Juicing Versus Blending: Which is Better?

Juicing Versus Blending: Which is Better?

Juicers are a passionate bunch. From spinach to kale, lemon, carrot, ginger and everything in between, they often make trips to the farmers market or grocery store nearly every day. Blending a smoothie, on the other hand, is less intimidating, because fruits and vegetables hold their volume, and therefore, it takes fewer of them. But which is the better option: Juicing or Blending?

We often fall on one side or the other of the juicing versus blending debate. Juicers may be obsessed with their “daily medicine,” while smoothie lovers think blending is the only way to go. Let’s take a closer look:

Juicing: Pros and Cons

Juicing extracts all of the water and nutrients from produce, leaving behind plant fibers and seeds. Juicers believe that the body is better able to absorb nutrients and you can fit a larger quantity of fruits and vegetables in one cup of juice. Without the fiber, juicing gives your digestive system a rest so it doesn’t have to work as hard breaking foods down. With the seeds and pulp juiced out, juicers contend that there’s no bitter after taste.

Read more about fiber

But juicing is inherently expensive, first considering the cost of the juicer itself, which range from $60 to $400, and then considering the myriad of fruits and vegetables needed to make daily juices. Juicing also takes a lot of time because not only do you have to make juice, you have to clean the juicer thoroughly after every use to prevent rusting. It’s a real commitment.

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Removing the fibrous portion of produce is positive because you absorb more nutrients, but it’s negative because juice isn’t very filling. You’ll get hungrier faster than you would with a smoothie. The juice goes straight to your blood stream so if you juice too many fruits or sweeter vegetables, you may experience a spike in your blood sugar. Unstable blood sugar is responsible for mood swings, energy loss, and even memory problems.

Blending: Pros and Cons

Blending finely chops fruits and vegetables, skin and all, into a smooth consistency. With a smoothie, your digestive system does have to work a little harder breaking down and absorbing nutrients, but you’ll feel fuller longer than you would with a juice. On the other hand, you won’t be absorbing as many nutrients as you would in a juice.

Read more about the healthiest fruits and vegetables

Both juicing and blending change the original form of fruits and vegetables, but smoothies only require a simple blender that you likely already have on hand.

After fruits and vegetables are broken down in the process of juicing or blending, they immediately lose vitamin C and antioxidants when they make contact with oxygen. In other words, both fresh juices and fresh smoothies need to be enjoyed immediately to avoid significant nutrient loss.

Bottom line–If you want more nutrient bang for your buck, consider juicing. And if ease and budget are a concern, stick with smoothies. Or you can love and enjoy them both for what they bring to the nutritional table.

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Lisa Roth Collins, RHN
Lisa Roth Collins is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) and is the Marketing Manager at NaturallySavvy.com. She is passionate about health and wellness and tries her best to make healthier choices every day for herself and her family. Her journey to natural health was driven by her own struggles with digestive discomfort, depression, and anxiety. Lisa returned to school in 2014 to study nutrition at the Canadian School for Natural Nutrition. She threw herself into her studies so she could learn as much as she could to help herself feel better and thrive. Upon completing the program and being certified as an RHN, Lisa began her work at Naturally Savvy where she has been able to help so many people learn to make healthier choices for themselves. Through her work, she has connected with so many incredible people in the industry whether other authors, influencers, or brands. Plus, she is affectionately known as "Techie Spice" because of her ability to wrap her head around technology. Every day she gets up with a renewed sense of energy and ready to make a difference. You can read all of Lisa's content here. In her spare time, Lisa loves to try new recipes, make delicious and nourishing meals, and she is an avid reader. For more information about Lisa, check out her profile on here.