Juicing vs. Smoothie: Who Wins? | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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“What’s better: Juicing or smoothies?”

I’ve been hearing this question a lot lately. There are a lot of ways to answer this, so let me just say this: Neither.

Both juicing and smoothies have incredible health benefits. It’s not an either/or situation. It’s a both.

To help decide what to drink and when, let’s take a look at the highlights, differences, and health benefits of each.

Benefits of Juicing

  1. Immediate absorption of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients into the blood stream.
  2. It’s gentle on the digestive system since there’s no food particles to break down, which is particularly helpful for those with digestive problems or those in need of extra ‘cleansing.’
  3. Juicing is a great way to get plenty of fruits and vegetables per glass/serving. It takes A LOT of produce to get a small amount of juice, so you definitely cram a lot in!
  4. Juicing is very healing and detoxifying for the liver.

Drawbacks of Juicing

  1. Juicing separates the fiber from the liquid. Fiber is vital to satiety and stabilized blood sugar.
  2. Juicing produces a lot of ‘waste’. Fiber and pulp leftover from juicing means your body isn’t getting the full nutrient value of the fruits and vegetables you’re using.

Benefits of Smoothies

  1. Blending fruits and vegetables keep the fiber intact, slowing the absorption of sugar and keeping blood sugar stable.
  2. Satisfies hunger.
  3. Improves digestion. The fiber in smoothies helps eliminate and flush toxins from the body.
  4. Sustains energy.

Drawbacks of Smoothies

  1. Because of the high fiber content, you can’t cram as many fruits and vegetables into a smoothie as you can juice, so your ‘servings’ of produce are lower than juicing.
  2. Smoothies’ can quickly become unhealthy, sugar-laden, high-fat, liquid time bombs. Keep ingredients clean to reap the highest health benefits.

As you can see, juicing and smoothies serve different purposes. Both have a place in your diet and neither should be eliminated in favor of the other.

What I like to suggest to people is this: Think of smoothies as more of a meal, while juicing can be treated as more of a snack or specific cleansing beverage.

And when you’re juicing, be sure to use plenty of vegetables and go easy on the fruit, which keeps the sugar content lower, and thus causing a smaller spike in blood sugar. Think carrot, tomato, and green vegetable juice.

As always, have fun! Experiment with different recipes and see which appeals to you and for what purpose. Keep it clean and drink up!

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