Smoothie Time

Anyone on the chemo drug oxaliplatin knows what cold sensitivity is like. I can't make Lindy normal smoothies out of frozen fruit. He's also not actually crazy about smoothies OR plain yogurt but I thought this might be a way to get some citrus into him.

Let's go back to our old standby, David Servan-Schreiber's Anti-Cancer:

"Oranges, tangerines, lemons, and grapefruit contain anti-inflammatory flavonoids. They also stimulate the detoxification of carcinogenics by the liver. 

It has even been shown that flavonoids in the skin of tangerines...penetrate brain cancer cells, facilitate their death by apoptosis and lower their potential for invading neighboring tissues."

I don't actually have any tangerines on hand, but I have heard that the skin of other citrus fruits is beneficial as well, so I grated some orange and lime skins into the smoothie as well. (Make sure the fruit is organic if you are grating the skin).

OK, so the recipe calls for 1 orange, 1 lime, 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 cup plain yogurt. I used full-fat because, weight gain. And I omitted the 1/2 cup ice because, oxaliplatin.

It was so tart and full of pulp that I thought, no way. I added 1/2 teaspoon honey and blended the hell out of it. Pulp smoother but still too tart. I grated an apple and added our last banana. Now it is really quite good. 

I have always heard, juice your veggies and blend your fruits. This is because drinking fruit juice without the fruit "matrix" makes the sugar absorb just as fast as if you were drinking Minute Maid. My question is, why is this not also true of smoothies? You're still breaking down the matrix, even though it is mixed with pulp. Ah, these mysteries drive me nuts.

Lisa

P.S. I will let you know if Lindy actually drinks the thing. (Update...he tried it. He finds it excessively bitter but drinkable)

P.P.S. I wonder if I should add some spinach?