Are Smoothies the way to go?

[EvianBaby]

I've started putting on a bit of weight again which I want to put a stop to (it might help if I stopped buying packets of double choc chip brownies) but I also need to up my intake of fruit/veg which is almost non existant at the moment.

Someone suggested I should have smoothies as one of the reasons I don't eat much fruit is that I can't bare the texture. I can't even eat a yogurt with bits in it so it would have to be completely smooth, like a milkshake. But, I've also been told that drinking smoothies isn't that good for you as you are consuming a lot more fruit (and therefore alot more sugar) than you would simply by eating the fruit as a whole, just because you would struggle to eat that much solid fruit but can take more if it's in liquid form. (hope that makes sense).

So, firstly can you make smoothies really really really smooth and are they actually a good idea for trying to lose weight?

[Anngel123]

...Innocent smoothies are not smooth. They have an nasty unpleasant graininess to them. If you make them yourself you can control exactly how much fruit is in them. One warning, the acid in all that fruit can damage the enamel on your teeth so it is best to drink them through a straw, and don't think that cleaning your teeth helps, apparently the acid weakens the teeth and brushing just makes it worse.!
Have you thought of carrot and orange soup? You can find recipes. You would have carrot, orange and onion in that which is very good and quite low calorie. You can do beetroot soup as well. This is really good for you!

[LDC134]

i never used to like vegetables - or vegetable soup - but I have found (by trial and error) that by making my own soup I can really enjoy them, and I blend them really well as I can't bear any bits in it. A couple of recipes I love are leek and potato (very mild taste), and butternut squash and red chilli (can be as spicy as you like, just add more or less chilli)
This website also has lots of different fruit and veg recipes which might inspire you http://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/ - I found I just incorporated one new meal a week and then it didn't seem so daunting.