I'm here to share a love for eating plants with as many people across the globe as I can. In a world that is increasingly turning to food forms that lack nutrients, I want to instill the healthy habit of 1 green smoothie a day into as many people as I possibly can. Yet, there is more than 1 way to drink your greens, right? That's why I did a juicer vs blender test; to find out which is better.
Both options give you the freshest produce in an easy-to-drink form, so is one actually better than the other? Well, let's find out!
Why use a Juicer or Blender?
Whether you choose to blend or juice, you are gifting your body improved health by using these nutrient packed drinks. Regularly drinking smoothies or fresh, veggie-based juice will:
- Increase your veggie intake dramatically
- Make it easier as well as quicker for your body to absorb nutrients. Blending and juicing allows the food to become somewhat “pre-digested”
- Curb appetite + reduce cravings for sugar and processed foods because you're nourishing your cells with micronutrients. Your body no longer craves the “carbs” or macronutrients
Now, let's put the juicer vs blender debate to the test!
Blending smoothies
Spoiler Alert! Blending is obviously my preferred method of drinking plants, yet have you ever asked, why? In the juicer vs blender debate, here's the blending side:
Pros for blending smoothies
- Blend more than just veggies - add fruits, diff types of milk, ice, nuts, seeds, nut butters, oils, protein powders, supplements - you name it
- Fiber helps fill you up – When blending the whole veggie and fruit, the fiber from peels and flesh help fill up space
- Cost of the blender is minimal – most people already have a blender in their kitchen
- Smoothies are much more kid-friendly – In my experience, kids love smoothies more than veggie-based juice because you can thicken them up to look and taste like a frozen dessert.
Cons of blending vs juicing
- Less quantity of nutrients per serving than juicing - Because the fiber remains, you need to drink more smoothies than juice to get the same amount of vitamins, minerals and phytotnutrients per glass
- Some produce is not good for blending - Root veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets are packed full of nutrition, but don’t taste so good in smoothies. They often come off chalky as well as bitter. They are more suitable for juicing.
But that's not all... juicers have a lot of great features too. So let's talk about the flip side of the juicer vs blender debate.
Juicing fruits and vegetables
While the blender is my go-to kitchen appliance, a fresh-squeezed juice from a juicer is fun. It feels like a luxurious drink that can be equally delicious. So what are the benefits and drawbacks of juicing?
Pros of juicing
- More veggies per serving – Since the fiber is removed, more veggie juice fits in the glass versus a smoothie
- Easier to digest nutrients – Unlike blending, juicing extracts nutrients + water from veggies and fruits leaving behind plant fibers. This allows the body to absorb the nutrients quicker without having to expend energy to digest the fiber too.
- Quicker energy boost – Juice has a higher concentration of veggies (and therefore nutrients) per glass versus a smoothie, and is in an even more pre-digested format than smoothies for quicker nutrient absorption.
- Less heat damage - Blades run at high speed on blenders that can slightly heat the smoothie which could kill off some of the beneficial enzymes.
Cons of using a juicer vs blender
- Juicing machines are sometimes more difficult to clean – Juicers usually have more parts to clean and take a little longer to clean than blenders
- More refrigerator space required - Juicing requires more veggies and fruits per serving than blending, so you need to have more refrigerator space to store them
- Veggie costs are more than blending – because you are using more veggies per serving, you need to buy more
- Whole leafy greens are more beneficial to health - juicing removes the skin + insoluble fiber of fruits and veggies, making them less nutritious.
As you can see, both juicers and blenders have some great positives. No matter which appliance you're in the market for, I've got my personal recommendations to share.
Best juicers
Lots of people shy away from juicers because of the price. They can def be expensive, yet the one I recommend the most to people is actually a lower price point! The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer is one of the top rated juicers on the market, and recommended for juicing leafy greens.
My second juicer recommendation is the Omega Vertical Slow Speed Juicer, 150-Watt. The Omega brand is known for its long-lasting machines, plus this juicer has fewer parts to clean #bonus.
Best blenders
One of the top questions I get is what kind of blender is the best blender for smoothies? If you've decided smoothies win in the juicer vs blender debate, then check out my handy Blender Guide.
