Now before anyone starts jumping to conclusions about juicing or thinks “Geez, there is something wrong with everything” (I hate that feeling) – I want to make one thing clear: There is certainly nothing wrong with drinking vegetable juices. But there are a few reasons why I haven’t personally jumped on the juicing bandwagon myself – even after borrowing a friend’s juicer and actually trying it out for a week – which is what I’d like to explain today.
Juice Is Not A Whole Food
First and foremost, my main dietary goal is to eat whole foods or what I call “real food” (i.e. 5 or less whole ingredients). Did you know that when you drink juiced vegetables and fruits you are not eating the whole food? The first time I saw a juicer in action I was actually a little surprised when I saw all this stuff being spit out the side. It turns out that stuff is the pulp (basically the fiber) and not included in the juice you are about to drink! Now you could technically bake that pulp into a homemade baked good or something (and still consume it), but I am going to tell you right now I would never be “Betty Homemakerish” enough to keep up with something like that. Plus I felt like the kale, celery, cucumber, and other ingredients I purchased to make the juice could have nicely supplemented several meals for the whole family, when instead the juicer transformed these ingredients into 2 glasses (about 10 ounces each) of not very filling juice.
It’s Expensive
If you aren’t careful, juicing could seriously blow the roof off your budget. The first day I shopped for juicing ingredients I spent $13 – on just 2 servings of organic juice! I suppose that wouldn’t be so bad if it could actually constitute a meal, but after drinking our morning juice (my husband tried it with me) we were both still hungry enough for our regular breakfast of homemade granola. So during our week of juicing I found myself buying loads of extra veggies to juice in addition to all the groceries I would have normally purchased anyway. Cha-ching!
It Takes Time
When you drink a daily green juice in addition to eating your regular meals it ends up taking extra time out of your day. Imagine having to make a fresh juice and clean the machine on top of cooking and cleaning those three square real food meals each day. I say that because a juicer is not just any regular appliance – there are 7 different parts that all need to be washed immediately. Which means unless you are about to start your dishwasher right at that very moment you need to stop what you are doing and wash each and every part of the juicer by hand. Have I ever mentioned that I am not a big fan of hand washing dishes? Well, some days I truly avoid it like the plague – so this is officially reason #3 that juicing is not personally for me.
My Takeaway
Like I said at the beginning there is certainly nothing wrong with juicing, and some say it makes them feel great (we didn’t personally notice a difference). BUT – as with most food choices – I feel that variety is key. That means variety in both what you eat and how you eat it. If you find that you are getting so much more green in your body through juicing then that is fabulous, but I wouldn’t suggest having that be the only way you get your veggies. And that’s because eating the whole food is pretty important as well. Nature actually does a great job of packaging up the perfect combination of vitamins and minerals in each and every whole food. When you start removing parts (like the fiber) it is just not the same. The takeaway I got from my juicing experiment is that – probably like most people – I have room for improvement and could stand to consume more vegetables. So I am glad to be given that reminder.
Now if I suddenly found myself with health issues or was just overall not feeling very well – I would definitely give juicing another chance. At first I wasn’t quite sure what I thought about the taste of a green juice, but it actually grew on me fairly quickly, and I came to enjoy it (and drink it much faster) by the end of the week. But for the foreseeable future I can only see myself being a smoothie girl, and here’s why.
Why I Like Smoothies Instead
I honestly never made (or probably even drank a smoothie) before our switch to real food, but now they make their way into our diet about once or twice a week. If you are new to smoothies or just want to kick things up a notch be sure to check out the “The 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge” by our new friends over at Simple Green Smoothies. They’ve thought of everything when it comes to drinking your greens (the whole food way).
And these are the reasons I like smoothies so much:
- No special expensive equipment needed – any old blender will do!
- When you blend fruits and vegetables together to make a smoothie you are consuming the whole food.
- As a result, I find smoothies to be much more filling than juice.
- My kids like smoothies (they gave the green juice a fair chance, but were not fans).
- A little bit of veggies can go a long way in a smoothie – when I juiced a bunch of kale it seemed that only a couple tablespoons of juice came out.
Giveaway: $150 to Wild Mint (formerly ESP)!
Exact reason why I don’t juice, either. I love my smoothies and they are so much more filling!
Agree!
When you were born you were not Fat. Food does. I will like to see the physical body of everyone how’s writing a comment here. Juicing is the remedy to loose pounds. Smoothie is to keep the form. Making exercise a little bit everyday is the balance. The most important: Enjoy your life and fell good everyday. Easy to say, very hard to do.
Was this post even necessary?
Real food is not adding any preservatives which this clearly doesn’t. Juicing is pure vegetables or fruit with a little help with predigestion. And yes, I am one of those that have made awesome kale and zucchini bread from my pulp.
And what about a veggie blender that keeps everything?
Don’t lose validity in your cause by attacking the same people interested in your cause.
Woah…settle down now. Lisa’s point didn’t come across as an attack. She was just sharing her reasons why she doesn’t juice. All of which were valid points that “newbies” should consider… especially if they are working on a tight budget.
