I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist and in no way do I claim to be an expert on the subject :). I started blending a month a half ago and as I started posting my colourful blends on Facebook I started getting asked for recipes and whether or not I use my concoctions as a meal replacement. Heck, there was even a heated discussion on the blender I purchased :) I was never a juice drinker prior to this, as I never liked the texture, so when I started blending half of the fruits and vegetable had to be frozen as I liked the texture of smoothies more than a juice. I purchased the Ninja Ultima Blender for $249 at Canadian Tire and I found it to be awesome at crushing everything to an amazingly smooth, no clump, texture. The reason I chose Blending over Juicing is simple. I am not a big person, but I did want to get healthy and lose a couple of pounds :). When Blending, the pulp/fibre stays in the juice making it more filling causing you to be less hungry. Juicing on the other hand, leaves the pulp/fibre behind.

Blending is also a lot faster and I am not sure about you, but I am always trying to find an extra hour in a 24 hour day. On the topic of whether I use it as a meal replacement? I am so full after having the pulpy juice that I don’t feel hungry for breakfast and lunch, so I would say yes. I do have one before dinner and I find that I eat less. I did lose more weight than I wanted, as I am down to 113 lb, but I do feel stronger, healthier and my energy level has definitely spiked. The bottom line: You have to find what works for you, what you are juicing or blending for, your needs and finding what combination of fruit, vegetables and leafy greens work for you. I recently found out, through my Facebook posts, that people with Thyroid Disease can not have certain veggies, fruits and leafy greens. There are a lot of blogs and articles where one is picked over the other by the publisher, however I would truly suggest visiting Joe Cross‘ site Reboot With Joe where he explains the difference between the two pretty clearly and does not favour one over the other.

You may also want to watch Joe Cross’ documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix. The way I see it: I have had more fruits, vegetable and leafy greens in the past month and a half than I have had in any given year. I don’t see how that can be bad for me 🙂 Here are some of my favourite recipes: I blend mine with Pure Orange, Orange/Mango or Papaya Juice due to taste and some water depending on the texture I want. If you are good with the taste you may blend just with water 🙂 Tagged: BEST BLENDER, BEST VEGETABLES AND FRUITS FOR BLENDING, BLENDING AND LOSING WEIGHT, BLENDING RECIPES, BLENDING VS JUICING, HEALTHY SNACKS, NINJA BLENDER, NINJA ULTIMA BLENDER, TOP BLENDERIf you have your heart set on owning a blender and have money to burn then there are plenty of high-priced choices from the likes of Vitamix, Blendtec, and Oster. Budget appliance maker Hamilton Beach, however, suggests that members of the smoothie set should save their cash and buy its $40 Stay or Go Blender.

For much less than the competition, this compact machine competently whips up fresh, fruity beverages. It also offers a range of accessories for taking your blends on the run and even grinding coffee beans and other solid items. But as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. Underpowered and with short blades, not to mention cheap all-plastic construction, this mixer is far from a premium performer.cuisinart poweredge blender (cbt-700)Judging from its small stature and modest appearance, you might be tempted to dismiss the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Blender's abilities. kitchenaid mixer dorchesterI know I did, at least at first. kitchenaid ksb1570 5-speed classic blender

With its all-plastic build materials and slight 2-pound, 11-ounce weight, this home appliance certainly won't stop you in your tracks with its looks. That said, this mixing machine can tackle quite a lot despite its compact size.Bundled with the Stay or Go is a handy array of hardware that when combined offers plenty of food prep flexibility. Besides the standard 32-ounce blending jar you'll also find two 16-ounce travel jars designed to both mix ingredients in and carry blended contents out the door with you. oster fusion blender parts brly07Their plastic drinking lids sport wide, mouth-shaped openings that are perfect for guzzling down thick liquids. waring blender explosion proofJust remember that there's no way to completely close the jars, so don't flip them over.oster blender bvcb07-z reviews

Interestingly, Hamilton Beach threw in another accessory, a short 8-ounce vessel it calls a grinding cup. Meant specifically for pulverizing solids such as coffee beans, hard cheeses, and cookies and crackers, it's clear this blender is geared up to do double duty as a standalone electric grinder. As far as controls go the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go keeps things simple, almost to a fault. sunbeam cafe series blender lights flashingUnlike competing (though admittedly more expensive) blenders such as the KitchenAid 5-Speed and Hamilton Beach's very own Smoothie Smart Blender , the Stay or Go lacks multiple revolutions-per-minute (rpm) modes or any fancy presets for creating smoothies or crushed ice. Instead this appliance is a one-speed, two-button pony.On the front sits a wide rocker key, really more of a fat switch, one end labelled "Pulse/Off" and the other "On". As you'd expect tapping "Pulse/Off" will tell the blender's starlike blade assembly to spin up, then rotate to a stop.

You can also deliver sustained pulses by holding this key down for as long as you'd like. Similarly, hitting the "On" switch engages the motor indefinitely while tapping "Pulse/Off" puts the brakes on the blades. I like how the Stay or Go comes apart easily for hassle-free cleaning, which makes it a breeze to wash by hand. Of course since the blender is dishwasher-safe, I bet most people will just toss the gadget into their trusty mechanized kitchen helper. Even with Hamilton Beach doing its best to brag up the Stay or Go's blending chops, it was immediately clear to me that this mix maker is underpowered. Sure, the company claims the appliance has a motor that delivers 650 watts of peak power. Without more specific details to frame this spec such as rpm, I can't say how that translates to blending power. In any case, the Stay or Go's motor can't match the sheer food-shredding might of pricier products like the $260 Ninja Ultima (1,500 watts, 3,700 to 24,000rpm) or $529 Vitamix 7500 (1,400 watts, 37,000rpm).

Also frustrating is the blender's small blade assembly, which uses short, stubby cutting edges. It simply doesn't have the reach or slicing ability of larger appliances. That said, for a mere $40, the Stay or Go does get the basics done without breaking the budget.As far as I'm concerned, crushing ice into a suitable state for frozen drinks is an absolute staple capability for any blender. I'm sad to report, however, that the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go delivered subpar results on this crucial test. No doubt because it's saddled with a comparatively weak motor, two cups of bag ice stopped the appliance dead in its tracks. While I definitely saw ice powder in the bottom portion of the blender's 32-ounce jar, the top of the container remained chunky after 15 or even 30 blending pulses. It was only after I added about half a cup of water to the hopper along with the ice cubes did I see any real blending action. Then it took 30 pulses to churn my ice mixture into a recognizable slurry fit for frozen beverages.