While I'm constantly on the lookout for new, great blenders to try, Vitamix is my go-to for the best blender out there. Whether its the trusty Vitamix 7500 that I started out on, or my current A3500, you can't go wrong with this brand.
Guess what, though?! You don't need a high-end blender to get started with green smoothies. Our community uses blenders of every shape and size to make their daily creations. If you're looking for a blender on a budget, then definitely check out Nutribullet. They have a great range of blenders at a variety of price points. Lots of smoothie lovers swear by Nutribullet, and I love them too!
Do you juice or blend?
Share in the comments below which team you're on in the juicer vs blender debate. Also, let me know which machine you use!
Damaris Vasquez
I want to know how much it cost?
Kat
Thank you for all the research and info. I think I'll stick with smoothies. 🙂
Kim
I love seeing the differences between blending and juicing. I'm normally a blender but fun to see the juicing benefits, too. Thanks for doing so much research!
Amanda
I love mixing and matching both. Juicing and smoothies both are a great way to fuel my body with delicious fruits + veggies.
Sarah Mitchel
Do you have a favorite juicer? I can see you are using Kuvings, but I wasn't sure if you have tried a few to know which one is better like you do with blenders.
Simple Green Smoothies
We've just started testing a few brands at the moment to pick a favorite. Once we have one, I'll update this post to include it. So far we have Breville, Kuvings and Nama in the early testing mix. Yet we know there are more out there as well that we'll need to get our hands on. Hope to have an answer in the near future!
Martha
I drink a whole veggie shake every morning. I only rinse my veggies- never heat or cook them. Each of my smoothies consist of spinach, kale, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, celery, cucumber, apple, bell pepper, 1/2 avocado, carrots and Shaklee "Plant Based" Protein Powder. I split the shake (without the kale) with my Black Lab & he is now 16 years old & still acts like a puppy.
Simple Green Smoothies
Hooray for a happy healthy you and a happy healthy puppy! It's so wonderful how we can use food to heal not just us, but also our four-legged family too. If you get a chance - check out our plant-based Protein Smoothie Boost. It's super clean, with just organic hemp, chia and flax seed. We bet your puppy would love it too!
Erin
This is so helpful! Thanks for the good knowledge + insight.
Simple Green Smoothies
So welcome, Erin! Glad it was helpful!
Simis collection
Both are very good because both are having different qualities and functions . But my opinion is happy to all of them.
SGS Rawkstar Jess
We couldn't agree more! 🙂
Justyn Haley
in my opinion.blender is better investment as it takes major role in using all kind of fruits and vegetables easily and precisely .easy to clean . on other hand juicer is also a good option but it limits juice as all kind of fruits and vegetables are difficult to use with juicer.
SGS Rawkstar Carissa
Thank you for sharing, Justyn!
Heloise
Juicing limits you to mainly use fruits. A blender can give you option to use vegetables, which has more nutrients than fruits. Plus, a blender is easier to clean. I still believe blenders are the better investment.
SGS Rawkstar Carissa
Thanks for sharing Heloise,
We love how you get the entire fruit or veggie as well. You are not wasting anything and getting all that extra fiber that is so important 🙂
Jennie's Juicer Blender
I think both have their own qualities and functionalities. I use both for my personal use and I am happy with both of them.
SGS Rawkstar Amanda
Hey Jennie's,
That is so great! Juicing and blending are two amazing things for you and such a benefit for your overall health.
Cheers!
Luna
Great article! So many people call the Vitamix a "juicer" and it confuses me a lot! I long for the day when I can do both juicing and blending on ONE machine!
SGS Rawkstar Amanda
Hi Luna,
I love that idea!! I love smoothies, but sometimes a girl just needs a good green juice too + that would make it so easy!
Anika
"consuming greens and minimum fruit must be good go you"- Great point
SGS Rawkstar Amanda
Hi Janet,
Cheers to opening the box + taking your first step! If there's anything we can do to help you along your health + wellness journey, don't hesitate to reach out!