That’s right, very valid points that whole heartily NEED to be considered.
Also…NOT ALL JUICERS are the same… To really truly benefit from a juicer you need a Cold Press Juicer…which most do not have.
Big difference from a Centrifugal Juice Extractors (the most common type and the cheap kind)
Ruth – I am sorry to hear that you took offense to my post. As I stated throughout this is why I PERSONALLY don’t juice, and I also repeatedly said there is nothing wrong with doing so.
Ruth she did mention using a blender at the end of the article to ‘keep everthing’
oh you keep the Vitamins and Nutrients that are destroyed by the blender? Do you put them in your pocket or?
Smoothies! Most definitely. I usually have a fruit and spinach smoothie every morning for breakfast with some oatmeal added to keep me fuller longer. I got my Squooshies last week so any left over smoothie I have that won’t fit in my to-go cup now goes in a Squooshi for the kids.
This post rubbed me the wrong way. To say that juicing is not part of a ‘whole food’ diet is wrong.
Even in your own definitions on your website, where you state the ‘rules’ of eating “Real” food, juicing fits right in.
What could have been a more light hearted post (“Do you prefere juicing or smoothies, why or why not, pros and cons of both…”) came out somewhat condenscending.
It would have been nice for you to state the PRO’s of juicing, and the benefits you get from juicing that you dont get from a smoothie.
I don’t understand why some people were “rubbed the wrong way” with this article. The title of the post is “Why I don’t juice.” I think Lisa shared some information that many newbies to healthier eating/juicing/smoothie making, may not have considered. There are a lot of misconceptions and misleading information regarding what is “healthy eating.” Some people may not understand that most of the fiber is extracted during the juicing process. If increasing fiber in your diet using whole foods is your goal, juicing may not be the best option for you. I did not feel like Lisa was attacking juicing, she just simply shared reasons why juicing didn’t work for her.
I completely agree. This was not an educated post in the least.
Wow. No need to get feisty about this. The post is called ” why I don’t juice” NOT “why you shouldn’t juice ” it’s a personal opinion and reasons. Take from it what you will. No need to get defensive. To each their own.
Wow, never saw anyone get all wadded up about juice before. That’s a first.
Anyway, my husband wanted to get on a juicing regimen, but I quickly shut that down. He can’t have gluten, eggs or dairy, so our grocery budget is already through the roof. To see a week’s worth of produce go into one glass was just unbearable.
I don’t understand why some people were “rubbed the wrong way†with this article. The title of the post is “Why I don’t juice.†I think Lisa shared some information that many newbies to healthier eating/juicing/smoothie making, may not have considered. There are a lot of misconceptions and misleading information regarding what is “healthy eating.†Some people may not understand that most of the fiber is extracted during the juicing process. If increasing fiber in your diet using whole foods is your goal, juicing may not be the best option for you. I did not feel like Lisa was attacking juicing, she just simply shared reasons why juicing didn’t work for her.
I do both, but I must say I prefer smoothies to juice. I have a friend who sometimes puts her juice into her smoothies, which I thought was a good idea. Love your blog!
The cost is exactly why I don’t do it. I consume a tremendous amount of kale as it is. I don’t want to triple my produce purchases just to squeeze out a tiny bit of juice. I like my moneyyyyy.
I agree! I don’t juice either, though I’m not opposed in any way. I would just personally rather eat the actual food rather than take the time and effort to juice it. Nothing wrong with that!
Honestly, it sounds like you used the world’s worst juicer. I wish your experience would have been better. Our juicer is only about three parts for washing and the juice that is gleaned is MUCH more than that little glass.
I don’t juice either; because I just don’t like “juice”. People who like to drink juice have at it. Smoothies are just ok. But who knew “juicing” vs. smoothies was such a red hot issue.
I think this is a great post for people to read before they buy a juicer. I bought one recently and I make juice and smoothies in tandem, dumping all the pulp from my juicer directly into my blender. It works for me, but I can definitely appreciate why juicing isn’t for everyone.
Karis that is an interesting idea I never thought of…use all that pulp in a smoothie! I am still not running out to buy a juicer though :)
i prefer juice. i would never be able to eat as much kale (raw) to equal the nutrients (i.e. enzymes and iron, etc.) that i get in a cup of juice. and though it is more expensive than not-juicing, i still prefer it. i either grow or buy most of my veggies at a local farmer’s market so the price is not too bad.
smoothies also don’t cut for me – they make me gag (i also don’t like pudding, applesause, or ice cream)! if i can’t get it down, then it isn’t providing me any nutrients at all. juicing (masticating juicer) is the only way i can get down vitamans from many veggies – as well as getting them into the bellies of my kids. put it in a non-clear cup and they never know it is green.
I’m not sure I understand why you don’t consider juice a “whole” food? That’s sort of like saying tea isn’t a whole food cause it doesn’t contain the leaves, or that herbs aren’t whole foods cause they’re dried. Besides, removing the fiber is a huge plus for some people. I can’t digest fiber well, so eating a whole foods diet isn’t as effective as drinking and eating a whole foods diet. But it is CRAZY expensive… I don’t think anyone will argue that.
