Eating Vs. Drinking Calories

This is excerpted from an e-mail I sent to a friend. We're trying to get healthier... just thought I'd share for anyone who likes to drink pomegranate/ blueberry/ acai juice for health:

From everything I've always read/heard, it is always better to eat whole fruit than to drink the juice (whether pomegranate, blueberry, acai berry or whatever). It's more satisfying because you get the bulk (fiber) of the fruit to keep you feeling full versus just the sugar rush of the juice.

Also, it seems like I've read that pasteurization and whatever other processing juices go through can destroy some of the vitamins & antioxidants of the original fruit.

I love buying frozen blueberries and making a smoothie with a banana (or 1/2), a lot of blueberries, ice, yogurt, splenda, vanilla Silk and a splash of extra vanilla. Very light-- you can measure everything and make it as big or small as you want. You can even add extra fiber, wheat germ, flax seed oil or other supplements you are taking. A friend of mine who is a runner is seeing a nutritionist, and she gave my friend the advice to eat your calories vs. drinking your calories, but I still like to make smoothies from time to time because they feel like a treat (and the kids love them, too.)

Still, the eating vs. drinking calories is good advice, especially when it comes to fruit vs. juice. OJ has tons of calories, but a whole orange doesn't.

Food for thought. Costco has a good deal on a huge bag of frozen blueberries-- Trader Joes has very good prices on organic frozen blueberries (and other frozen fruit).

Here's to gettin' skinny! (Or more importantly, developing better habits!)
Amethyst