I make smoothies mixing fruits and veggies.

I have a simple blender. I bought an extra blade which I had it sharpened just for making smoothies. It works great.

I use the other blade for everthing else.

dcarch

I've been trying to rationalize buying a Vitamix for quite some time. Can you even find any significant negative reviews? Heck even cost-conscious Consumer Reports rated it number one.

But there is that small issue of $400. I was recently saying to a friend that my wife would kill me if I bought it. She suggested, "Go ahead and buy it. She'll never suspect that a blender costs $400!"

I was hopeful when I saw Montel Williams pushing a blender that appears to be a competitor. Unfortunately though less than half the price, reviewers on Amazon gave it less than half the stars.

Alexa - This household goes through a couple gallons of V-8 Fusion a week. It's the only way to get anything close to vegetables into my kids. I'll have to check out Odwalla.

I recently bought a Vitamix. It was really expensive but it works soooo well. It releases more of the healthy enzymes by breaking up the cell walls more efficiently, so you get more nutrition. And it has a 7 year warranty. The container is plastic, but it's BPA-free. I've seen used ones on Craigslist for significantly less.

I make smoothies every morning. I add in 2 huge handfuls of spinach or other greens and it mixes it so well that I can't even taste it. I use spinach, banana, pineapple, strawberries and fresh orange juice and it's really good. Nice and sweet, and I get pounds and pounds of greens in me throughout the week. Way more than I'd get eating salad.

But it was seriously the best kitchen purchase I've ever made and I don't regret it at all. It's helped me lose over 30 pounds in the last 2 months and I use it at least twice a day. With that amount of usage over at least 7 years, it's well worth it to me.

Hope you find something that works for you!

Does the Vitamix remove the "pulp" or just moosh it? I would think a blender would have a hard time dealing with the fibers of celery or carrots.

Alice's new addiction is Odwalla Superfood juice blend. What an ugly color! I have to close my eyes to drink it but it tastes great.

I bought a Vita-mix last fall. I think I paid $369.00 if I remember correctly. It makes fantastic smoothies, fruit and/or veggie. If you use it and you improve your health and lose weight (if you want or need to) over the course of a year it's less than one soda or Starbucks per day.

Duane

It completely blends everything. The pulp is included unless you remove it by straining (gives you juice) but there are no stringy pieces of fiber. There aren't any chunks of anything or any separation of ingredients.

I use carrots a lot but I use a paint strainer bag to take the pulp out when I want vegetable juice instead of a smoothie. Celery, carrots, cucumber, kale, lemon juice and a little apple.

Yes, I'm pretty sold on the Vitamix but it is really a tall huge monster. I hate the idea of making a health drink in a plastic carafe is one reason I'm trying to avoid that. I need to improve the health of my liver so I want to make my own uncooked (say unprocessed) vegetable smoothies and I just don't have the room on my counter to keep it out all the time. My counters only have less than 16 inches clearance so it would always be in the way or I know I wouldn't use it if I had to drag it out of a cabinet (garage?) every day. A friend bought a Breville which is beautiful for less than $200, and it makes great vegetable smoothies but reviews are less than stellar so I'm staying away from that. I was just wondering if the Cuisinart (not sure which model I saw) would be up to daily juicing.

Looks like it's the 5200 series that they're pushing right now and everywhere I turn it's $449, free shipping. Anyone see a better price out there?

Chi83 - 30 pounds in two months - that's pretty hard core. Congratulations! I'd love to hear about your regimen. (Maybe over in "conversations"?)

Is there any reason a good food processor can't do this? Just asking. I like the idea of "veggie smoothies" but I don't have space for another small appliance nor the desire to spend the $400+. I do have a large capacity Cuisinart FP.

I haven't seen a better price outside of used ones. I see a lot on Craigslist.

As for the food processor...I'm not sure. I've never done it but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to try! I'd definitely include baby spinach and a banana to help the consistency. You might need a little more water too.

One thing I like to use the food processor for is to make banana ice cream. Just freeze a banana into chunks and run it through the food processor for a few minutes and it turns into the most amazing, healthy ice cream. It has the consistency of vanilla soft-serve with a light banana flavor. (Pic courtesy of choosingraw.com)

I wish I liked bananas. :(

I'll toss some things in the FP and report back.

A food processor will not chop up the leafy vegetables as finely as the Vitamix and you will end up with chewy bits in your smoothie. (Been there, done that, thank you).

