Smoothies V Juicing – Which Is Better?

We saw the rise of smoothies and protein shakes in the past decade, but trends are changing now. There has been a lot of movement towards “juicing,” mostly because diet conscious vegans have been professing it so much lately. According to fans of juicing, this is the only answer to maintaining optimal health. However, there is merit to both, and personal preference is a big consideration when deciding which is better.

Before giving the final verdict, it is important to first know how each is prepared. Juicing refers to the process of extracting only juice out of fruit and vegetables using a special citrus press or a juice extractor. It does not include any fiber whatsoever. Contrary to that, smoothies or shakes are prepared in blenders and consist of all parts of the fruit or vegetable including pulp and fiber.

Let us now look at each of them objectively along with all the great benefits they offer…

Advocates of juicing claim that it offers the following benefits:

1. Juice facilitates quicker absorption of nutrients

Since it doesn’t contain any fiber and is perhaps the most concentrated source of micro-nutrients including minerals and vitamins, it gets absorbed pretty quickly. There hardly remains anything to digest so basically the stomach doesn’t have to work on processing the food. According to advocates of juicing, most of us have impaired digestive systems in one-way or the other. Some of us can digest specific food items while others experience difficulty in digesting the same substance. According to this theory, juices pre-digest the specific elements of those food items, so you obtain optimum nutrition from them without experiencing troubled digestion.

2. Juices let you consume more vegetable and fruit than you ordinarily can

You have a garden salad for lunch and stir fried broccoli for dinner, and you assume you are the healthiest person alive. However, juice lets you consume a lot more vegetables and fruit than you possibly can through other ways. It requires a substantial amount of fruit to create an ounce of juice, so you can imagine how many fruit you are gulping down in that one glass of juice. This is particularly useful for people who have difficulty eating vegetables and fruit frequently and are unable to incorporate them in their daily menu.

3. Juice promotes a variety and balance

Most people develop a habit of eating a single type of vegetable or fruit in a day, for instance, picking up an apple on their way to work. Juicing supposedly gets you a much wider variety than you could consume in other ways. You can find juices that consist of combinations of fruit instead of just once. This helps you obtain a lot more nutrients in a larger variety.

4. Juice promotes high immunity

When you remove fiber from fruit and vegetables, you are pretty much left with vitamins, minerals and water. This concentration boosts your system and equips it with phytonutrients, which effectively increase body’s immunity and wards off diseases, particularly degenerative illnesses and cancer.

5. Juice fights aging

Since it contains a high concentration of antioxidant elements, juice is known to have the ability to combat aging factors. Whenever there is some disturbance in the internal organs of body, some damaging effects appear on the skin, which is exactly what these antioxidants fight off. It also keeps away wrinkles and helps muscles stay in shape.

6. It detoxifies body

As far as detoxification is concerned, juice is known to de-sludge and clean liver in particular.

7. Juice is known to be among the best natural antidote to depression

The combination of minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron as well as folic acid present in juices can naturally alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders.

Smoothies

Diehard fans of smoothies present the following arguments in favour of smoothies:

1. Smoothie is a meal in itself

By adding a small proportion of protein ingredient such as milk, eggs or yoghurt, you can have a delicious and nutritious meal. Not only is it useful when you need a quick energy-meal, it also helps you consume a lot of nutrients.

2. Smoothies elevate energy level

Since they are rich in fiber and sugar, they are not as quick in getting absorbed as juices are. The absorption process is rather slow, which means the sugar stays in your blood stream for longer. Consequently, your sugar level raises and stays stable for quite some time.

3. Smoothies are filling

Again, a mention of fiber is necessary here. Fiber is the key substance in your meals which gives you a full feeling after you have eaten. The higher the content of fiber in a meal, the longer it will take to digest it. As a result, it will stay in your stomach longer and you wont feel the need to eat again for a considerable amount of time.

4. Smoothies are beneficial for losing weight

Juices get absorbed in the blood stream quickly, and are digested instantaneously due to lack of fiber. In short, you get hungry and require food more often. Like mentioned above, smoothies keep you full and make you less happy, hence allowing you to ward off your cravings and unnecessary munching. You consume a lot less food otherwise, which evens out the little amount of sugar present in smoothies.

5. Smoothies are nutritious too

The vegetables or fruit you use for smoothies contain the same minerals and vitamins present in juices. You get exactly the same benefits including plenty of antioxidants and ant aging elements. This means that you get to enjoy juice’s benefits in smoothie along with other benefits as well, which are mentioned above.

After looking at both sides’ arguments, you can see that they both come with their own benefits. If you need a quick jolt of energy and you don’t care a lot about calories, you should prefer juicing. If you want to balance your diet better and lose weight, you may choose smoothies as a better option.