Sean Carey
Hello Jen,
I really appreciate how honest and balanced this article is. I also love the infographic and pinned it up on our website's Pinterest account. Early on in my juicing days, I would occasionally have a smoothie, here and there, but I was pretty hard core on sticking with juicing. Now, years later, I love to do both, and I appreciate each of them for the particular health benefits they include. Like you mentioned in the article, one of the benefits with smoothies is that you can add other ingredients, such as, almond milk, etc., that might not go so well with juice. I like to blend in green powdered supplements, now, into my smoothies and spirulina, as well, and, sometimes, I just love the frozen, fruity flavor of a nice fruit-heavy smoothie. When it comes to juicing, I enjoy fruit juices, occasionally, but, usually, I go heavy on the green side. For some reason, I can handle the flavor of a hard-core green juice vs the flavor of a hard-core smoothie. Not sure why; it's just how I am.
Oh, and amen to the part where you mention that juicer parts take longer to clean than blender parts. Agreed, 100%. I'm looking forward to the day where they figure that out! 🙂
SGS Rawkstar Amanda
Hi Shawn,
Thank you so much for reaching out! And love that you're blending and juicing, and reaping the major health benefits! Make sure and keep in touch!
Adam
Thank you for sharing, very interesting
SGS Rawkstar
You're so welcome, Adam!
Craig Boullt
I used kale, frozen blueberries, banana, 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk, 1 cup of ice water, and a vegan protein powder. I drank twice a day, alternating spinach with the kale. I was never hungry and the weight just fell off of me. I use a Ninja blender. I stopped for a dumb reason and because of hormones for cancer treatment I gained the weight back. I had kept it off for 3 years. Starting again because I felt a lot better.
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Craig,
So happy to have you back + blendin' with us!
Shirley
The blender by Karmin is my favorite 🙂
SGS Rawkstar
Thanks for sharing, Shirley! We love hearing about the different blenders our community are using!
Sharry Dima
Hi there, I became health conscious person and leafy vegetables is one of the main ingredients...I usually boil leafy veggies to kill bacteria before I blend them, because washing them alone wont remove all germs.. would it be ok?
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Sharry,
We prefer to use raw leafy greens + use a homemade produce wash. Check out how we wash our greens here...
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/dirty-dozen-list
Still want to boil your greens? Go for it! Just reach out and let us know how you enjoyed your green smoothie after.
Felix
No it's not a good idea .Boiling the leafy vegetables will reduce 22% to 34% of vitamin C as well as other nutrients in the vegs. Also stick to organic food, there are no
pesticides. Believe me a few bugs on the vegetables won't kill you, your body can deal with them easily as long as immune system is working properly.
merry
hello I've been doing smoothies but I usually buy fresh veggies and fruits in batch then mix them in ziploc for 1 serving per day and freeze it coz the it rotten quick in the fridge is this ok?
mix of 1/2 cup of pineapple,2 small cucumber,2 cups of greens organic from costco(spinach,kale and red collards),1 small fresh turmeric,2 tbsp flaxseed,2tbsp chia seeds. is this good mix
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Merry,
That's more than ok! We love using our freezer to prep green smoothies. It makes blending super easy + keeps good fruits and veggies from going bad. Learn more about our favorite prep tips here...
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/frozen-smoothie-packs
Keith
I juice daily and intend to until I expire. I have no experience with blending to compare, however this article and others confirm my theory; nutrients absorbed quicker, less pulp and more veggies. I'll add blending to my regimen in the near future to increase my vegetable intake.
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Keith!
Thanks so much for reaching out! We can't wait to hear about your experience of blendin' your produce :). Welcome to the green smoothie lifestyle!
Cheers!
Helen
Hi
I started out juicing many years ago.....then tried blending.....now I use both. Juicing in morning for my kick start. Blending for my smoothies....and ice cream from frozen fruit frozen banana and vary between coconut cream or yogurt.
Which ever way you go ...consuming greens and minimum fruit must be good go you....I also add in my OTHER extras into my juice.
Happy happy
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Helen,
We're all about adding fresh fruits + leafy greens to our diet! Thanks for sharing how you add both blending and juicing to your day!
