A Blast is just another way of saying smoothies!
Smoothie makers like the NutriBullet, Vita Mix and Ninja are one of our best weapons against disease and illness. If you don’t have one, you need one, they are the ultimate smoothie makers! Not trying to start a smoothie brand war, this is just my opinion. I actually have other brands that very good smoothie blenders as well. The point is to use one of these great appliances to improve your health. It can’t help your health sitting idle on your counter.
How can smoothies or blasts improve your health you ask?
Typically we use lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and herbs and spices in smoothies. These foods contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and other phytonutrients like plant sterols. These nutrients are the building blocks of a healthy body. Also, health is a mindset. When you buy an appliance like these smoothie makers you have health in mind. You want better health. You visualize overcoming your health issues by blasting with these great appliances. They increases nutrient absorption. More nutrient absorption equals better health potential. However, smoothie makers can’t help you if you do not use them.
When you use your smoothie maker, use wholesome, nutrient abundant foods from the Farmacey (garden) that provide live giving sustenance! As you blast everyday with real foods using every color under the rainbow you are feeding every cell in your body exactly what it needs to detox, repair, replenish, build and reverse any adverse condition inside that cell. Studies show that certain compounds in plant foods can actually stimulate our DNA to repair itself!! Wow! how awesome is that? Additionally, antioxidants and other phytonutrients help prevent illnesses and disease by protecting our cells and ultimately our bodies greatly reducing our risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, stroke and many other adverse health conditions. Your health begins and ends at the cellular level.
So how do we know what foods are the healthiest for us?
Fortunately for us, there are two major food nutrient rating systems, developed by leading experts in the Nutrition field; the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System and the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI). Both provide a good look at what foods are the best and worst for us using a numerical matrix. Which one is the best? That’s for you to decide. However, the NuVal system seems to give scores that seem too high for some not so healthy foods. For example, the NuVal system gives iceberg lettuce a score of 94 out off a top score off 100 where the ANDI system gives iceberg lettuce a score of 127 out of 1000. This seems to be more realistic. Neither system is perfect however.
Both the ANDI and NuVal systems rate both whole and processed foods, but NuVal rates many more processed options and was developed by a team led by David Katz, MD, MPH. The ANDI system provides scores from 1 to 1000 and the NuVal system gives score of 1 to 100.
Dr. Joel Furman developed the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) food rating system. It looks at the complete spectrum of nutrients, antioxidants and phytonutrients in a specific food and rates it on a scale of 1 to 1000. The broader the spectrum of nutrients and the higher the content the higher the ANDI score. Some foods may seem low on the list to you like some fruits, nuts and seeds or beans because they may be rich in a few nutrients but not a broad range. It doesn’t mean don’t eat the. It just means foods with higher score have a broader range of health providing nutrients, antioxidants and additional phytonutrients.
The ANDI System
| Sample Nutrient/Calorie Density Scores | ||||
| Kale | 1000 | Sunflower Seeds | 64 | |
| Collard Greens | 1000 | Kidney Beans | 64 | |
| Mustard Greens | 1000 | Green Peas | 63 | |
| Watercress | 1000 | Cherries | 55 | |
| Swiss Chard | 895 | Pineapple | 54 | |
| Bok Choy | 865 | Apple | 53 | |
| Spinach | 707 | Mango | 53 | |
| Arugula | 604 | Peanut Butter | 51 | |
| Romaine | 510 | Corn | 45 | |
| Brussels Sprouts | 490 | Pistachio Nuts | 37 | |
| Carrots | 458 | Oatmeal | 36 | |
| Broccoli Rabe | 455 | Shrimp | 36 | |
| Cabbage | 434 | Salmon | 34 | |
| Broccoli | 340 | Eggs | 31 | |
| Cauliflower | 315 | Milk, 1% | 31 | |
| Bell Peppers | 265 | Walnuts | 30 | |
| Asparagus | 205 | Bananas | 30 | |
| Mushrooms | 238 | Whole Wheat Bread | 30 | |
| Tomato | 186 | Almonds | 28 | |
| Strawberries | 182 | Avocado | 28 | |
| Sweet Potato | 181 | Brown Rice | 28 | |
| Zucchini | 164 | White Potato | 28 | |
| Artichoke | 145 | Low Fat Plain Yogurt | 28 | |
| Blueberries | 132 | Cashews | 27 | |
| Iceburg Lettuce | 127 | Chicken Breast | 24 | |
| Grapes | 119 | Ground Beef, 85% lean | 21 | |
| Pomegranates | 119 | Feta Cheese | 20 | |
| Cantaloupe | 118 | White Bread | 17 | |
| Onions | 109 | White Pasta | 16 | |
| Flax Seeds | 103 | French Fries | 12 | |
| Orange | 98 | Cheddar Cheese | 11 | |
| Edamame | 98 | Apple Juice | 11 | |
| Cucumber | 87 | Olive Oil | 10 | |
| Tofu | 82 | Vanilla Ice Cream | 9 | |
| Sesame Seeds | 74 | Corn Chips | 7 | |
| Lentils | 72 | Cola | 1 | |
| Peaches | 65 | |||
You can find more information about this food rating system at http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/andi-food-scores.aspx
Below is a sampling of NuVal Scores.