I bought my Vitamix back in February or March of this year from Amazon. I think it was last year's model (don't recall the model no.) and it cost ~$350. It is a plastic container, but BPA-free and considering the size, if it were glass, I would find it too heavy/cumbersome to use and clean. It is definitely a tall piece of equipment. I'm blanking out on the name of the other blender that is the equivalent of the Vitamix (about the same price as well), but it is not nearly so tall (nor does it have the same capacity as the Vitamix), so that may be a better option for those with low cabinets.

Blendtec - also seems to be very well reviewed.

I have a Juiceman Juicer - would that take the place of a Vitamix? It does separate the pulp from the juice, but the pulp could be added back in.

Eileen, try adding cocoa and sweetener to you smoothies with bananas. I use Splenda for sweetening, to avoid sugar. I also like to freeze bananas and then dip them in melted chocolate.

Lars

I've had a Vitamix for years (20???). I'm not sure there's anything it won't chew up. I don't know about the nutrition claims re releasing healthy enzymes as it seems to me our own acids would do that. However, it is an incredibly tough incredibly powerful blender.

In the summer I make a pretty good carrot-cantaloupe-apple smoothie.

If you buy a used one (Craigslist, ebay, etc.) check on the Vitamix site to be sure it's one the company still supports. IIRC, this past year Vitamix finally stopped selling parts for some of the oldest models - I believe in the 3000 series. Other than that there's no reason not to buy an older used model, assuming the price is right and it's in good running order.

You might want to sign up on the Vitamix site for their emails. They will occasionally run a private sale or special offer you may find beneficial.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Vitamix Newsletter Sign-Up

Oh Lars, I just don't like bananas any way but fresh or in banana bread. I love smoothies but if there is banana in it I'll pass. I can always taste it.

V-8 would be the original veggie smoothie and is hard to beat.

The Vitamix is THE go-to machine. Everyone endorses it because it does a thorough job that none of the others seem to do.

Dr Blaylock of the Blaylock Wellness Report has done studies on breaking down the vegetables for years. According to his reports, the best way to get all of the good stuff out of them and get your 5 to 10 servings a day, is by blenderizing. And yes, you would want the pulp too.

Remember that scientists have found that the cruciferous vegetables do have to be partially cooked before they release their enzymes.

Beth

Leaving the Vitamix running to heat the puree into soup - does that really work? I mean I figure it must, but have wondered if it takes too long and/or runs too loud to make that practical?

I think it has a soup setting, at least the Blendtec does, but they are noisy but it only takes about a minute to make soup. Sounds like Vitamix is the blender of choice but I really need to remodel my kitchen cabinets to keep it out. Also I can stand on a stool unless I make the counters a lot lower. Always a problem when one is short, LOL.

Members can research Dr. Blaylock for themselves and determine the soundness of his claims.

Regarding the "height issue", as a short person myself, I can say it is one of the disadvantages. Counter+base+canister+lid add up to a challenge. I often end up removing the canister from the base so that I can easily take off the lid or stir particularly dense mixtures. I still regard it as a wonderful machine, but I agree it isn't the most user-friendly or ergonometric for those who are height-impaired.

Carol

Excuse me, what is that supposed to mean "Members can research Dr. Blaylock for themselves and determine the soundness of his claims."

I wasn't aware that the members even knew a Dr. Blaylock existed until I've mentioned him on the forum. How could they go research him.

Maybe I just took that statement the wrong way.... but what is the point here?

Beth

I've had my Vitamix for about 25 yrs. One of the ones with the bullet-proof stainless steel canisters. I paid more for it then than new ones cost today. But how many household appliances last that long? (Except for my 100+yr old sewing machines....)

I make a fruit smoothie for breakfast every morning, but have never thought about adding veg as well. Hmmm, I'm not having a good time imagining what blueberries smooshed together with spinach looks like....

Beth, I think what Carol is politely not saying is that anyone with a basic understanding of biology can see that breaking something down into little pieces before you eat it doesn't change its nutritional value-- food is dissolved into its component parts by stomach acid. I think she is politely also not saying is that this guy is a quack with a cult following. People who make real scientific discoveries submit the details of their research to a scientific journal, which allows a thorough peer review of their methods and an investigation into the validity of their claims. People who promote themselves by making outlandish claims in books and websites are usually not real scientists. Carol has chosen to politely give readers the option of seeking out the truth, however, junk science makes me feel downright impolite.

Jessica

Thanks Jessica. Only I don't think it was too polite. And the man in question is a retired surgeon with many years of knowledge behind him. He doesn't have a "cult" following. One of the major cancer research centers, in Texas I believe, prescribes to the same juicing/blenderizing of vegetables to get the maximum nutrition out of the vegetables.