Cheers 🙂
Shannon M. Black
I have the Ninja Pro. It was a gift from my husband. I love it! ( and I don't mind getting these types of gifts. It was from the heart as I have a digestive disorder) that being said, I hope I'm not missing out on vital nutrients by not juicing. It uses ever part of the fruit and/or veggie, nuts, seeds, etc that you put in. I think because of this that maybe I am getting all of the nutrients. I will warn you that if you like a very liquid consistency, this isn't going to do it for you. It makes perfect smoothies of any type you can imagine. It's incredibly powerful and pulverizes ice so well, we got rid of our ice shaver that we used to make our kids Hawaiian shaved ice in the summer. It also comes with a food processor bowl and 2 blades for it and a dough blade to make bread and things like that. I've not used either of those so I don't know if I'd run out and sell my kitchenaid mixer yet. It comes with 2 single serve cups and a blade for them for a quick smoothie for yourself or a pitcher for making them for the family. As I stated before, if you like it very liquidy, get a juicer but if you just use a fair amount of CO onut water, juice or milk, the Ninja Pro is so worth every penny we paid. Mine is a little over a year old and I think I'm giving it to my mom to help her make healthy drinks and splurging on the new improved ninja pro. It's got digital, easier to push buttons. You push the dezied setting and walk away. It does the rest. The older model causes you to have to hold the buttons in, with quite a bit of force on single serve mode. I do like a smoother drink but I really do think I'm getting more out of my Ninja. And clean up is a breeze. Everything is dishwasher safe. I've seen the mess juicers leave behind. I would recommend the Ninja Pro to anyone; definitely worth the money.
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Shannon,
Thank you so much for reaching out + sharing your experience blending with Ninja Pro. We're right there with you, we love blending because you're not losing any of the fruit, as you might in juicing. Also, blenders for gifts are awesome!! I received an immersion blender from my husband last year for our anniversary! And it's one of my favorite gifts, perfect for winter soups!
Cheers!
mike p
I much rather blend (Blendtec) than Juice. Juicers are a pain to clean, built cheap (for the most part) and only do one single thing. I prefer soup over juice or smoothies. Fruit still has a ton of sugar for diabetics and the fiber from veggies with the soup makes a blender a better deal.
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Mike,
We prefer blendin' too! 🙂
Ben
Thank you for being so clear in your article, really clear on the differences between the two and some great advice, if you or anyone else would like some additional reading on blending and juicing check out
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Ben,
Great article! Thank you so much for sharing. And keep blendin' those leafy greens! 🙂
Joanne
Hi, I have been blending my Vege and fruits for a year with Vees blender.
My base is 2cups pineapple, 2bananas, 1/8 lemon, 1" ginger, 1"turmeric, 1 whole coconut water and meat.(whenever possible)
With the above, I rotate my smoothies :-
For green (add spinach, or kale or wheatgrass),
For red (add dragon fruit or beet root)
For Orange color (add carrot or oranges)
Occasionally - I would add coconut oil, green apples, or chia seed or almonds or yogurts...
My family of 4 will have a big glass of the above smoothies in the morning.
Wondering if I am doing the right thing?
The above churned out delicious smoothies.
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for reaching out! It looks like you're blendin' delicious + nutritious smoothies! Do you include leafy greens in all of your smoothies, or do you rotate between leafy greens and other vegetables?
Check out our formula for the perfect green smoothie here...
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/smoothie-101
Chris
@Joanne,
2 cups of pineapple and 2 bananas = quite a lot of sugar. Unless you're also intensely exercising I'd cut the sugar back a little
Sangeeta
This is a great reference. So, we have the Omega juicer and have been juicing for years. My kids like the 'no fiber' easy to swallow green juices.
But, it's too much work, and I just had a great hot soup from a Vitamix at Costco, followed by a fresh fruit smoothie. Wow, how easy and delicious.
I really want just 1 machine, and am thinking of selling the Omega Juicer for the Vitamix. Do you think the Vitamix will keep juices smooth? Especially the vege juices (kale, cucumber, spinach, carrot, apple kind)?
SGS Rawkstar
Hi Sangeeta,
The Vitamix is a powerhouse blender + does an amazing job of breaking down fruits + leafy greens to a juice like consistency! Read our review of the Vitamix 5200 here...
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/blenders-for-smoothies
Tk
The nutrients are in the pulp, not the juice as so many people mistakenly believe.
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Thanks, Tk. 🙂
Felix
That's why the Nutribullet is what you want because everything is reduced to liquid. It has a very powerful motor nothing gets in its way. By the way the Nutribullet is by no means a blender, it is a juicer it reduces everything to
liquid.
