Shadowing Practice: I Study Aging. This Is the Smoothie I Drink Every Day. - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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So, Dr. Patrick, you are about to teach us how you make the smoothie that you have every day.
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And for those of you that are listening, I'm just going to tell you, I see kale, I see blueberry, I see avocado, I see protein, and I see something I can't pronounce.
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Okay.
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It's a beta-glucan powder made from barley.
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Before we get into the smoothie I make every day, I kind of want to give a little bit of reason why I like to do a smoothie every day.
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And it really has to...it comes down to realizing
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that what we do in our lifestyle and our diet really is impactful on the way we age and our life expectancy.
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A lot of people think genetics are the most important thing.
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And when it comes down to it, really 80% of how long we live and how well we live has to do with our lifestyle.
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Hold on.
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80%?
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80%. About 80%.
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Yeah.
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I would say about 20% to 25% is genetics.
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But what I'm going to tell you is this study that actually came out of Harvard here in Boston.
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And it was really, I mean, it was a few years ago, but it was really a compelling study
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because what it did was looked at people's diet and lifestyle
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and their life expectancy and found that if people followed just like five different lifestyle factors,
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it could increase their life expectancy between 12 and 14 years.
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So women on average that were not doing all five of these lifestyle factors, which is a big part of it is what we're going be looking at here,
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they lived on average about 79 years.
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If they did include all five of the lifestyle factors, they lived to the age of about...
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They added 14 years.
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So they lived to about 93.
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What?
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14 years?
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14 years.
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If they started at age 50, five different healthy lifestyle factors included all five, they lived to age 93.
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So it was a 14-year increase in life expectancy.
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For men that started at age 50, it was a 12-year increased life expectancy.
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So they were living on average 75.5 years, and they went up to about 86 years.
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And just what are quickly those five?
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Yes.
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The five are adopting a healthy lifestyle pattern, which we're going to talk about.
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Not smoking.
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Doing three and a half hours of moderate or vigorous intensity per week.
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We talked a lot about the vigorous intensity exercise, 10 minutes a day.
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That would be 70 minutes a week.
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And so you're basically going to add on to that by doing some of the more moderate intensity exercise.
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Okay.
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So that was number three.
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Number four is not consuming excess alcohol.
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So women were consuming fewer than one drink per day and men consumed about one drink per day or fewer.
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Okay.
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And then the last one is maintaining a healthy BMI.
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Those were the five lifestyle factors that could add between 12 to 14 years to your life expectancy.
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And on top of that, those individuals were free from diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, right?
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So you're living healthy years, which is what you want.
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The nutrition part is a big component of this.
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So those individuals were eating...
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They were in the top 40% of what's called the alternative healthy eating pattern.
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And what that includes is, first and foremost, you have to have four to five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
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So those vegetables, what's a serving is the question.
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A serving was either a cup of leafy greens.
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So you have to have four to five of that.
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And so you can see here, this is a measuring cup.
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This is a cup for those people, that person that's listening.
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And she's packing, just regular old kale, nothing fancy about it, right into the one cup, metal measuring cup.
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Kale, and remember, you got to get five of these per day.
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And this is why this is efficient.
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We've been talking about efficient.
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We've been talking about what can we do that's easy, that's going to give us the biggest bang for our buck.
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I find it's easiest for me to get five servings of vegetables if I can at least, you know, get a smoothie in.
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So here's the kale.
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That's one cup.
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I'm going to add another cup here.
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You're getting two servings in.
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I'm getting two servings.
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I'm probably going to get around three servings of kale into that smoothie.
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Three cups of kale.
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So three cups of kale.
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There we go.
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And that is.. and then I can substitute the rest with my salad.
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Kale is really high in lutein.
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Lutein is that thing that's going to prevent your eyes from macular degeneration.
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It also seems to protect the brain.
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It improves cognitive processing, cognitive speed, fluid intelligence.
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That's the kind of intelligence that you've accumulated throughout a lifetime and then can still incorporate when you're older.
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That's what we want, right?
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So kale has a lot of that.
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It also has magnesium.
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It has calcium.