It's only been in recent years that they discovered that certain vegetables would not release all of their enzymes unless they were partially cooked so how do you know that recent studies don't indicate the need for breaking the food down. I hate to stoop to the sarcasm I see too often on this forum, but, I guess God goofed when he gave us teeth for grinding that food.

Bottom line, people can read the articles for themselves if they are interested enough in their health. But they, and I, do not need someone making a snide rebuke on this forum.

Before putting this doctor down to being a "quack" they should fully investigate rather than making a misleading blanket statement.

Sorry Jessica, it's been a bad day for me and some of the stuff that's said on this forum is just uncalled for. Even if someone wants to jump to conculsions about the merit of this man, it doesn't give them the right to deprive others of the possible benefits.

Beth - just call me Groucho!

As long as blenderizing the veggies isn't BAD for you or makes them less nutritious, I really don't care. I'm looking for an easy, tasty way to get more fruits and veggies into my diet.

Beth - You're right, I never heard of Dr. Blaylock before you mentioned him. A quick google brought me of course to wiki, where the third sentence says, "Blaylock has endorsed views inconsistent with the scientific consensus." Does this automatically make him a quack? Of course not. But it would make want to do a bit of research before I made any important life decisions based on something he says. Carol's opinion may have shown through in that sentence, but I think it was valuable suggestion.

Jessica - "food is dissolved into its component parts by stomach acid." Let's see, how do I put this politely... Let's just say I find that when I go on a more vegetarian diet there's a lot of food that looks similar in the second bowl as in the first. My guess is that a blender would help extract more nutrients?

Ok, now back to margaritas. Oops, I mean smoothies...!

I nearly spewed my morning coffee! But if you are serving breakfast margaritas I'll be right over.

I looked on Craig's List and found several for 200-300. I'm not convinced I NEED one and they sure are HUGE.

And I can't help but think of this old gem. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Vitameatavegamin

Yes FOAS, his views are inconsistent - he doesn't believe in treating everything with pills so they don't much like him in the medical profession.

As for the margaritas, how bout some strawberry banana daiquiris? It is Friday after all..

Beth

I personally feel that blending makes it a little bit more nutritious. Yes, our teeth are equipped to do all the "processing" that we need, but I don't really know anyone who chews as thoroughly as a blender blends. Blending, or chewing completely, releases more nutrients. Again, that's my opinion based on my own personal observations.

Also, blending helps me waste less produce, which is insanely expensive since I buy organic. I can use everything that I normally wouldn't eat, like apple seeds (toxic in large quantities but powerful anti-cancer benefits in small quantities) and tough stems.

As far as stomach enzymes, the research I've done indicates that most people's acidic diets render the digestive enzymes to be a little less effective than they should be. Blending helps ease digestion by making the enzymes work a little less digesting, so they can focus on healing and other benefits within the body. I also believe that nutrients are assimilated easier in the blended form.

It's up to an individual to decide if those benefits are true, or if they're worth a certain amount of money or inconvenience. It was to me.

Again, this is completely my own research. I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV but I've been eating this way for a few months now. I don't eat anything cooked above 100 degrees. I've lost a lot of weight, my skin is glowing and all my health conditions have disappeared. I feel amazing and it works for me. I feel way more nourished than I ever have, and maybe it's all in my head. But even so, that's fine with me because I feel great!

And blueberries blended with spinach looks like swamp slime. :P Try it with frozen pineapples and strawberries. The sweetness makes it a little easier to start out with.

I got the BlendTec, as I believe it does as well as the VitaMix, but without the height. Fits easier under the upper cabinets, and since the jar is shorter and wider, a little easier to clean out. Also uses one blade for dry or wet ingredients, so I didn't have to buy 2 separate set-ups for the different tasks. (I crack grains for my bread.) But it also has the plastic jar...BPA-free and a giant 3-qt option, too. But you probably don't need a 3-qt smoothie. :-)

We used to use our food processor for smoothies, but figured it was a little hard on it (for the ones that use ice), and not really what it was made to do. The blender is much faster and does a better job.

I add fresh spinach to my berry smoothies all the time. The color can be a little odd, but all I taste is the berries.

I love panzanella salad, but it sure doesn't keep. I put the leftovers into the blender and make a thick (because of the bread) wonderful sort of gazpacho for breakfast the next day. I suppose that's a vegetable smoothie, isn't it?

I decided to see if I like fruit/vegetable smoothies before splurging big bucks on a high end blender. (Makes sense, right?) Well I like them just fine. My blender (an old Oster beehive) powers through them pretty quickly so I'm wondering if for smoothies themselves I'd notice a significant difference using a Vitamix or Blendtec? Would they perhaps break down the fibrous "grit" further? I wouldn't object to that.