It’s not technically a “whole” food because it is processed and something (pulp, fiber) is removed from it, in the same way a peeled apple is no longer a “whole” food. It’s obviously more “real food” than artificially colored and sweetened drinks, but it’s also not as healthy as a shake/smoothie where you’d eat the whole peel and all the fiber.
I don’t juice because I have no desire for another kitchen appliance to store (and clean) and because I try to avoid drinking my calories. In addition to the cost (due to the large volume needed), I worry about the easy liquid calories and the impact large amounts of juice may have on the teeth. I’d rather drink water and eat a salad, which is more filling than a glass of juice.
Please do some research on Juicing. True accredited research. Not just some blog reading.
I appreciated this article. Sometimes, when I tell people I do smoothies and I do not juice, I get the same reaction as some of the folks who took offense to this article. It honestly confounds me.
Maybe because we are all so conscientious of our decision and protective of something so personal.
There are great reasons to do both!
I LOVE everyone who is making the attempt at eating better. Do what is best for you, your lifestyle and your own health. Be supportive of one another.
I love making smoothies way more than juicing! They are more filling, you are getting the WHOLE fruit/veggie rather than a small part of it, and I don’t feel like I am wasting anything (food or money). I did juice for a while and tried to bake with the remains but it got too time consuming.
I love my Blendtec Blender for green smoothies, and easy to clean. Have owned the Vitamix, it does a good job as well, but I like this better. My friend has the new Nutribullet that seems to do a good job as well, and is certainly more cost effective… Yes Love smoothies…
My husband doesn’t eat any vegetables. Then he discovered juicing. He only does it twice a week – makes a pitcher of juice to last a few days. So the work isn’t very time consuming because it is only twice a week. He now is “eating” (drinking) vegetables he NEVER would have tried like Kale, carrots, lemons & cucumbers. And for that – it is totally worth the work, expense and all the extra pulp :-).
Paula, I think fresh juice oxidizes…and is best to be drank within 20 minutes of making it or you loose the nutrients and most of the health benefits…
Smoothies! I make a smoothie every single morning. Some have tons of veggies, some have minimal veggies and more fruit. My blender wasn’t good enough to make them super smooth, though, so I got a fancy Nutribullet, and it’s my favorite, most used kitchen appliance. :)
My feelings on using a juicer: Ain’t nobody got time fo dat! (I hate cleaning…)
I would love to juice in addition to drinking smoothies but I don’t do it for the exact reasons that Lisa states. I think having fresh veg juice is a great way to get added vitamins/minerals etc in addition to what you are already eating, but in my experience (I also borrowed a friend’s juicer before investing in one) it was a lot more work and expense than all the juicing articles and blogs I read made it out to be. With three young kids I just don’t have the time to chop and clean up, and frankly don’t have the storage space in my fridge. My husband, son and I started drinking green smoothies from our Vitamix every morning with protein powder. We love it, but buying organic fruits and vegetables for that alone is expensive enough, and juicing would take so much more. If I had more time, money, and storage I’d totally be on the Juice Wagon. But for now, Vitamix smoothies work for our family.
You *are* much better off eating the whole food, I agree. And there is absolutely no proof that juicing detoxes your body or any other nonsense. Want to detox your body? Drink lots of water, eat right and exercise (get sweaty!).
After watching the Fat Sick and Nearly dead documentary, I thought it sounded interesting….but not something feasible. We bought a Vitamix and have been doing smoothies instead. However, for the past 6 months I’ve watched a cousin of mine who has an endocrine disorder, juice for 30 days and almost completely come off her meds (one of which is prednisone) She took a break for two months (only eating real, whole foods during that period) then started again. Her endocrinologist just let her know that they need to lower her meds again. There is something to be said for juicing and what it does for you health-wise, obviously. I’ve also been reading about the Gershon Institute/Therapy- that is interesting research, you should check it out! I have PCOS and am seriously considering trying it for 30 days. And with smoothies we seem to be getting more sugar from tons of fruit in our house- even with making them green! :)
I can’t agree more with these points!
I see the idea of it fitting into my healthy lifestyle, and am considering a pre-made juice cleanse very soon, but the cost and the cleanup of regular juicing are truly just prohibitive. (Work for a nonprofit org, no dishwasher in my old-but-full-of-character apartment!)
Apparently your quality of life isn’t worth 10 minutes of prep and cleaning. You get a toothbrush, scrub under hot water and set aside to dry. It’s literally one of the easiest cleanups in the kitchen!
Very informative view. Something I can surely use. I agree. Eating the whole food, loaded with the phytonutrients, is best. No doubt. A great counter-culture look at (obviously) a touchy subject. I do know though, that a total life of just juicing is never a realistic answer. And as for me (who travels for a living), can you imagine the gear I’d have to take on the road?? I just go to health food store or organic market, and eat the veggies. Buy ’em, keep ’em in a cooler. Load up. :)
I have spoken to several nutritionists on smoothies vs. juicing and they all agreed that the benefits of smoothies far outweigh the benefits of juicing. The only real benefit to juicing is if you have a problem tolerating all that fiber. So Lisa’s “personal” choice in this article is pretty right on with what the experts say and I’m so glad she wrote this!