Marie z.
i love your website. Thank you for your work. I have both juicer and I think they work great together. Some veggies are better for one and not so good for another one. The Nutribullet is the closer I have to a smoothie maker because my old blender had not enough power.
I'm thinking about b or v blender but my budget is pretty small hahaha. I hate the tall jar from Vit. But I want it's sturdiness. I love the blendtec's jar because it's easy to clean but I really like the dial.
It's a complete dilemma. Help! Haha
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Hey Marie! 🙂
Thanks for reaching out. Have you checked out this article? https://simplegreensmoothies.com/blenders-for-smoothies
I am a #vitamixgirl 🙂 Can't go wrong with either.
Marquisha
Thanks so much for this article. My husband is an appliance freak and has purchased us a Ninja Blender, a Nutribullet and just last week a juicer. After reading about the benefits of both, I have decided that I will juice in the morning and have that with breakfast. For lunch, I will have a smoothie with some protein as a meal replacement. I hope this helps me slim down some in combination with exercise.
Sam Kirkland
Oops it was .. I wrote the URL wrong..
Sam K
Sam Kirkland
A very interesting article, Im interested to know how a masticating slow juicer like the one from Zweissen ( ) would compare to any of the electrical designs above, and how its juice would compare to the juicer and blenders that you have compared above.
thanks!
Sam K
Elizabeth
I started juicing just after Easter 2014. I have fresh juice from my BREVILLE every morning. As of this date, I'm down 46 pounds! Cleaning is a breeze since I started using a battery operated toothbrush to clean the mesh screen. 20 mins max from start to finish. Some days I will put the juice in my Ninja and add half an avocado for a thicker smoothie juice. Just a thought.
Marquisha
Thank you so much for the idea of cleaning the juicer with an electronic toothbrush! I have to run out and get one asap! Congratulations on your weight loss. Do you do anything in addition to juicing in the morning?
kathy
Can you freeze the juices in the 3 day jump start book for the Nutra Ninja?
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Hey Kathy. I haven't checked out that book, so I am not sure. But almost everything is freezable. 🙂
Diana Owens
I am very interested in a good system for drinks to go. I love vegetables, soups and want to make both. So many choices it is mind numbing
kirsty
i was given a juicer for xmas and wasn't expecting it. It's a really good one a cold pressed or something. I really need the fibre though and was wondering what to do with all the pulp
SGS Rawkstar Shauna
Fold into baked goods maybe, Kirsty? 🙂
Beth
You can make a healthy meatloaf with some of the pulp/fiber added, especially if you huiced carot and celery. Also a little bit can be added to tuna.This is good even if apple or grapes were juiced.
SGS Rawkstar
Thanks for the tip, Beth!
Kelsee Blin
Jadah, What an informative post, thanks!
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nicole C.
So I've been juicing for a few months and really love using carrots in my daily juice. My hubby bought me a Vitamix for Christmas so I'm gonna give smoothies a go. Anyways, my question: since, according to this article, carrots turn chalky and bitter when blended, could I juice a bunch of carrots (and freeze the juice in ice cube trays) and successfully use this juice without the chalky/bitterness?
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Hi Nicole.
Thanks for the comment.Yes, you could juice your carrots before hand if you would like. Have you tried roasting them? The caramelize and soften. I love roasting my carrots. 🙂 https://simplegreensmoothies.com/how-to-make-vegetable-smoothies
Yuliana
Hi, I have a question, what if.. I blend the vegies and then strain it? to make it Juice! is just that haha by mistake I froze my vegies!! 🙁 can I make jucie with it? I am newbie at this! hahaha I have a juicer but today I try to do a Juice but with my frozen vegies and i get such a litle juice. maybe I didn't use enough or maybe because they are frozen
Thanks!
Al
Nice info graphic there!
You covered the pros and cons of both juicing and blending nicely.
In regards to this disadvantage of juicers: "Juicing machines sometimes more difficult to clean – Juicers usually have more parts to clean and take a little longer to clean than blenders"
There is the option to get around this by purchasing an easy to clean juicer such as the breveille compact juicer - ive got one and its a breeze to clean! comes in a few parts and you can blast them in the dishwasher or hand wash with ease!
