Nutri Bullet - what's the biggie?

I've been asked a lot recently about the NutriBullet - what's so good about it/is it worth investing in one, why is it different to my blender?

Here are my thoughts. The NutriBullet is a "superfood nutrition extractor" (note, NutriBullet manufacturers came up with this definition!). It's called an extractor because it's effectively a very high powered blender, so can cut through really tough fibres in foods, allowing vitamins, minerals and essential fats to 'escape'. As it's so high powered, it can blend nuts and seeds and produce really smooth smoothies.

But surely our teeth, and then stomachs, and then intestines can do a pretty good job at getting to the nutrients we need? Yes and no. When we chew, we release enzymes that help to digest food - and our teeth obviously break food down. This all then continues in our stomachs and small and large intestines. When you have a smoothie or a juice, there's no chewing so less enzymes are produced to break down the food, but because it's already broken down, the nutrients will be absorbed more quickly. But this isn't always good - sugar is also absorbed more quickly, and you'll get a bigger sugar spike and then a bigger sugar crash (especially if you're having a smoothie or juice with fruit in it).

Juicing vs blending vs eating

With a juicer, you extract the juice from the fruit and veg and leaving behind the fibre. Good if you want an easy to digest nutrient boost, less good if you want filling up, or to get the benefits of slow releasing energy.
Blending keeps the fibre, and you can also add some protein and essential fats to your smoothies by using nut milk, coconut milk, avocadoes, nuts and seeds, yogurt, nut butter etc.
Eating your fruit and veg means you'll be getting all of the goodness - but you may not find you can get quite so much. For example it's very easy to stick a handful of spinach, an apple, 2 carrots and some ginger in a juicer - yet it would take much longer to eat and digest those whole!

Nutribullet vs blender vs juicer

Nutribullets are small, easy to use and easy to clean. They are a good choice if you want to add nuts and seeds to your smoothies and if you want to take it with you anywhere! Blenders can be just as good though - go for a high powered, glass jug blender for max benefits. Juicers can be bulky and difficult to clean but are a good choice if you want a low-fibre, nutrient rich boost (juices can be a good choice if you struggle to get much fruit and veg into your diet usually or struggle with high fibre).  The Phillips HR187 that I have is an easy to clean juicer.

Verdict

Smoothies can be a good way to get vitamins and nutrients in your diet when you're too busy to sit down and eat a proper meal, or if you're in need of any extra nutrient boost (perhaps you're run down, training for a hard physical event or have been poorly). Juices will do the same but won't fill you up and can be high in sugar if you don't make veggie based juices (always use a 3:1 ratio of veggies to fruits in your juices).
Aim to eat most of your meals and avoid juice cleanses or replacing meals with shakes or smoothies for any sustained time. You'll miss out on all of the benefits that healthy, delicious real food can bring you.