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It has vitamin K.
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It's got a lot of these micronutrients that we need to get from our diet.
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The next thing I like to add is blueberries.
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And blueberries are part of that serving size of fruit and vegetables.
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And again, it's about a half a cup as a serving.
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So if you want five servings of that, you're going to get about two and a half cups of the blueberries.
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I also like blueberries because they're high in polyphenols, a specific type of polyphenol called anthocyanins.
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And those have been shown in randomized placebo-controlled studies that's very important because placebo effect is real, as we've talked about.
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But the blueberries have been shown one cup a day to improve cognition.
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That's important, right?
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We all want to improve cognition.
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It's been shown in young adults.
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It's been shown in older adults.
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It's been shown in adults with mild cognitive decline.
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So everyone has every reason to try to take at least one cup of blueberries a day.
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So I'm going to put one cup.
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Yep.
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And we use frozen, which I also like.
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They're frozen, yes they're cheaper than buying them fresh.
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And I do have, I do like to usually use organic because I don't want a lot of pesticides.
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But I do like frozen also because it keeps the smoothie cold and it just gives it a better, like you don't want your smoothie really warm.
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So I got two cups.
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Two cups of blueberries.
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Three cups of caitlin.
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I'm going to do two and a half cups.
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Wow, okay.
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Two and a half cups of blueberries.
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And then one thing I do not add to my smoothie is a banana.
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Now, why don't you like bananas?
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I mean, I love bananas.
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I love bananas.
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They're high in potassium.
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They're good to refuel.
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I love to do them before a run.
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It gives me enough fuel without cramping, right?
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But I used to put them in my smoothies.
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Dr. Patrick, what happens when you put a banana in a smoothie?
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What happens is there's something in the banana called polyphenol oxidase.
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That doesn't sound good.
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Doesn't sound good.
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Polyphenols are what I just said are beneficial.
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Yes.
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Oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, is essentially an enzyme that's breaking down the polyphenols.
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And there have now been studies that have come out showing if you add bananas to blueberries, you're not getting as many polyphenols.
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In fact, it's quite a bit lower.
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So the banana is killing the benefit of the...
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See, this is why I need you, because I am sitting here making smoothies thinking I like the texture of the banana in it.
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It gives a little heft, creams it out a little bit.
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But then I'm putting in my blueberries and I just blew it because the banana canceled the blueberries.
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It's true.
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I also used to add it to my blueberries for the exact reason plus the taste.
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If you go to any smoothie place, you'll see they always add bananas to any blueberry smoothie.
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Yes, of course.
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But that's where the avocado comes in.
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Because now you're going to get the creamy texture that you want, which is what I also want.
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Yes.
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And on top on top of that, there have been studies showing that the fat, so this monounsaturated fat in this avocado,
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it actually increases the bioavailability of the lutein and another carotenoid called zeaxanthin in the kale by fourfold.
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Okay, well, hold on.
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Let me just make sure I'm tracking with this.
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So if I sub the avocado for the banana, right, then the fact that the avocado,
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which is a good, healthy fat source, is gonna dance around and mix it up with the kale, that fat source superpowers the benefit of the kale?
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It does.
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That's cool.
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It makes it where you're, so getting rid of the banana makes it where you're getting the polyphenols from the blueberries, and then adding the avocado gives you the creaminess
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and it helps you superpower and get those carotenoids
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that are in the kale that are so beneficial for our eyes
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and brains and making it fourfold more likely to be absorbed.
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So you're getting a lot more.
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And there are studies showing this.
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Adding an avocado, carrots have carotenoids in them, so you can get the beta carotene is probably the most well-known carotenoid.
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You get fourfold more beta carotene.
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So you could even add a carrot in here if you want.
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In fact, I often like to add carrots as well.
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So I'm going to just use my fingers and put that.
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I usually do about half of an avocado and you can save the other half for the next day.
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And then you know what I do?
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I put this little top that's empty on top of the other one and then it doesn't like turn brown.
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Right.
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You can add a little lemon juice as well that'll prevent it from oxidizing.
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A little tent.
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All right so this is really the core of the smoothie here.