Al
SGS Rawkstar Jessie
Thanks for sharing Al, juicers can be harder to clean.
I too have had a Brevelle Juicer, not sure if it was the compact one, but it was not to difficult to clean.
Do you blend as well? Is so, which blender do you use?
Mandy
I am very new to this whole concept of Juicing/Blending. I am trying to decide to Juice and/or Blend. I try to work out in the morning around 6am...then shower at the gym...so timing is hard. My stomach is super sensitive. I will bloat most often if I eat any salad or pasta. I am a skinny PCOS which is pre-diabetic, but trying to get pregs and in general obtain more energy as well as develop a healthy lifestyle for my husband, myself and hopefully my children one day. Can you recommend what to do? and what machine to buy?
SGS Rawkstar Dan
Hi Mandy!
We can't really prescribe whether juicing or blending will be better for you since we aren't doctors or nutritionists, but here are a couple of articles that may help you out:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/smoothie-pregnancy
We are big fans of blending because you are receiving all the fibers from the fruit that are great for your body, and help slow the absorption of the natural sugar in fruit.
Edward
Definitely blending all the way. Juicing makes me hungry too quickly.
Jen
I had a juicer years ago and didn't stick with it. The machine and all the left over pulp were way too annoying to clean. I also don't love the taste. I have been making green smoothies in a nutribullet since June and I just ordered a Vitamix. I would really love to get a juicer to juice beets and carrots and then add that juice to my smoothie.
Jadah and Jen
Thanks for sharing, Jen 🙂 Neat to hear that you went with a Vitamix!
Tammy
Jen,
I have been using the Vitamix for a year now and it can blend up anything! So you won't have to juice your beets and carrots separately just add it to your smoothie mix.
Nadja
I do both. I have a Hurom slow juicer and the Vita Prep blender. If I'm replacing meal, I blend, but if I need a quick vitamin and mineral shot, I juice (with plenty of veggies). The Hurom will also juice nuts, so nut milks are super fast to make. The few parts the Hurom has can go in the dishwasher, and the dry fiber that is left behind goes great in stews, Bolognese, or even thick soups. I love juices, but am totally about not wasting the fibre.
cj
does anyone know the science behind what you lose in terms of nutrients by not drinking either the juice or smoothie right away? i'd like to make the smoothie or juice first thing in the morning and take it with me for lunch. lunch wouldn't happen for 5 or 6 hours. i don't want to go through the expense and time of doing this if oxidation has removed a lot of the value of the smoothie or juice. any science people out there?
many thank, c. healey
Jadah and Jen
Crissie!
Thanks for this input! It is great to learn more about pros for juicing, especially since we aren't highly involved with it 🙂
kai
I blend...God intended for us to eat the fiber
Csilla
I agree with Jason on this topic, have done both with seperate machines until I realised that the Vitamix blender is good for juicing as well - what I love about this is, that nothing will be wasted, as I can use the pulp later in almost every dish!
jason
I have done both, and like most i love the pros of both but hate the cons of both. I tend to blend more because the fiber makes me feel full longer and i feel more satisfied and the clean up is much easier, BUT juicing to me taste alot better but my old juicer which works great takes a long long time to clean and is pain staking.
Brenda
I do both. I use a Blendtek for smoothies and Omega 9000 for juice. This is my third juicer and it leaves the driest pulp out of the 3 I've had over the years. My kids and I prefer green juice over green smoothies. I love the consistency of a fresh juice but I find that smoothies are more filling and better for adding superfoods. And I don't feel wasteful! So both are used almost daily.
Kathy
What is the difference between juicing in a juicer and whole juicing in my blendtec (there is a whole juice button and recipes)?
Jadah and Jen
Hi Kathy! A juicer will extract any liquid from fruit and leave out the fibrous and fleshy parts--so you are only getting the juice. If you use the whole juice setting on your Blendtec then you will still be getting all the fibrous and fleshy parts of the fruit--so you will be getting the juice and the rest of the fruit (or veggies). The consistency will be different, too. Hope this helps!
regina
I would like to know what the best way is for me to lose weight juicing or a smoothe? I would like to start doing one of the two but just have no idea were to begin, can any one on her give me step by step on how to begin this process, I hear different things all the time only juice for three days then eat what you want for 4 days, then i hear just juice two meals and have a light salad for dinner what is the best but most effective way to lose weight. as you can tell I am so confused and just need a little help to get me started, can anyone HELP ME lol thank in advance:)
Angela Stanford
Hi Regina.