I make "Green Monsters" in my regular Kitchenaid blender. I am not adventurous enough to add any veg other than spinach to my smoothie. A Green Monster is simply:
1 cup of milk ( I use almond milk)
1 T nut butter ( I use almond or peanut butter)
1 banana (sometimes frozen)
2-3 handsful of baby spinach
sometimes I add ice if I'm feeling spunky (or super hot!)

My blender does fine with this combo.

For the $400+ of the Vitamix, you can buy a lot of V-8 and Odwalla combo's. There are a few others now too and they taste pretty good. And, you won't have that huge machine sitting on a shelf in the basement when you lose interest (making you feel guilty).

momj - I always have V8 and other 100% juices around. But you don't have to look far to see respected sources (i.e. not just people trying to sell their blender) say that it's important to have the majority of your fruit and vegetable intake be from whole versus from juice because of the dietary fiber.

Whether you buy into that or not one thing I've noticed is that the smoothies satisfy my hunger; an equal amount of juice would not.

Of course, getting sick of the whole thing is a VERY valid point. I should probably stick with my Oster for a while before committing!

I'd love to see everyone's combinations for veggie/fruit smoothies to get some ideas.

Before I got the Vitamix, I tried adding spinach to my fruit smoothie with my Magic Bullet blender. It made it frothy and really strange, with a definite line between the smoothie and the spinach. It tasted okay but I couldn't get past the texture.

In my experience, the Vitamix makes everything silky smooth. I've never had any chunks of anything, or separation issues when I make smoothies ahead of time. Another thing I like is that I can make juice with it without buying another huge, expensive machine.

As for the $400, I've only seen Odawalla for about $3. Drinking one a day would add up really, really quickly and you'd pay off the cost of the blender within a few months. And the Vitamix will last much longer than that. This is, of course, assuming frequent use. I once bought a cost-effective treadmill that became a very expensive coat rack. :P But I do use my blender a few times a day.

This is my basic recipe. I switch it up a little bit, with blueberries, or mango. I primarily use frozen fruit because it's more cost effective for me, and I like the frosty effect.

Fresh squeezed orange juice, frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries, a banana (optional), 2 huge handfuls of baby spinach, coconut oil. Makes a frosty, sweet, tropical smoothie. The coconut oil gives a nice texture, and has great health benefits.

You can also use kale or romaine or any other leafy green, though I prefer spinach to start with because it's not as detectable. Sometimes I just use fruit and a green powder.

When I make juice, I like to use cucumbers, celery, beets, a couple apples and some lemon juice. This is VERY green (unless you use beets!) and VERY healthy for you but it's not as sweet as smoothies. I just blend it all up then strain through a paint bag.

I don't eat flour anymore, but I know you can grind your own with these high-end blenders. I also use it to make nut butter, which is nice because it's really expensive in the stores.

There are a ton of videos on youtube with demonstrations of the blender and different recipes if you're interested.

It's worth checking at thrift stores. There are usually nearly new looking VitaMix machines in the small appliance areas. I've also seen many "used once" or "used twice" ones on Craigslist but at prices higher than the thrift stores.

For fear that some of you might get the wrong idea about Dr. Blaylock from a couple of comments on this thread, implying that he's a quack, I copied down the blurb on Dr. Blaylock for you to read and make your own decisions as to whether the man has the credentials or not. Please note the last paragraph about professor of biology...

And yes, he uses a VitaMix too.

"About Dr. Blaylock"

Dr. Russell Blaylock edits Newsmax.comÂs Blaylock Wellness Report. He is a nationally recognized board-certified neurosurgeon, health practitioner, author, and lecturer.

He attended the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed his internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina.

For the past 26 years, he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice. He recently retired from his neurosurgical duties to devote his full attention to nutritional studies and research. Dr. Blaylock has authored three books on nutrition and wellness, including "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills," "Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life," and his most recent work, "Natural Strategies for the Cancer Patient."

Also, Dr. Blaylock has been appointed to serve on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Life Extension Foundation. He is the 2004 recipient of the Integrity in Science Award granted by the Weston A Price Foundation.

Dr. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and on the editorial staff of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official publication of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

He previously served as clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., and is currently a visiting professor of biology at the Belhaven College, also in Jackson.

My 25+yo Vitamix has endured various periods of inactivity over the years, but since I've been making breakfast smoothies over the past year, it has been busy again.

