Juicing vs Blending: You Need to Know

Juicing vs. Blending: Which One Is Better?

“What is the difference between a green juice and a green smoothie, and is one better than the other?” There is much discussion about juicing vs blending.  They both produce DIFFERENT results, so it really depends on what you’re looking for.

I do not favor either blending or juicing. They both have different benefits. I do both but I personally tend to do more of blending for HEALTH reasons.

Which is better: juicing or blending? Does one offer more health benefits than the other? There are major differences between a juice and a smoothie, and a green smoothie is light years ahead of a green juice when it comes to promoting overall health.  Juices and smoothies both play an important role in any wellness program. Doctor’s, nutritionists, and probably your mom have long agreed that you should eat your fruits and veggies.

Blending is the process of thoroughly blending whole fruits and vegetables into a smoothie ( green smoothie). Green smoothies are made in blenders.  Juicing is a process which extracts water and nutrients from produce  and discards the indigestible fiber. Without all the fiber, your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food and absorb the nutrients.

Reasons Why Blending Green Smoothies Are Far Better Than Juicing. The Benefits of Blenders and Smoothies

• Blending, Liquefy whole fruits/ vegetables by chopping them very finely with blades, spinning at very high speed. Result is a pulpy puree-like drink which you call a “smoothie”. Juicing. Extract the juices by separating the juice from the fiber/pulp. Result you get is pure, smooth juice. Pulp is separated.

• Green Smoothies Provide Whole Food Nutrition – A green smoothie is still a whole food, complete with fiber and all nutrients. Juices, on the other hand, are not whole foods. The fiber has been removed, along with any nutrients that are discarded with the fiber.

• Smoothies keep longer in the refrigerator than juice does. Smoothies contain all of the fiber that the fruits and vegetables initially came with, albeit in a blended form. Because everything is still in the drink itself, you can actually store smoothies longer without losing too much nutritional value.

• Fiber Slows Sugar Absorption - Juices made with sweet fruits or sugar-rich vegetables (carrots, beets) can essentially become a concentrated sweetener. Green smoothies, on the other hand, are loaded with fiber which slows sugar absorption to a healthy level.

• Geen Smoothies Fill Me Up - Green smoothies fill me up and keep me satisfied until my next meal. Juices do not. Smoothie contains fiber, as well as all of the other nutrients. You can also add protein powder, avocado, nut butters, goji berries and other calorie and protein-boosting ingredients to a green smoothie. Juices are limiting.

• The fiber of a green smoothie acts like chimney sweepers. Smoothies have a cleansing effect on the bowel. Since smoothies still contain all of the fiber from the fruits and vegetables, you get a chimney sweeping effect. One of the reasons I’m so fond of smoothies is that they keep me regular, and cleanse my body on their way out.

Juicing and Blending Rules

1. It’s best not to combine fruits and vegetables (unless it’s apple). This can affect how well your digestive enzymes function.
2. Try to drink your juice or smoothie straight away. After 15 minutes, light and air will destroy much of the nutrients. If you can’t drink it straight away, transfer to a dark airtight container until you’re ready.