Thank you for the vote of confidence!
I’ve never juiced, but I make smoothies all the time. It is a great way to use up all that kale in my garden and it is the only way my daughter will eat it. And I don’t “sneak” it in; my daughter puts it right in and calls it her “salad smoothie”. Since it also has grapes, pears and apples in it, she’s on board.
Anyways, juicing seems like a lot of work and $. I work at a school and our students use a juicer on occasion to make lemon/lime aides for their “healthy bake sale”.
I am team smoothie.
Good for you – I disagree with sneaking veggies (if you can get away with it!)
Lisa,
I completely agree with you, and have never juiced for the same reasons! Mainly for me, it’s because it IS so expensive by the time you buy all organic ingredients. I haven’t seen any studies on this, but I would also guess shoving all that produce into a blender & blending the crap out it, must affect the chemical makeup of the food as well. I will always believe that eating whole foods in their natural form is best. Nature always knows best! Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE juicing, but I use a Nutri Bullet which just puree’s the veggies, fruits, nuts, & seeds all perfect for drinking. All the pulp stays in and it doesn’t seem too expensive to me since you’re getting all the pulp too (which fills you up more of course) and does not “waste” anything. I don’t really know if it makes me feel any better, but I love the idea that I’m getting tons of healthy things in my juice concoctions that I might not normally be getting on a regular basis.
Thanks for this. I’ve been considering juicing but cleaning the juicer and you describe is enough to know I don’t want to mess with it. We like smoothies around here and we’ll just continue with that. :)
I have been trying juicing and have to admit that it seems very wasteful to me. I can’t possibly make enough muffins to use up all that pulp. It can be very expensive. So I juice sometimes, but also still make smoothies. In the summer I make lots of salads, all kinds, like beet, apple, and carrot slaw. In the winter I make lots of soups. In the end, I think variety is best.
I prefer juice to smoothies. I think they both have their place. Sometimes I want to consume the entire whole thing, and sometimes my body wants just the juice. I used to be bothered by the “waste” but now I put it in the compost pile and it makes the most diving black compost. Nothing is wasted.
I wish I had thought of borrowing a juicer before registering for one. I hardly use it and mostly because of all the reasons Lisa listed above. The other reason is that supposedly it oxidizes fairly quickly and so you have to drink the juice right away. It really is a big hassle.
sell it!! someone out there would love a discounted juicer!!
I’m seriously considering it!
Love this! I would get so annoyed at my juicer when it failed to make a decent amount of juice out of, say, a crap ton of oranges. I once tried wheatgrass. Once. It made ZERO juice. And so I resorted to chewing on grass like a cow. Not cute, nor fun. My family and I are smoothie drinkers- every morning for breakfast. Our Jack LaLaine juicer collects dust. unless the hubbs wants me to try my hand at fresh oj randomly. And I disagree with the folks that took offense. I think it’s nice to see differing opinions in the health food/ whole food debate. Because let’s face it…some people think we’re a little cray cray for the way we live. It’s nice to see there are workable options for everyone!
Love reading your posts! I “personally” do juice, simply because I enjoy it, and it’s an easy way for ME to get my 6 servings of veggies a day. :) I try to juice “in season” to cut down on the expense. One thing I would like to mention is that applying heat (friction from a blender) to fruits & veggies can denature the enzymes and proteins. As well, oxidation occurs more readily with the chopping blade of a blender, as it obliterates the cell walls of the foods. Neither juicing nor smoothies is a bad thing – they each have their pros and cons. Either one is waaaaay better than a Diet Coke! :)
True that – it’s all better than the highly processed stuff!
First of all, I’d say that I agree with Lisa on about 50% of what she offers (personal opinions, “facts”, how she does things, causes)on her blog. Juicing can be done for a variety of reasons, and she makes it clear that she wants to eat more whole foods, which does not fit in that lifestyle.
Second, I personally love juicing. I am a vegetarian and love having variety or simply adding extra vitamins and minerals to my diet. It also fits into my personal lifestyle of fasting one day a week. So although you may not agree with her, take what you want and discard the rest. Lisa is carving out a way of living that may not be for everyone. I’ve learned alot from her, as well as helping to form my own opinions about topics/issues that I didn’t have before. I know I certainly don’t agree with her ALL the time, but I take what I think is valuable. Keep up the fight Lisa!
DIVINE, not diving
Thanks for the post Lisa, I enjoyed it. I have always had the thought that the fiber in the fruit was a good way to balance out all the natural sugar in it. I remember reading somewhere that your body had to use a good amount of energy digesting the fiber (pulp) and how that is better for your body than skipping the fiber and getting all the sugar. I think it has to do with the spikes it causes in blood sugar. Anyway, I always enjoy reading your reviews and opinions on diets and fads etc.
I feel the same way. I like vegetable juice, but I don’t like all the waste. I’d rather make smoothies and get all the good fiber.
I have some refillable pouches. I LOVE them! This weekend we are taking a 7 hour one way trip to visit my husband’s family. This morning I steamed several pears with a few strawberries and will fill my pouches with fresh, no preservatives pearberry sauce for my son to eat on the road.