| Fresh Bread and Rolls Score |
|
| Alvarado Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread 29 | |
| Arnold Natural Flax and Fiber Bread 48 | |
| Arnold Italian Crustini Rolls 13 | |
| Healthy Choice Hearty 7-Grain Bread 34 | |
| Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Bread 36 | |
| Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bread 27 | |
| Wonder Cinnamon Raisin Bread 11 | |
| Wonder Classic White Sandwich Bread 28 |
| Cold Cereal Score |
|
| Cap’n Crunch Sweetened Corn & Oat Cereal 4 | |
| General Mills Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal 37 | |
| Hodgson Mill Unprocessed Wheat Bran (Millers Bran) 100 | |
| Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes Cereal 29 | |
| Kashi Strawberry Fields Cereal 6 | |
| Post Spoon Size Shredded Wheat Cereal 91 | |
| Post Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal with Almonds 29 | |
| Post Frosted Shredded Wheat 32 | |
| Quaker Life Cereal 25 |
| Fresh Vegetables Score |
|
| Avocados 88 | |
| Broccoli 100 | |
| Lettuce – Iceberg 94 | |
| Sweet Potato 100 | |
| Tomatoes 100 |
| Frozen Vegetables Score |
|
| Birds Eye Cooked Winter Squash 100 | |
| Birds Eye Deluxe Frozen Artichoke Hearts 100 | |
| Green Giant Cut Green Beans Steamable 100 | |
| Green Giant Chopped Spinach 88 | |
| Birds Eye Sweet Corn & Butter Sauce 23 | |
| Green Giant Cauliflower & Cheese Sauce 25 | |
| Green Giant Creamed Spinach with Artificial Cream Flavor 24 | |
| Green Giant Green Bean Casserole 15 |
| Canned Vegetables Score |
|
| Allens Popeye Regular Spinach 87 | |
| Aunt Nellie’s Ruby Red Sweet & Sour Harvard Beets 8 | |
| Del Monte Fresh Cut Regular Spinach 87 | |
| Del Monte Fresh Cut Whole Green Beans (with salt) 84 | |
| Del Monte Fresh French Green Beans No Salt Added 100 | |
| Libby’s Sauerkraut with Caraway Seeds 13 | |
| Ready to Serve Artichoke Hearts 26 | |
| Vlasic Old Fashioned Sauerkraut 4 |
| Fruits Score |
|
| Bananas 100 | |
| Blueberries 100 | |
| Coconuts 24 | |
| Grapefruit 100 | |
| Mango 100 | |
| Passion Fruit 88 | |
| Pineapple 100 |
| Cookies Score |
|
| Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies 11 | |
| Kashi TLC Oatmeal Raisin Flax Cookies 33 | |
| Nabisco Chips Ahoy Chewy Real Chocolate Chip Cookies 2 | |
| Nabisco Mini Teddy Graham Snacks 28 | |
| Nabisco Nilla Wafers 6 | |
| Salerno Butter Flavored Cookies 2 | |
| Nabisco Honey Maid Low Fat Grahams 24 |
| Crackers Score |
|
| Annies Home Grown Bite Size Whole Wheat Bunnies Baked Snack Crackers 24 | |
| Austin Toasty Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter 24 | |
| Kashi TLC Mediterranean Bruschetta Snack Cracker 30 | |
| Keebler Townhouse Bistro Multi Grain Crackers 3 | |
| Kellogg’s All-Bran Garlic Herb Crackers 35 | |
| Nabisco Ritz Bitz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches 9 | |
| Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Flavor Goldfish 20 | |
| Ryvita Sesame Rye Crispbread 40 | |
| Sunshine Cheez-it Reduced Fat Baked Snack Crackers 23 |
| Salty Snacks Score |
|
| Baked Lays Original Potato Crisps 25 | |
| Chex Mix Brand Snack Traditional 7 | |
| Crunchy Cheetos 4 | |
| Fritos Brand Corn Chips 6 | |
| Garden of Eatin’ Blue Chips All Natural Tortilla Chips 34 | |
| Doritos Nacho Flavored Tortilla Chips 2 | |
| Lays Stax Original Potato Crisps 3 | |
| Old Fashioned Kettle-Cooked Reduced Fat Cape Cod Potato Chips 25 | |
| Pringles Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion 3 | |
| Snyders of Hanover Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks 25 | |
| Snyders of Hanover Original Tortilla Chip 34 | |
| Utz Barbecue Potato Chip 4 | |
| Sunshine Cheez It Assorted Party Mix 20 |
| Fresh Meats Score |
|
| Chicken Breast (skinless) 57 | |
| Ground Sirloin (Beef 90/10) 46 | |
| Ham (whole leg) 39 | |
| Pork Baby Back Ribs 36 | |
| Pork Tenderloin 65 | |
| Turkey Breast 56 | |
| Turkey Breast (skinless) 73 |
| Seafood Score | |
| Atlantic Salmon Fillet 96 | |
| Bay Scallops (treated) 43 | |
| Clams (raw, treated) 44 | |
| Crab, Alaskan King 62 | |
| Haddock (treated) 74 | |
| Lobster 60 | |
| Sardines (fresh) 94 | |
| Shrimp (treated) 40 |
| Milk Score | |
| Chug Milk Shake Vanilla 21 | |
| Nonfat Skim Milk 100 | |
| 2% Milk 84 | |
| 1% Milk 89 | |
| Silk Chocolate Light Soymilk 46 | |
| Silk Soymilk 88 |
| Juice Score | |
| Lakewood Fresh Pressed Pure Pomegranate Juice 38 | |
| Odwalla Pomegranate Limeade (20% Juice) 1 |
| Oil/Shortening Score | |
| Canola Oil 24 | |
| All Vegetable Shortening 1 |
For more info about the NuVal system please visit http://www.nuval.com/scores
Health happens when we balance our lives by eating the healthiest foods and drinking the purist water as often as possible, getting outside, moving more, de-stressing and removing as much toxicity (environmental and emotional) from our lives as we can.
Healthy wishes
Wally Bishop C.N.C.
The contents of this blog are not and should not be considered medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. Never quit taking prescription medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.
