the following:

1 scoop whey protein
2 scoops ground flax seed
1-2 frozen fruits (banana, some berries or frozen apricots)
2 cups greens (either kale or spinach)
1 cup water
2 carrots (if I'm using banana or apricots)

This weekend though ...its a holiday...I'll be making something tasty and alcoholic!

[Courtney]

Basically, the way I see it is, as long as I'm not mixing up my breakfast smoothies with Jack Daniels or ice cream, they're composed of natural foods! And the Vitamix makes it all so darn palatable!

 

What about JD and ice cream? 

[moroccangirl]

I'm going to need that recipe.
I sent dd2 some cashews, she pounded them by hand to make a sauce.
Can the vitamix replace a food processor?

I brought my vitamix with me. I needed to crush some tomatoes but I didn't have my food processor yet. I used the vitamix and it was just fine. I put in a few at a time.  I think I could probably use only the vitamix. The only thing I could think of is some people make dough in their food processor. Not sure that would work with the vitamix, just because of the shape.

[ZiggyStardust]

What about JD and ice cream?

I call that "Tuesday morning."