Nutrition Diva Are you making your smoothies all wrong?
Jun 25, 2025
The podcast dives into the fascinating world of smoothie ingredients and their interactions. It reveals how certain combinations, like bananas and blueberries, can affect nutrient absorption. A surprising study on flavanol absorption challenges common beliefs, especially with bananas versus pineapple. Listeners are encouraged to focus on the overall health benefits of their smoothie choices, rather than getting bogged down by minor absorption issues. The discussion offers insight while inviting questions about nutrition.
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Yogurt and Blueberry Nutrient Interaction
- Milk proteins may bind with polyphenols, lowering antioxidant absorption, but this effect isn't proven for yogurt.
- Adding blueberries to yogurt actually increased antioxidant capacity in later studies.
Banana Enzyme Effects on Flavanols
- Banana enzymes can reduce absorption of flavanols by up to 84% in controlled studies.
- However, such lab results likely exaggerate effects and don't reflect real-life whole-food diets.
Context Matters for Nutrient Absorption
- Nutrient interactions studied in labs often don't translate to complex real-life eating.
- Losing some antioxidants is insignificant given other nutrients and diet variety.