I read the “Fat Chance” book too, when the author talked about how he was against juicing because you remove healthy parts of the fruit. It’s a good point. I asked my husband what he thought (he’s a doctor) and he said he’d never tell his patients NOT to drink juice (especially if they’re choosing between juice and soda!), but he disagreed with Lustig’s argument that you shouldn’t drink smoothies either. Lustig said that juicing is bad too because it breaks up the fibers, but my husband pointed out that true fiber breakdown really occurs on a molecular level so smoothies are OK.
One thing that bothers me about juicing is that a lot of people who promote it online sell or represent juicing machine companies. Convenient!
Of course people should do whatever they want but I personally agree with your personal opinion! :)
Oops! I meant to write “Lustig said that smoothies are bad too!”
On-Line Writing Rule #1- Never, ever, ever read the comments section. -P.S. I don’t juice either. Smoothies all the way
Juicing and smoothies are very necessary for those that can’t eat or easily digest real food. Those that can’t swallow easily and so forth. Now for us relatively healthy ones. We need to eat Whole food. The activity of chewing is important for 1 as well as our stomachs working to breakdown the foods. So when you juice to add to your diet, don’t forget to keep eating the whole thing too.
I have done both, and LOVE them both. However, I have come to learn that when you juice a fruit, you are only getting the fructose, which by itself is NOT so much of a good thing. It spikes your blood sugar (because of the absence of fiber), and eating a whole fruit (as in a smoothie), the fiber is kept in tact, and your body reacts as if it’s consuming a whole piece of fruit. You have to have a pretty good blender (I have a Blendtec), and I will first hit the “whole juice” setting, which will turn my apples, carrots, oranges, broccoli, etc into a thick puree, then I add the frozen fruit (because a smoothie is just not the same with out some frozen fruit in there), and my greens. I LOVE my green smoothies, they are so filling, and I actually will CRAVE them, especially if I’ve been eating not so well. With one smoothie (I usually get about 3 cups worth), you are getting pretty much your day’s worth of fruits and veggies). It’s not as expensive, I buy fruit that is in season, (berries are everywhere this time of year)and will cube it up and freeze individually on a cookie sheet, than seal them up, toss them into the freezer, and I have fruit all winter long. You can also freeze up pieces of fruit that are getting a little ripe (instead of letting it go bad). Most of my ‘getting ripe’ bananas end up in the freezer. Costco sells huge bags of frozen assorted fruits. Summer time is a great time, there are so many greens out there this time of year.
Thanks for posting this. I have often wondered about making juice as way to get more veggies in my diet. Lisa’s post pointed out some very important things I might not have thought about. One being the cost and the second losing the fiber when the pulp is removed. I have never been a fan of pulp in my fresh squeezed OJ (only OJ I ever been able to say I like) but I think I will stop removing it.
That being said, I much prefer smoothies but never thought about adding kale or spinach to them.
For what it’s worth, I “juice” with my Vitamix everyday and it is the answer to my juicing woes. My fiance and I also jumped on the juice bandwagon after watching the aforementioned documetary and felt benefits right away. Unfortunately, we also felt the pinch in our wallets. Now that we have the Vitamix, I can get 5 times the juice for the same amount of fruit and veggies I would use for one juice! You can juice veggies (or make them into smoothies) in the vitamix too and you don’t lose any of the food. It’s all still there, pulverized to a drinkable pulp. Add a little water and it will be even thinner and you get extra water for the day. After experiencing both, juicing is a must for me but I will never do it with a conventional juicer again.
A Vitamix addresses all of these issues.. Yes it is an investment but worth it. Thomas Keller lists it as a “must-have” kitchen tool.
I think the point is that you loose vital nutritional value when you leave out what is extracted. If you want to go through the trouble and then bake the ‘extras’ in, then you are good. But Lisa clearly states this is HER thought process for not juicing. Which really, isn’t that what this blog is all about? Lisa giving her thoughts on eating and why she does it the way she does. It’s all about choices. We do what we do because we choose to, whether it be eating…or following and agreeing with a blog.
I completely agree! Why waste all those awesome nutrients and fiber! My personal all time favorite smoothie maker is the vitamix, with the bullet coming in second. They pulverize the food not just chop it up in small pieces so your body can digest it more efficiently. Good informative post!
I totally agree! I love my BlendTec for the simple reason that I can have my juice and chew it too! Fiber is good for the gut and when your gut is happy, everyone around you appreciates the mood you bring a WHOLE lot better! Thank you flr this wonderful post.
Thank you FOR not fir! : )
WOW! I can’t believe how many people can get so bent out of shape about your posts sometimes. I love your articles. I have juiced in the past (3 weeks straight) and I loved the yummy juices that I did make but it was just too expensive and time consuming (not just the juicing part but also finding time to utilize the fiber) for me. I do a lot of the green smoothies and add any veggie/ fruit in my fridge that may need to be used soon. I love them and find that they are much more filling. Thanks for your posts! BTW- that looks like a Breville? I have one of those and LOVED it when I juiced. Very easy to clean.
