Juicing Verses Blending

Juicing and blending (i.e. smoothies) are all the rage—even many grocery stores have juice bars inside where you can plunk down $7 and enjoy a refreshing juice drink while you shop. So, which is better for you—juicing or blending? 

The answer is both are terrific for you for different reasons. Juicing extracts nutrients and water from the vegetables and fruits and discards the fiber. That might sound like a bad thing, but this means your digestive system doesn’t have to work hard to break down that fiber, so the nutritious juice is immediately digested and goes directly into your blood stream. Many health experts say the nutrients go immediately where they are needed most in your body, promoting healing where it is needed. Many cancer patients swear by juicing—some claim it was a big factor in healing them of their cancer. Think about the amount of vegetables you can injest in just one drink—not many of us could sit down and eat an entire bunch of kale, a few stalks of celery, a couple of carrots, a lemon and a green apple—but guess what? That is the perfect glass of green juice. 

Blending uses all of the fiber from the fruits and vegetables and slowly releases the nutrients into your blood stream. The fiber also tends to help fill you up. Another added benefit to blending is that you can add other things—healthy fats such as avocados, chia seeds or almond butter. You can add healthy things you might not normally eat, but you know are good for you—think ginger, matcha, cacao powder, mint, cinnamon and turmeric to name a few. 

Hot Tip: Whenever possible, try to use organic produce. The use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables is disturbing—especially when you are consuming the entire fruit or vegetable.

If you are trying to lose a few pounds or are just looking to boost your health, both juicing and blending should definitely be on your menu plan. Try having a green smoothie in place of breakfast, and a glass of freshly pressed green juice as a late afternoon snack. Just try to consume your smoothies and juices as soon as possible after making them. Oxidation begins immediately and the nutrients dissipate the longer they sit.