This is Angela, the nutritionist that wrote the article. I have helped people lose 5-100 lbs and utilize juicing and smoothies in the program. I counsel in person, over the phone and one Skype. IFeel free to call me for a FREE 15 min consult to discuss how I an help. 925-389-7107.
Best wishes,
Angela
Maxine
I do both. I love to juice because I can use alot of fruit and vegetables andget it smooth. Then I blend it with ice to get it really, really cold and to add my Super Booster Greens supplement and sometimes avocado.
My juicer is Philips Juice Maker Aluminium Collection 800 W 2 l and I love it!
It has many different parts but everything goes in the dishwasher so it´s easy. And my blender is nutri bullet but my birtday is coming up so a new blender is at the top of my list 😉
(I´m from Sweden and I love this website!!)
Angela Stanford
Thanks Maxine from Sweden for letting us know about the Philips Juice Maker Aluminium Collection 800 W 2. Love that you can throw all the parts in the dishewasher for easy clean-up! Let us know what new blender you end up getting for your birthday and how you like it.
Sheila
Currently, I'm using my Vitamix Creations II and I'm loving the green smoothies. However, at times, I would like for my smoothies to be less smooth. Do you know what I mean? Sometimes I don't want the smoothies to be so thick, so what can I do about the consistency? Or is this telling me I need to purchase a juicer?
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Sheila C
Angela Stanford
Hi Shelia.
It is the pulp that is making the smoothies so thick, and that fiberful pulp is missing in juice. You could try thinking out your smoothie with water, or blending it a little longer, or both. The other option, like you mentioned is to juice when you are looking for a thinner beverage. Be wary however to juice mostly veggies and eat something filled with protein alongside the juice, so you blood sugars don't spike and then crash later leaving your tired.
Jen H
You can add more liquid to make it not so thick. Water helps a lot.
Linda DeFeo
I Love the Idea of the soup! My husband makes fresh chicken soup almost every thursday. This is perfect for both of us. I'll drink the juice & he'll use the pulp!
Thanks you! Linda
Angela Stanford
Pleasure! Juice pulp also works great added to pancake batter along with dried herbs. You can make then and eat them with your soup!
Alyssa Hunt
I love to both juice and blend. I think I juice more but only because I enjoy the tastes when I mix the flavors right there, with no milk or any extra calories added. The thing is, you can't go wrong either way!
Lp
Beginners Luck Smoothie is delicious... I might be having Beginner's Luck all week (smile)
Lp
I blend, by the way.
Jeanne
Veggies are not my first food of choice so smoothies work great for me. I've signed up for the April 1st challenge and will be using my handy dandy Black and Decker blender. I did, however, run my carrots thru the food processor last night to be ready for today. I'm not sure how carrots would do in my blender. 🙂
Joann
I actually juice and blend. I juice the veggies I want for that day and use the juice as the base for my smoothie. Add ice and all the fruit I want and use the juiced veggies. Can't taste the difference at all.
n8tivepatriot565
I'm on beta blockers and ace inhibtors and duretics for cardiomyopathy and when I juice all day I get painful muscle spasms..what do I do to modify to be able to keep juicing?
Nancy
When you blend oranges you don't leave he peel on do you?!
Nancy
Angela Stanford
Hi Nancy.
Angela here...the nutritionist who wrote this article.
Normally when you blend oranges or other citrus fruits like grapefruit, limes or lemons, you remove the peel first, because they leave a bitter aftertaste and can interfere with some of the nutrient absorption from the juice. That said, go ahead and leave on thinner peels on apples, pears, grapes, carrots, etc. They don't interfere with taste, and provide extra fiber and other healthy micronutrients in your smoothie.
Leave a reply and let us know how it goes with the oranges in your smoothie.
Ajah
Hi I Everyone, I just started making green smoothies with my vitamix. btw-best investment for better health.. I would like to know has anyone achieved making juice with the blendtec or vitamix?