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Now these are the optionals here.
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I like to add some protein powder, particularly on days when I'm really busy.
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I'm not getting, I know I'm skipping a meal because I'm not getting all the protein that I need for the day,
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which is about 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight per day.
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And so I'll add sometimes a little bit of whey protein powder as well.
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You don't have to do that if you're getting your protein.
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This is again an optional add.
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I think it's very hard to get the amount of protein we're supposed to get
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so i'm always adding it in a lot like i do
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so i'm gonna go ahead
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and add the protein powder i do like i'm not i have no affiliation with momentous currently right now
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and but i do like their protein powder
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because it doesn't have any fillers that affect my gut and
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so i'm just scooping down to get their scooper
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because their scooper is the actual serving size there it is It's so funny, they're always hidden down there.
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Okay.
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So I'm going to take one scoop of protein powder,
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which for this one has 23 grams.
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So here, in it goes.
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If you're sharing it, you can do two scoops.
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So I think I'll do like a scoop and a half.
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Does that mean you're sharing it with me?
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I hope it does.
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Oops.
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Okay.
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And then an optional ad...so this is actually a type of prebiotic fiber.
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You've probably heard of that.
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It's like prebiotic fiber.
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You've heard of probiotics.
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I've heard of fiber, and I've heard of probiotics.
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Okay.
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Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria.
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If you take those, it helps.
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Prebiotics are the type of fiber, soluble fiber, fermentable fiber, that feed the bacteria in your gut.
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Okay.
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So that's why it's called a prebiotic.
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Got it.
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Okay.
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Feeding it.
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of prebiotic is beta-glucan and it's isolated from barley in this case.
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The reason why I have now added this to my, I would say, regimen, soon-to-be smoothie regimen,
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is because this has been shown in studies, one, to lower LDL cholesterol,
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which is a type of cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and play a role in cardiovascular disease.
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But what really peaked my attention was the fact that there's studies showing that beta-glucans can decrease the amount of forever chemicals,
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the PFAS, forever chemicals that usually last in your body anywhere between 2 to 5 years.
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They're associated with cancer.
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It's really terrible.
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And we're being exposed to them all the time, even on our fruits and vegetables.
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They're in the soil.
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You know, it's something that even kids are being exposed to.
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So now I'm something that I've been giving to my whole family.
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Okay, how much do I need?
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So usually I do one gram and one gram, it says here's three tablespoons.
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So I'm going to grab that tablespoon.
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Oh, okay.
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Okay.
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One, two, three.
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Plus a count stored fiber, which is great.
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Yes.
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Okay.
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Now the study that showed it reduced forever chemicals, it was three grams a day.
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So you have to do the three tablespoons three times a day to get that.
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Yeah.
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It's a lot.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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Or you can add, perhaps you can add more and get it in one serving, but we're going to start with the three grams.
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Okay.
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Then add a little bit of water just to mix it up a little bit.
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And as I'm standing here over the blender, Mel, I just want to point out one thing in that this blender is made of plastic.
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Okay.
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And there is a little bit of a concern
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that plastic blenders can shed microplastics more readily because of the friction with everything that's in there.
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So you should have a glass one
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if you can have glass there's also some metal ones
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that you can buy as well but you hear
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that everybody we got to get a glass blender around here
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okay thank you for giving us the pass dr patrick here
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she is about to hit the blend everybody cover your ears here we go
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oh that's really purple yeah i like the quality healthy
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I just want to see what the consistency looks like.
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Yeah, I think we're good.
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Excellent.
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Well, I got two wine glasses since we're not drinking alcohol.
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We might as well.
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It's polyphenol hour.
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Yes, there we go.
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Yeah, and the polyphenols, I feel them immediately.
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It's been shown increased blood flow to the brain in older adults.
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What exactly do you feel?
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It improves my mood and gives me energy.
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So I do take this midday.
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Just do a little glass.
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I'm actually kind of excited to try this.
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Well, everything always tastes better when somebody else makes it.
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I mean, that's true.
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So polyphenol hour.
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Cheers.
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Cheers to your health, Dr. Patrick.
