In Defense of The Smuice Diet
I never thought I’d be writing a blog post defending a beverage.
Then again, I guess I wouldn’t have assumed that a drink that I named — and that sounds like something out of a Dr. Seuss book — would have attracted the attention of the national media.
But sadly, last week, The Smuice came under attack:
NY Mag’s fashion blog, The Cut wrote a post about how the term “The Coachella Diet” arose thanks to the fitness industry’s savvy marketing toward festival-goers.
While I’d like to be proud and take some credit for starting the phrase “The Coachella Diet” many Coachella’s ago, it’s not fun to take credit for something that is gaining a negative connotation.
Among the craze’s known associates: denim underwear, the Pound Workout (my good friends Cristina & Kirsten), and of course, smuicing (or “smuicers” you could say).
While The Cut’s summary of the subject was short and sweet, with a little bit of snark but no real criticism, the comments and responses on social media to the post were over-the-top.
The most outrageous statement I read after someone re-posted a link to the story on Facebook:
“I almost couldn’t post this because my disgust with humanity became too horrible to be borne!!!”
Wow. I’m a little concerned about how this person is going to react when they learn about some of the actually horrific things going on in this world. Terrorism, genocide, FGM . . . her head just might explode.
Anyway, I’m not here to talk about Smuice Opposition Extremists (SOE’s for short). I’m here to talk about why The Smuice Diet is a good thing. Nay, a great thing.
Whether one decides to enjoy a smuice pre-Coachella or before any other life event, the benefits to your health are plentiful and the negatives non-existent.
What Smuicing IS:
- a blended drink thats primary ingredient is whole vegetables. It’s packed with as many veggies as you have on hand, a very small amount (1/2 C. or less) of fresh fruit for flavor, water, ice, and optional healthy fat (like an avocado) or vegan protein powder.
- a way to pack buckets of vitamins, antioxidants & nutrients into your diet.
- a great alternative to other crappy snacks.
- a refreshing, healthy drink.
- another way to hydrate your body.
- an energy booster.
- a palate cleanser, to reprogram the taste buds to enjoy healthy food.
What Smuicing IS NOT:
- a smoothie diet, with lots of fruit and milk products.
- a liquid diet, like juicing, devoid of fiber and essential nutrients.
- a beverage full of sugar.
- a deprivation tactic.
- a short-term, “diet fad.”
If it wasn’t completely clear from my first post introducing The Smuice, I’ll reiterate. Smuicing, or The Smuice Diet, is simply about working a healthy, vegetable-packed beverage into your daily meal plan. That’s it.
If the word “diet” offends anyone, please read this post. The gist: the word “diet” just means “what you eat.” As stated by wikipedia: “the sum of food consumed by a person.” It does not say: “the lack of food consumed by a person.”
In conclusion, I apologize that my consumption of a delicious, blended beverage has offended some people’s sensibilities. I think that anything that encourages people to live a healthy lifestyle and eliminate unnecessary junk food from their diet is a good thing.
I think we should applaud people for what they’re doing: making good choices for their health. How they’re doing it: with safe, smart, and effective methods. And not worry about the why.
So what if it’s for something as silly as a music festival . . . or something as monumental as a wedding day. Anytime someone chooses to clean-up their diet — without employing dangerous and restrictive tactics — we should celebrate their efforts.
As Well & Good NYC put it: “Here’s hoping women can cut through the quick-fix messaging, and use the occasion as motivation to stick to a healthy living plan that just happens to include dancing, carefree, in the sun.”
OK, I think that’s a sufficient rant.
Here’s my last pre-Coachella, smuice-filled, What I Ate Wednesday Sunday.
Breakfast:
Six eggs whites, Ezekiel Sprouted Grain English Muffin w/ homemade Coconut Almond Butter (recipe coming soon), coffee.
Confession: I ate the other half of that english muffin before photographing.
Snack:
To-go Pineapple Kale Smuice for a trip to the park with Mr. Chow.
Lunch:
Tandoori Chicken Salad at Newsroom Cafe while shopping for Coachella gear on Robertson.
Snack:
The rest of the smuice (it makes about 4 cups worth).
Dinner:
Grilled Salmon and a Beet/Quinoa Salad from Blue Cow downtown.
Dessert:
One of the Coconutty Fuel Bars I made for my friend Gigi’s brother Jack as a thank you for watching Chow this weekend. Shhh: don’t tell him any are missing!
I’m off to Coachella tomorrow and I couldn’t be more stoked.
