Juices can provide a quick boost of nutrients. A tall glass of OJ, for example, provides you with 20 percent of your day’s potassium and four times your daily vitamin C. However, many commercial fresh juices have as much, or more, sugar than sodas.
Proper juicing removes the fiber, which slows stomach emptying and aids in gut health. This also means juicing cuts down on the amount of carbohydrates you consume.
1. More Nutrients
Juicing offers a fast and easy way to get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. It can also be a convenient way to add extra nutrients to your diet. However, juice can be high in sugar and calories so it is important to be mindful of how much you consume. Smoothies are an alternative to juice that can be just as nutritious if you make sure to balance the ingredients, coming from the Juice Guru.
A smoothie is a thick beverage that contains the pulp and skin of fruits or vegetables, yogurt, milk or nondairy milk and other ingredients like seeds and nuts. By blending whole foods rather than extracting the liquid, smoothies retain all the fiber and nutrients from the produce that they are made from which can help to keep you feeling fuller longer. Smoothies can contain more calories than juice if they are made with too much fruit but they can also be lower in calories if they have less sugar and include protein to help promote satiety.
If you are juicing as a means of getting a higher volume of raw micronutrients and natural enzymes into your body in one glass, you will likely need to use significantly more fruits and vegetables than you would for a smoothie. This can increase your overall calorie consumption and may cause you to be more prone to weight gain. Juicing can be beneficial if you find it difficult to eat enough fruits and vegetables on a regular basis or if you have health conditions that prevent you from eating solid food.
It is important to understand the difference between a smoothie and a juice before making a decision about which is healthier for you. Both can offer nutritional benefits if used in moderation with a balanced meal but smoothies are more likely to provide the body with the proper blend of macronutrients to support healthy weight loss, digestion and disease-prevention. So, if you enjoy both juices and smoothies but are trying to lose weight or manage your blood sugar, stick with smoothies as the higher level of nutrient balance is helpful for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
2. Less Sugar
Juicing is a popular way to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet. It can be a quick, easy and convenient way to consume the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals (phytonutrients) found in whole foods. It can also help with gastrointestinal issues and food intolerances. However, if you’re consuming juice as part of your regular eating pattern and not replacing meals or snacks, be cautious. Too much juice can cause you to consume more calories than your body can burn, which can lead to weight gain and nutrient deficiencies.
While juicing can increase your vitamin and mineral intake, it can also add a lot of extra sugar to your diet. Some commercial juices contain as much or more sugar than soda. For example, Minute Maid apple juice contains 66 grams of fructose per liter – that’s more than Coca-Cola or Dr Pepper!
A big problem with drinking too much juice is that it can make you feel hungry sooner, because you’re consuming liquid calories without the fiber and other components of whole foods. This can prevent you from feeling satisfied and can lead to overeating later on.
Smoothies, on the other hand, can be a great source of nutrients and may help you to feel full because they contain the fiber of whole fruits and vegetables. Smoothies can be a satisfying snack or meal, especially if you include ingredients such as protein and healthy fats, which can keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer.
If you’re making your own smoothies, try to limit the amount of fruit you use and avoid adding any added sugar. Depending on the recipe you choose, it’s possible to make a delicious and nutritious smoothie that’s low in sugar. You can also substitute high-calorie ingredients such as ice cream with lower-calorie options, such as low-fat yogurt, coconut water or almond milk. If the smoothie you’re planning to make calls for added sugar, experiment with it first without it to see if you even need it at all. If you find that the smoothie is too sweet, try adding a little more vegetable content or using unsweetened dairy products to cut down on the amount of sugar.
3. Easier to Prepare
Juices are an easy way to get the nutrients of many fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you have trouble getting enough veggies or you don’t like the taste of whole foods, a juice may be your best option. The juicing process extracts the water and nutrients of the food so that your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to absorb them. This can be a good thing for people with sensitive digestions, especially if they have difficulty digesting fiber.
But the problem with juices is that they can be very sugary and a large amount of sugar can quickly spike your blood sugar. Juices also tend to have less fiber than whole foods, so it’s important to balance them with other healthy beverages such as smoothies and soups that contain more dietary fiber.
Smoothies are thick, creamy drinks that are made by blending together whole fruits, vegetables, juices, yogurt, seeds and dairy or nondairy milk. They are usually easier to make than juices and don’t require any special equipment other than a blender. Smoothies can be a great addition to any meal and provide the fiber, vitamins and minerals that are found in whole foods, as well as protein to help keep you feeling full.
They can also be high in fat, so it’s important to use low-fat or nondairy milk when preparing them. It is also important to remember that smoothies can be high in calories, so it’s a good idea to limit how much you drink.
Neither juicing nor blending is necessarily better than the other, it’s just a matter of what works best for your lifestyle and goals. Both can be a helpful tool to add to your wellness journey and help you reach your health and fitness goals. Just be sure to choose whole fruits and vegetables over processed versions when possible, and always check the ingredients before drinking a beverage. The more you know, the better choices you will be able to make!
4. More Filling
Although juices are packed with nutrients, they also contain a lot of sugar, and may cause a blood sugar spike that leaves you feeling tired, hungry, and craving more sweets or carbs. Juicing also strips away fiber, a type of carbohydrate that slows stomach emptying and helps us feel fuller longer.
Proper juicing uses a machine to extract the liquid from whole fruits and vegetables which leaves you with a drink that can be high in sugar and calories. Juices can also lack other macronutrients like protein and fat. When consuming juice, make sure to pair it with a protein-rich snack or whole piece of fruit to help prevent an unwanted blood sugar spike.
On the other hand, smoothies can be a great source of fiber, and are usually made with a combination of whole foods including fruits, veggies, dairy or nondairy milk, seeds, nuts, and/or protein powder. This can give your smoothie a great boost of nutrition and a filling, satisfying consistency. You can also add a variety of ingredients to your smoothies that you might not find in juice, like chia seeds, flax seeds, beans, and rolled oats.
In addition to adding fiber, these ingredients can provide a good amount of healthy fats, and help keep your hunger at bay. You can also add a variety of supplements to your smoothies like prebiotics and probiotics, adaptogens, and other herbs, and this can provide you with additional health benefits.
Smoothies have a slight edge over juice because they usually contain more of the whole food elements with which they’re made. A glass of a thick smoothie packed with fruits and veggies, for example, can provide you with 20 percent of your daily potassium, and four times your recommended intake of vitamin C. A similar serving size of juice, however, has half the potassium and (unless it’s fortified) almost no vitamin C. When making your choice, be aware that a smoothie will have more calories than a cup of juice, but this can still be a good option for people who are looking to eat more vegetables, and less sugar, in their diet.