Green Smoothies: Taking them to work..

[rawrealestatelady]

hi guys..
i really need to detox and i really need to get going with as much raw as possible...i figure i'd stay 80-90% raw and take it from there...i looooovvvvee green smoothies and could live on those alone...my only dilema is at work. can you make green smoothies and take them to work to have during the day? i never tried it because i am use to having them fresh...do you just keep them in the fridge and shake 'em up and add ice when you're ready for them during the day at work?

[Veronica01]

I have definitely done that, make them at 7:30 in the morning, and then at work put them in the fridge and drink around noon. They're still fine. I like to add some ice or frozen fruit to mine but by then they are not frozen anymore. Because of all the fibre it stays intact for longer than fresh juice. Definitely do it if you love them it's great to take them with you.

[rawrealestatelady]

I have definitely done that, make them at 7:30 in the morning, and then at work put them in the fridge and drink around noon. They're still fine. I like to add some ice or frozen fruit to mine but by then they are not frozen anymore. Because of all the fibre it stays intact for longer than fresh juice. Definitely do it if you love them it's great to take them with you.

i will certainly try it that way...may gross out my coworkers who dont know what that green stuff is in the fridge but oh well,lol

[JennaBoBenna]

I keep mine on my desk. I'm a receptionist, but no one really notices my smoothie jug on the desk, it's kind of hidden. It was funny, I have a clear green jug and had some smoothie in it. I took a sip and my coworker just about flipped and then said "oh, the container is green, I thought you were drinking some sort of weird green sludge!". I almost wanted to say "uhh...well, I am!" lol!

I make my smoothies with a lot of frozen fruit, so they stay cold for a while. The fridge is too far from my desk, so I just keep it at my desk and shake it every once in a while. After a few hours, it isn't as good as it was, but only because it has started to warm up.

[Moretta]

I have always made mine the night before and drink them the next morning at work and during the day.

[mattshor]

as a side note, the kids I work with are frequently fascinated and disgusted by the drinks I bring with me. It's become a huge running joke: what is Mr Shor bringing in his bottle today. Today I had a bottle with lemonade and chia seeds in it, everytime I drank from it the kids would turn a little green. :D

[T-Bird]

Of course they're still fresh and edible - but what about loss of nutrients?

[Dimond]

I prefer to make green soups (savory smoothies) instead. Works better when not consumed right away. I also mostly crave savory over sweet so this is perfect. I put them in wide-mouth glass jars and shake up and drink.

[Colorawdo girl]

Green smoothies are whole foods.They can keep in fridge for three days without losing nutrition. I would make them night before and take it to work. They last me til way past lunchtime.

I take the smoothie out to get it closer to room temperature. Really dont do real well with really cold smoothies.

It is funny the comments and such from the green jugs. I love it. A chance to talk raw...hahaha.Green jugs,green hugs,green smoothie moustaches.....hahahaha

[JennaBoBenna]

Of course they're still fresh and edible - but what about loss of nutrients?

True, but it's still a better option than pasteurized drinks, or Jamba Juice or something. I don't think too many nutrients are lost if there is fiber in the drink. I know juices last only a day at most, and green smoothies last about 3 days.

[klomasius]

A couple of hours on a desk at room temp isn't going to significantly reduce the nutritional content, and anyway, GSs are so packed full of nutrients in the first place any loss will mean they go from being a super food to being just and excellent food. ;)

I make mine in the morning, feed my son his for breakfast then either have mine on the train to work or sit it at my desk and drink it throughout the day. I usually put it in a glass jar, and maybe transfer it to a mug on my desk.

Co workers don't even bother to comment any more, they are so used to it.

[Raw Joy]

If you fill your container to the top as far as can, to the point where the lid barely can get on, you'll have less oxygen in the container and less loss of nutrients.

At least, that's what I heard. :D

I make huge smoothies all the time, bring to work, and then leave the rest to drink that evening when I get home.

[T-Bird]

I don't think too many nutrients are lost if there is fiber in the drink.

I've heard with wheat grass juice - you want to drink it within 20 minutes of juicing. Hours with fresh veggie/fruit juices.

With a smoothy - you've done the samething as juicing - broken down the physical structure of the plant/cells. I wouldn't think the fiber floating around would have anything to do with the nutritional quotient diminishing just like juice.

I'd need to see some scientific numbers to believe there was anything different!

Of course - it's still better than something not raw at all. But if I was looking at drinking it 12 hours later - I think I'd opt for fresh fruit and a salad to get more of the nutrients.

[klomasius]

I've heard with wheat grass juice - you want to drink it within 20 minutes of juicing. Hours with fresh veggie/fruit juices.

With a smoothy - you've done the samething as juicing - broken down the physical structure of the plant/cells. I wouldn't think the fiber floating around would have anything to do with the nutritional quotient diminishing just like juice.

I'd need to see some scientific numbers to believe there was anything different!

Of course - it's still better than something not raw at all. But if I was looking at drinking it 12 hours later - I think I'd opt for fresh fruit and a salad to get more of the nutrients.

I recently heard in a talk by Victoria Boutenko that she'd worked with a university laboratory to study the difference in oxidation of green juices and green smoothies.

The green juices tended to oxidise very quickly, whereas the green smoothies didn't. I think the theory behind it was that the juicer exposes the juice to the air far more than the smoothie gets exposed. Raw Joy is right, the less you expose food or drink to oxygen the more slowly it oxidises.

Green smoothies in a bottle, or even a cup are not overly exposed to oxidisation. Generally the part that is exposed forms a 'layer' to block oxidisation of the lower layers (that's why after a while the top layer of a smoothie looks a bit less green than the lower layers).

If I remember correctly, the study showed nutrient content remained pretty much intact up to three days in the fridge for smoothies.

Also, other factors in nutrient depletion include bacterial growth (generally kicks in significantly only after hours and hours) and light/heat exposure (put your smoothie in an opaque or non see through container).

[T-Bird]

Thanks Klomasius!

I'll have to google that up!