I thought this was an interesting perspective especially since a contributing writer, The Food Babe, swears by green juice. I have started to feel left out of the cool club because I don’t have a juicer. It just goes to show that your cure-all might not be someone else’s.
Yes, to each her own :)
My husband is not a vegetable eater (but he is trying) so we have adopted juicing as a way to get him more vegetables. I’d rather just eat them, but ill take anyway I can to get more vitamins in him. Its similar to how I feel a baking veggies into things to get my boys to eat more veggies. Again, I’d rather they just ate them, but… Whatever helps them all eat a bit better, I’ll take it.
I do both but do juice every morning….I view it as a supplement……it really gets tons of micronutrients to those cells!
My dad bought me a juicer for Christmas. I exchanged it for a pressure cooker! I’d rather eat my food than drink it.
I love juicing – not an exaggeration to say it has changed my life. I think of it as a mega vitamin rich meal replacement – I don’t buy organic everything, and that saves on the cost, so for me it’s no more expensive than our regular food budget. I’ve never ingested as many dark leafy greens as I’m able to do with my juicer. Fat, sick, and nearly dead – Netflix – opened a whole new world for me regarding juicing and I’m truly forever changed because of it. I don’t do smoothies because I can’t handle pulp and we don’t eat dairy, so no yogurt, I have made a dessert of juicing strawberries and spinach, and then putting it in the nutriBullet with bananas and a few frozen berries, and then put it in the freezer – we call it strawberry banana NoYo. :)
I just recently started juicing and making smoothies. These two things are the only way I get my fruits & vegetables, because I just can’t eat very many vegetables on their own (it’s mostly a texture thing). I agree that juicing is costly, but I have felt the benefits from getting more vegetables, even if it is just the juice. My skin looks great, I have more energy, and I have less cravings when I juice. I don’t juice every day, but I do think the money is worth the benefits every now and then. Great article, I love to hear how others feel about juicing versus smoothies. I say do both!
I make smoothies for myself & my son almost every day. We LOVE them & love experimenting w/ different flavor combinations. We eat lots of veggies, in addition to fruit, so I don’t see a need for juice in our diet. Plus, cost is definitely a factor for us. Friends of ours treated us to a fruit & veggie smoothie made in their Vitamix, so it included the pulp. I liked that idea but certainly am not going to invest in a $500 machine when my $30 blender does just fine. Smoothies make me happy – they are delicious, affordable,healthy & easy to make every time. Making & drinking “green juice” is a chore, in my opinion! Sounds like some of the the die-hard juicers out there could use a little smoothie happiness in their defensive, grumpy lives! :)
I don’t juice for the exact reasons you listed, but I do have a green smoothie for lunch every day! I don’t think I ever would have started drinking smoothies daily if not for your berry smoothie recipe, so thank you for the inspiration!
I’ve started to juice about 2-3 times a week (or trying to) but I do so in my Blendtec, which includes the pulp. (It’s also a great for smoothies and soups etc.) It’s super easy to clean, and as noted before, everything is in the juice, pulp and all. We purchased this brand specifically for this reason, we are not throwing out the fiber.
I totally agree, it’s not for everyone, and each needs to make their own choices. But for those considering it … Check out what a Blendtec can do differently than juicers. And no, I don’t work for them.
Very sad for you. I hope you don’t ever have a health crisis. Do you know how much work it takes your body to digest food? Not to mention the combination of foods people dump into themselves and expect the digestive system to figure it out. Juicing besides benefiting those who choose to nourish and love their bodies, provides raw nutrients in a way that a blender cannot provide. A blender while it has beneficial uses cannot break through the cell wall of a plant to assist your body in absorbing the nutrients. Juicing allows the body to detoxify all the things people put in it, are surrounded with including toxins in the environment. While it may not be convenient or cost effective whatever that means, it can be a life benefiting choice for many.
Debbie, I just loved your response! It made the most sense.
Yes, juicing might be a little more time consuming and
A little more expensive…. But what time and
Cost value would you put on your health, or your
Child’s health?… Why wait until you are sick, before
You start juicing, why not juice to give your cells the
Best possible chance to prevent illness.
Believe me I am NO juicing fanatic, just 1 juice
A day, has improved my health, skin and weight,
To no end. What are you waiting for people?
You have nothing to lose, except the weight, plus
Get great skin and feel fantastic. 😃
“A blender while it has beneficial uses cannot break through the cell wall of a plant to assist your body in absorbing the nutrients.”
A standard college intro biology lab is to extract chlorophyll from spinach leaves, with the first step being to either grind the leaves with a mortar and pestle (think your molars) or to blend the leaves in a commercial blender. I know from experience both procedures are very effective at breaking open the plant cell walls.
Juicing is certainly easier on your stomach. But the U.S. also has a higher incidence of diverticulitis than the rest of the world. The average American diet is much lower in fiber than most of the rest of the world. I’ve recently been diagnosed with diverticulitis and had to do some research.
For those juicing fruit, by consuming the fiber you are also reducing the glycemic load for the sugar you’re ingesting.