I had a huge bag of spinach in my fridge this week, so I've been blending a big handful of it every day. Usually I just use frozen berries and kefir. Although spinach makes a green smoothie, it doesn't impart much of a green taste. I added a chunk of cucumber one day, and its flavour was really distinct, as was that of watermelon yesterday. Today I tossed in an apple, since I'm going on holidays this weekend and want to use up as much fruit/veg on hand as I can.

Does anyone use wheat grass in a smoothie?

The 'life extension foundation' is a vitamin store:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Extension_Foundation

and I try to avoid getting health information from anyone who experiences financial gain by convincing me of their point of view.

And while I don't know anything about his surgical skills, the titles of his books are enough to make me run for the hills. I hate this sort of pseudoscience. People put a ton of credibility on a medical degree, even though his training is in surgery, which couldn't have less to due with nutrition. I wish every doctor appreciated the weight of his or her influence and refused to endorse anything that wasn't proven beyond a reasonable doubt-- unfortunately, that kind of integrity isn't nearly as profitable as selling snake oil.

We just got a Blendtec. I disliked how it made my smoothie frothy. Does Vitamix do that? I like the texture better in my low cost blender.

I made chimichurri also, and the first attempt was a failure. Same sort of frothy texture. Has anyone here made that in a blender? Any tips?

chi83- would you kindly elaborate re your eating habits? Are you saying that drinking veggie smoothies has caused you to lose weight? Are you drinking more than one a day?

I, too, would appreciate some suggestions on making veggie smoothies.

Sorry to revive an old thread, I've not been around much, but wanted to comment. Lately, I've been counting calories (Livestrong.com has a very intuitive calorie counter/ food tracker) and juicing to reduce weight and increase nutrients. I make carrot, apple, and spinach juice daily. It looks awful, but it tastes great. Spinach and carrots are the only vegetables I juice, but they have a lot of nutrients. I juice a lot of fruit too, watermelon, grapes, pineapple, it's all great! I have a Juiceman Jr. centrifugal juicer and it is what is right for me... it's fast and pretty easy to clean and does a good job. I have a friend with a Vitamix, and he say that it has changed his life. I tried to juice in my Blender (I have the "under 200 dollar Breville" someone above mentioned, but I didn't like the pulp/fiber in the juice. I'll get my fiber elsewhere, I want the juice smooth. That Breville has been nothing short of amazing by the way for anyone considering it.

Terrapots, did you make a decision yet? I'd recommend an entry level juicer first to see if it's something you're going to enjoy and stick with since you aren't ready to invest in a Vitamix. Blenders are so much easier to clean than juicers though, there just aren't as many parts!

Hello to all! I have a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer that my son bought me several years ago. What do you all think of that product? I know we are talking two different processes here and Jack's machine extracts the pulp which I do eat some of. What are your feelings about a juicer vs a blender which would leave the pulp in?

The National Post here in Canada ran a feature on this topic last month. I ended up buying the blender they mention and I'm really impressed at what a $200 machine can do.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Post

VF, I have a plan. A friend just got a Breville, $200, after she tried out the Health Master (I think that's the name) and returned it as it was huge and ugly, kind of like the vitamix but shorter warranty and poor reviews. She likes the Breville and uses it every day until she got tired of smoothies but still likes it. Its warranty is not 5 star but fair. It has a glass carafe. I liked the Blendtec demo and was sold on its performance and warranty, 7 years but almost as costly as the vitamix. It also has a BPA-free carafe but they can be etched (I would call that scratches) and I don't like the idea of part of the carafe ending up in my smoothie as there will be some hard kernels or seeds that may scratch it up. So I may try out the Breville just because of the carafe and it does make vegetable smoothies. I have a juice extractor but I want to include the fiber in the smoothies. They also seem messier than the blender type machines. Appreciate everyone's point of view. My second choice would be the Blendtec but for the plastic carafe. I love V8s but fresh just has to be better.

I don't think you will be disappointed. I have the same Breville, except it doesn't have the LED display. It's fabulous, looks great, and seems durable. Very unique, and I couldn't be more pleased with it. Enjoy :o)

Thanks for the review. My friend demo'd it for me and it comes apart easily, just had to be careful to line it up just right, a little confusing. May be one of the reasons for the leaking problem reviews. Can't remember what model she has but she got hers at B&B and they have a 30 day return policy. Another option may be the Hamilton Beach, huge difference in price but far less $. I've had a HB for years but the power in it is not enough to really pulverize all the veggies.

vacuumfreak-how long have you owned the Breville? I've read about the durability of the Vitamix and was wondering about the durability of the Breville.