Please follow me on Instagram for pictures of all the festivities and come back next week for a recap of all the great events, awesome music, and indulgent treats I plan on devouring.
Also, despite the angry SOE’s, many people have shown interest in The Smuice Diet, and I’m thinking of developing a full meal plan for it with original recipes for readers to try at home.
Please let me know in the comments below if that is something you’d be interested in!
*This post is linked to Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday.
Candy Sparks says:
I love this post. I think people try to make things that are good for your body sound like a bad idea. Don’t smuice just eat that hamburger instead. I totally wrote a post on my blog to answer the questions you posted. It can be found here: http://ladygrenademusings.blogspot.com/#!/2014/04/i-like-to-smuice-it-smuice-it.html
Thanks for the post. I used to call smuicing Green Smoothies. Smuicing sounds better. Smuicing is like juicing but leaving all the fiber in drinkable format.
Whitney English says:
Thanks for joining in the convo Candy! Totally agree with everything you said.
Alice says:
you go girl.
Whitney English says:
Thanks Alice :)
Ashley @ Brocblog says:
Yikes about being called out, but congrats on drawing big attention? I think that people take everything these days just a step too far. You aren’t advocating for eating ONLY smuice, that would be crazy but a fruit and veggie blend in place of afternoon chips? That seems beyond reasonable. Also what is wrong with pound class? I’ve been wanting to go for a while, it looks crazy fun.
Whitney English says:
It IS crazy fun! You should definitely try it sometime. You totally lose yourself in the music and dancing with the drumsticks and forget you’re working out. Such a cool idea!
Leigha @ Minougirl says:
I can’t believe someone wrote that. At first I thought you were going to be on a cleanse of just smuices, but after reading the post about what it really is I think smuicing is a great idea! How can you go wrong with more veggies?! To be honest, I still don’t exactly understand what Coachella is, but I hope you have a wonderful time!
Whitney English says:
Haha it’s just a three day music festival full of fun in the sun :) Thanks for the well wishes!!
Brittany @ Barr & Table says:
I really find it to be unbelievable how much flack people get for making healthy choices or trying healthy foods that seem “weird” to other people. I went through at least a year when my whole family thought I was nuts for eating chia and flax seed and now look how it’s exploded! It seems like people aren’t open to the idea of something new if they don’t immediately understand it, whether it’s healthy or not. I’m sorry you had to defend your crazy healthy drink. I would hate to see what would happen if you added chia seeds to it ;)
Whitney English says:
I know, so crazy. I like your chia seed idea…I will have to add them next time to spark some extra controversy!
Teckie says:
I love this post. You’re right – that girl is gonna’ go bananas when she realizes there are other REAL issues that exist beyond a “coachella diet.” My husband and I have been using juice/smoothie recipes from the book, Juice Yourself Slim by Jason Vale – and it’s been a game-changer.
Whitney English says:
Oh, I’ll have to check that out! Thanks for sharing.
Donna F. says:
Yes, a meal plan sounds like a great idea! I would definitely be interested in that!
Whitney English says:
Great to hear! Depending on the response, I’ll start working on it in the next few weeks. Thanks for weighing in!
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says:
1. There is absolutely nothing wrong with The Smuice Diet. If people had actually read your post instead of jumping to conclusions about what it was because of the word ‘diet’ they’d get that.
I hate that we have to defend healthy life choices now because people don’t understand. Healthy choices should be celebrated not torn down!
2. I’ve never heard of the Pound Workout before but I’ve just added it to my bucket list cuz it looks freakin awesome!!!
3. Forget the haters and kill it with a Smuice Diet meal plan. I can’t wait to see what recipes you come up with :D
Whitney English says:
Aw thanks Gisele!!! I really appreciate your support. I think you hit the nail on the head with the fact that most people don’t even take the time to actually read the post before judging what they THINK it’s about. #hatersgonnahate Glad I have smart and supportive people like you in my camp :)
Ashley Madison says:
Who is the hunk?
Whitney English says:
Haha that’s the BF :)
Deborah Davis says:
Hi Whitney,
I just hopped by to check out the latest on To Live and Diet in L.A. I totally get the concept of “smuicing”! That’s exactly how I make my blended, nutritional drinks. I checked out a few of your smuice recipes and I love them. Today I made a smuice with kale, banana, blueberries, celery, avocado and pear with a little Moringa leaf powder.
Whitney English says:
Oooo, sounds delish!! Thanks for sharing!
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says:
I’m so confused by why people are turning this into a controversy! I had never used the word before, but apparently every post workout protein shake I make is a smucie. LOL!