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Let's try her new smoothie recipe.
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Here we go. That tastes like health.
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It's not sweet enough for me.
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It's not bad.
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It's not supposed to be sweet, though, right?
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It's not.
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You can add the extra cup of blueberries to make it sweeter.
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And, of course, you can never get enough blueberries.
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You definitely taste the kale.
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And it has the same consistency as if we had put a banana.
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It does.
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It's creamy.
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Yeah.
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And I love the purple.
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And actually, the prebiotic fiber didn't really mess with the consistency, to be honest.
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Well, I don't know, because you're the one that makes this all the time.
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Right.
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So I wouldn't be able to tell a difference.
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It really didn't.
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No. Okay.
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Now, if I'm putting that much fiber in my smoothie, do I need to drink more water?
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Is that going to back me up?
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No, this is not the kind of fiber that you have.
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Don't worry about that.
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This is prebiotic fiber that's a little bit different.
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Because I know if you were doing like psyllium husk or some of the other stuff, you got to really make sure you're hydrating.
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Right.
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It's bringing, you got to make sure you get more water in you.
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Right.
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Amazing.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “I Study Aging. This Is the Smoothie I Drink Every Day”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cup, add, smoothie, blueberries, kale. This video has 292 sentences and 2727 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:03. The speaker talks fast, about 181 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| blueberry noun | /ˈbluˌbɛ.ɹi/ | An edible round berry, belonging to the cowberry group (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus), with flared crowns at the end, that turns blue on ripening. |
| smoothie noun | /ˈsmuːði/ | A smooth-talking person. |
| kale noun | /keɪl/ | An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) |
| banana noun | /bəˈnænə/ | An elongated curved tropical fruit of a banana plant, which grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin. |
| polyphenol noun | Any of a large class of organic compounds, of plant origin, having more than one phenol group; they tend to be colourful and to have antioxidant properties. | |
| fiber noun | /ˈfaɪ.bɚ/ | A single elongated piece of a given material, roughly round in cross-section, often twisted with other fibers to form thread. |
| avocado noun | /ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/ | The large, usually yellowish-green or black, savory fruit of the avocado tree. |
| prebiotic noun | /pɹiːbaɪˈɒtɪk/ | A substance in food that is hard to digest and promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal microorganisms. |
| expectancy noun | /ɪkˈspɛktənsi/ | Expectation or anticipation; the state of expecting something. |
| gram noun | /ˈɡɹæm/ | A unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. Symbol: g. |
| vegetable noun | /ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ | A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice… |
| blender noun | /ˈblɛn.dɚ/ | A machine with sharp rotating blades in a bowl, for mashing, crushing, or liquefying food ingredients. |
| carotenoid noun | /kəˈɹɑtɪˌnɔɪd/ | Any of a class of yellow to red organic pigments including the carotenes and xanthophylls. |
| scoop noun | /skup/ | Any cup-shaped or bowl-shaped tool, usually with a handle, used to lift and move loose or soft solid material. |
| fourfold adjective | /ˈfɔɹ.foʊld/ | Four times as great; quadruple. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. | |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| get around verb | To move to the other side of (something, such as an obstruction) by deviating from a direct course or following a curved path. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- We've been talking about efficient.
- I'm going to add another cup here.
- Does that mean you're sharing it with me?
- What exactly do you feel?
- Is that going to back me up?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | We've been talking · I've been giving |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to put · used to add |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've accumulated · have been shown · have now been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was looked · have been shown · been shown |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 83 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: smoothie /ˈsmuːði/, anthocyanin /ˌæn.θoʊˈsaɪ.ə.nɪn/, zeaxanthin /ziː.əˈzænθɪn/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: optional /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, cognition /kɑɡˈnɪʃ.ən/, degeneration /dɪˌdʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/, affiliation /əˌfɪliˈeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: avocado /ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/, prebiotic /pɹiːbaɪˈɒtɪk/, expectancy /ɪkˈspɛktənsi/, carotenoid /kəˈɹɑtɪˌnɔɪd/, probiotic /ˌpɹoʊ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like blueberry, smoothie, kale.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.