Sherly
Thank you for this. I've always used a juicer, but my mom has a Ninja, and what I've found is that I have to add some sort of 'base' like water or coconut water to get the blender going. While she enjoys 'getting everything' from the blender, I prefer to have the pulp separate from my juice, so I use the juicer for me, and the blender for her. My question is: which is better? she's diabetic, so I want to avoid so many fruits in her juices. Thanks.
Angela Stanford
Hi Sherly.
Angela here....the nutritionist who wrote the article.
All of us should try to balance out the sugar we ingest with fiber, protein and healthy fats to keep from spiking our blood sugars and induce a sharp insulin response. This of course is especially important for diabetics.
When blending, you can add nuts, flax seeds, protein powders, avocados to help even out the body's insulin response to the natural sugars from the fruit. When juicing, I advise my clients to make sure the majority of your juice is veggie based, and also eat a hand full of nuts or eat some avocado, almond butter or hummus with whatever else you are eating with the juice.
Mike C.
I Have all of the fore mentioned units but the Blendtec. All are great.After a 60 day juice fast 1 year ago I found both to be very important. The body can get in trouble if you do not get 1 or 2 smoothies a day if for fiber and good intestinal health. I do 1 juice per day and 1 smoothie per day and have kept off 90 pounds for 1 year. I have since Gone to school at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition to get smarter along with healthy. lol Great post you have here. Very informative too.
Jadah S
What an awesome journey Mike! I love my Blendtec. So happy to hear that you blend and juice. Rawk on! 🙂
Shae
I started my journey to better nutrition by juicing. A friend linked me to my first smoothie challenge (yours from Feb). Since then I do a combination. I juice certain greens, fruits and veggies (esp. beets and sweet potatoes) then put them in blender with added ingredients. Hopefully I am getting the best of both worlds.
Jadah S
You are totally getting the best of both worlds! Glad you found us. So happy to have you here Shae! 🙂
Jadah S
Keep us posted Lynn! I'd love to hear if blending is just as helpful for you. 🙂
Reasie
I love juicing in the mornings & evenings. I think of it as my "grown-up" play time. I love watching my juicer tear apart the veggies & squeeze the life out of them and into a juice. WOW - don't I sound like a big kid. It's fun! I like smoothies occasionally also so I use my blender for that. Cheers to good health!
Jadah S
Happy to hear you do both Reasie! And playing in the kitchen is so much fun!!! 🙂
Arie Rich
I do both. Juice and blend. Depending on my mood. 🙂
Jadah S
Love it! Our moods can definitely play a role in what we end up doing for the day. 🙂
Heather
I blend more because its do m ch work to clean the juicer. Actually I make one batch of two servings in the big blender, pour half in a glass and half in a magic bullet mug and put a closed lid on it to store in the fridge for later. Then when it's time to drink the second half I do a quick blend to make sure it isn't settled and enjoy from the mug.
Jadah S
I do the same Heather. I have a Blendtec and Magic Bullet. I use mason lids and storage caps to store the leftovers. I forgot I could use my Magic Bullet cups with lids. Thanks for the idea! I usually just give mine a good shake, but a reblend would be nice. 🙂
Fefe
I love both but primarily blend. The only real con to juicing IMO is that you lose all the fiber you get when blending but it IS a great way to get the nutrition of those stubborn hard greens and carrots!
Jadah S
So true! I love getting all the fiber I can get. And I've never been a big salad person, so smoothies are perfect for me. 🙂
Angela Stanford
Hi Fefe.
Angela here....the nutritionist that wrote the article.
I too struggle with all the fiber that seems "wasted" when I juice. So I refrigerate it or freeze it (up to a month) and add it to soups. Since my juices are mostly veggie based, I just add it to a couple of liters of organic veggie broth and add beans or lentils and sometimes leftover brown rice or gluten-free pasta. Very versatile.
Here's a quick recipe I share with my cleansing students who are are new to juicing.
Veggie Soup from Juice Pulp
The pulp created from the juices above can be used to make a quick and tasty veggie soup.
Ingredients:
1 half onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
32oz veggie broth
1 cup veggie pulp
1 can black beans or garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
½ cup cooked brown rice (optional)
black pepper
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in medium pot until translucent. Add broth and veggie pulp and bring to a boil. Toss in beans and cooked rice. Season with black pepper to taste. Enjoy!