The bottom line is that if juicing was the best thing for us, we would have evolved a way to regurgitate the fiber and just keep the juice. The key is balance, but people love to go to extremes.
SERIOUSLY PATRICIA? Lisa was about a neutral as one could be..stating several times that this was HER take – and if it worked for someone else, then more power to them.
Maybe all that juicing has impaired your reading comprehension skills.
We juice. I love it. I miss my juicer (in the middle of moving). I found just drinking juice in the morning did fill me up, and my girls thought it was just the coolest & a special treat (a 2 year old & a 3.5 year old drinking beet juice-yay!). I also felt like it helped me lose the weight from my third child faster when I was replacing breakfast with juice.
With the pulp, I have obese dogs, so I used the pulp to fill out their very small meals so they weren’t tearing apart my house on a daily basis looking for food.
I’m interested in the squooshi. How well do they clean? Are they easy to fill?
They are dishwasher safe so very easy to clean – the bottom end opens up completely (via a zipper).
Thanks! I may have to order some up for the fall or sooner for summer road running.
Bang On! Thanks for voicing your juicing opinions…they ring true for me also!
I’ve been juicing in the mornings everyday for the last couple of months. I eat veggies and fruit regularly in their whole form as well since I know you can’t rely on juice alone to give you everything you need. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and am tired of hurting everyday and being exhausted from dealing with the chronic pain. Giving myself shots every week that are expensive and rather painful wasn’t much fun either. I gave juicing a try in an attempt to get a large sum of micronutrients in my body in an easier form. It would take me all day to get through the amount of veggies I use in my juice. Yes it’s expensive, but since I’ve been juicing, I’ve found that my RA symptoms have really decreased. I think that’s pretty fantastic!
I think it’s such a personal preference. I love the idea of smoothies but I really struggle with the texture. We recently did a 10 day juice cleanse and now I can’t imagine not juicing regularly. You make excellent points though. It is expensive. For 1 person, the cost is around $250/month in fresh produce. If you’re also feeding a family, that’s a lot to add to the food budget. Our juicer is a breeze to clean, so I think you have done control over that. As far as the whole food debate, it is not whole but fresh juice is absolutely real so I feel good giving my kids fresh carrot apple kale juice or something similar. It’s definitely wise for a newbie to do lots of research before in eating because it is an investment in a not very versatile machine (ours makes nut butters and such but so does my blend tec, so a nice feature but probably not one ill ever use.) also, a really great option is to find a local juice bar. They’re more popular than ever it seems so that’s a good way to have the occasional juice while not making a full investment. Sometimes our body needs pre-digested foods to heal or rest.
I, too, appreciate the vast amount of information and ideas on this site and I appreciate hearing your experience.
Great article thank you for posting it!!!! I totally understand the whole cost thing and feeling like your wasting the fiber..These days cost is a big factor and so is cleaning the juicer.
I do both I blend into a smoothie with my vitamix then squeeze through a nut mile milk to take out the pulp I like this method better than the juicer.
I definetely believe in whole foods and eating or drinking as in smoothie all of the fruits and vegetables. I mostly do smoothies, a citrus, red (berry) and green.. But I do juice on a fast I use juices I feel its the safest way for me as well as others and it works.
At times my body does not want all that fiber but It wants the nutrients so I opt for just juice it does go straight into my system and starts working immediatly. Thanks again!
That’s why I didn’t jump on the bandwagon either. I like the taste of juice, but would rather have a smoothie or just eat the fruit or veggie. Just my preference though. :)
I’m a juicer…. and I totally agree with you. How’s that for a conundrum? My biggest issue that arose from my juicing habit was the extreme amount of sugars (though natural, they were still unwanted) I was getting from my several times daily juice habit. I have changed my green juice recipe to include only one apple for two servings and have gotten that in check. I still enjoy a green juice most mornings, more as a supplement than anything else. I often mix it with coconut water and a little spirulina and I enjoy the flavor and the benefits I’ve noticed. I have noticed changes in my energy levels as well as my skin. I don’t think anyone argues with the vitamin/mineral content and relative ease of consuming such massive amounts. I would never otherwise start my day with say 1/2 a head of romain, 1/2 a bunch of kale, 2 cups of spinach, 2 stalks of celery, a cup of broccoli sprouts, and a helping of seaweed… The only major change I have made is drinking my low sugar daily juice as a supplement, not a meal.
That being said, I replace several meals a week with smoothies and totally get the satiety factor. And cleaning the juicer is a pain, no one can argue that. Great write up… I don’t think there was anything wrong with your facts or your conclusion, and I’m a juicer, so there! ;)
Actually smoothies are not any better. I was shocked to read this when I read Fat Chance by Robert Lustig. Take a look. All about the self limiting nature to consuming the fiber and a bunch of more involved science on how we process sugars. Very enlightening to read, as I said I was pretty floored.
We are a smoothie family as well! 100% agree with you. Keep the good work!
