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We all know the more fruits and vegetables we eat, the lower our risk for major diseases and the better our overall health is. But you can only eat so much produce in a day—at least when it's whole. Blending your greens into a smoothie, on the other hand, affords you "the opportunity to sneak a lot of nutrition into a smaller volume of food," Alix Turoff, registered dietician, personal trainer, and virtual nutrition coach, told Health.
Vitamix blenders are the cream of the crop, with a powerful motor and blades strong enough to pulverize the toughest of foods into liquid-smooth snacks, including soups, nut butters, and salad dressings. And during Amazon Prime Day, its iconic model, the Vitamix 5200, is on sale for $300—that's a discount of over $100!
To buy: Vitamix 5200 Blender, $300 (was $406); amazon.com
The Vitamix 5200 rocks the brand's signature powerful motor, which can be carefully controlled to run at low speed to efficiently mince and chop, or turned all the way up to make a perfectly smooth juice. The aircraft-grade stainless-steel blades can truly cut through nearly any food, including ice and frozen fruit, and they don't dull over time.
While price doesn't always equal quality, Turoff points out that high-end blenders do tend to create a smoother end-product, which makes your smoothies, soups, and dressings taste a lot better. In turn, that means you're more likely to eat nutrient-rich food more often. And that goes for more than just delicious smoothies: Turoff says she loves using a high-quality blender to make other healthy foods like low-sugar salad dressings, vegetable-based soups, nut butters and milks, and healthy sauces that add flavor alongside nutrients, like pesto, salsa, or cashew cream sauce. You can even whip up healthier desserts like fruit sorbet or acai bowls.
Other kitchen appliances can help you eat more nutrients or make healthy cooking easier, but the Vitamix 5200 acts as a blender, juicer, food processor, and immersion blender all in one. And it's ridiculously easy to clean—just blend a drop of dish soap with warm water—especially compared to a juicer.
The blades also move fast enough that, if you leave it on for six-plus minutes, they can create enough friction to turn cold ingredients into hot soup. And with a 64-ounce container, you can blend a batch and pop the smoothie, soup, or sauce into the freezer for grab-and-go nutrients when you're in a rush.
Now, we'll be the first to admit that even at the sale price, this appliance is no chump change. But this American-made machine from a family-owned company is meant to withstand the test of time (it even comes with a seven-year warranty), so the one-time investment will pay for itself.
Just ask the reviewers among the more than 5,000 five-star ratings: There's a collective agreement that the Vitamix 5200 is "a very worthwhile investment," with one reviewer pointing out the price "really is worth it" when you consider the amount of nutrients you can "comfortably put into your body" using this blender compared to eating produce whole.
Reviewers also rave about the "health benefits of eating/drinking well" with this machine, and other shoppers add that they've seen their health improve from "all the green smoothies" they've made since their purchase.
What really sets this blender apart, though, is how well it does its job. Reviewers call the Vitamix 5200 a "workhorse" of a blender, and a reviewer who used other brands said the Vitamix blends so well, that it's like "sipping on tasty liquid velvet."
And you really can blend just about anything. One reviewer has been using a Vitamix for 25 years, ever since they transitioned to a raw food diet, and they said "no other blender compares" to this model. They use it to make smoothies, sorbets, bread dough, nut butters, almond milk, baby food, salad dressing, even hot soup. They said this blender "made it possible for me to change my lifestyle of eating and overall health."
Another reviewer raved about how fast the prep, blend, and cleaning process are with the 5200, making this a "way better option" for getting "fresh nutrients on the go" compared to a juicer.
The sheer number of different health foods you can whip up with this one device makes it invaluable—so a Vitamix 5200 at $100 off for Prime Day really is quite a steal.
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