I love juicing and drink and use fresh juice in smoothies everyday. I also use the pulp in baked goods and to make my own veggie stock and throw the rest in compost. It’s EASY and I am a full time working mom. Juicing is an easy way to gain the nutrients of eating veggies and fruits, for those people (like my hubby) who has a hard time eating enough. To claim that juice is not a “real” food is kind of silly. There are many things that I am sure you process at home before you eat them…Do you peel any fruits or veggies? Do you always eat all of the edible seeds or flowers of a plant? Do you trim fat or skin off of meats? Do you make gravy? Juice extracted from fresh food is still a “real” food, it’s not like it’s being turned into HFCS! Seems like you wrote a definition and are sticking to it, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
I have not tried much in the way of smoothies (though I think I may soon!) but I do juice periodically.
I went through a medical scare a few years ago and was advised to follow an alkaline diet – for me, that was MUCH easier with juicing! I juice periodically through the year just to kick start my body, it does seem to respond well to periodic juicing. I actually find it filling to have the juice and then a glass of raw milk.
It is expensive, and time consuming, for sure though! I can prep/juice/drink it/clean up in about 20 minutes, but that is still 20 minutes I could be doing other things. To be fair though, it takes me about 25 minutes to cook/eat/clean oatmeal if I want that for breakfast …
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I utilize both juicing and smoothies. I think they both have incredible value… And I do think juicing has tremendous value if you are hoping to lose weight and to restore health. I wouldn’t live on juices for the rest of my life, but they are an incredible way to up your your nutrition. I think I’m a little surprised at your dismissing it so thoroughly… You might want to research the benefits a bit more. But I do totally get your point, yes it is pricey and inconvenient. I just think there is a time and place for both.
I can see why a lot of people would not want to take the time to juice, but there are a lot of really good benefits to it. Yes, fiber is good and very important to eat – but it is highly beneficial to do both – eating whole / smoothies and juicing.
When you juice, your body assimilates over 90% of the nutrients because it doesn’t have to sit in your stomach to be digested. When the fiber is still in the food it has to go through the full digestive process so you only assimilate about 30% of the nutrients.
It is obviously still very important to eat the whole foods as well, but juicing is an excellent addition to give you a massive amount of nutrition that you simply can’t get by eating alone. As you said in your article you get several meals worth of veggies in one glass – which cost wise is more but again like you said if you have a health challenge that extra nutrition can really give you a huge boost. My dad was able to overcome MS and attributes it greatly to juicing and cutting out all of the processed and unhealthy foods.
My family and I eat clean, but are wanting to buy a nutribullet possibly for making smoothy like drinks to chill. Any suggestions? I see some posting about a Blendtec. We want a pulverizer not juicer, suggestions please?
By the way I love your blog. We prefer raw produce in its natural state, but would be nice to have something for smoothies.
I have a NutriBullet and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it for my smoothies! I use it all.the.time and put everything from kale to almonds in my smoothies. I highly recommend it!
Also LOVE the nutribullet. I have had it for a year now and you can throw just about anything in it. I often throw in seeds (pumpkin, chia, flax, etc.). You can also make your own protien/breakfast bars with it.
Juicing wasn’t really for me either, but I just bought a nutribullet a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t be happier with it! Talk about some awesome smoothies……omgosh…and it grinds up flax seeds too! My kids are loving it also! Best purchase ever!
How hard is it to was the sqooshies? I was concerned about that factor.
I agree about juicing. My kids and i need that fiber that comes from the whole fruit or vege. plus, because it can be icy, they think of it almost like a treat. One thing I feel though is that a great blender was key for me and family with smoothies. I have texture issues and could not get one child to eat anything green but kiwi. So I used he shark first but it didn’t get “chunks” smooth enough for kids. Plus I like to freeze produce about to go bad before we can get to it all, or was a bunch of berries ahead and freeze…and many blenders have trouble with frozen chunks. I bit down and bought the vitamix. I must say this is a gem for more whole and healthy living. When adding an apple to a smoothie you can actually do seeds and all. Gets kale smooth. If you eat peanuts, make peanut butter for kids with just organic peanuts. Or do almond buttèrs.
Hi Kelly. Click on the Squooshi picture above and go to the tab “how to Squoosh”. It explains how easy they are to wash. ;) ~Amy
That’s what I love about you Lisa – you are so honest and so real!
Awww thank you Krista. I admit it’s hard to put myself out there sometimes (today included) so I appreciate your comment!
I’ve read so much about juicing and felt I just HAD to get on the bandwagon. However, after researching juicers and the amount of veggies needed to make juice, I decided it was too costly – time and money wise. I love raw veggies so I have no problem consuming what I need as the whole food. I do like to make smoothies now and then as a way to change things up and just because they’re fun. I kind of feel like I did when I was a kid and would make milkshakes in the blender.
I don’t juice because I have reactive hypoglycemia. If I don’t have the fiber of a fruit or vegetable, I will have a mega sugar dive in an hour or less. For example: I can eat and orange with no adverse effects but I am practically asking for a coma if I drink orange juice.
The fiber of the fruit and vegetable slow down digestion of the simple sugars and pushes all the other things down the digestion tract.
I also agree with all your points. My family has no health issues, so for us the fiber is not an issue. Love smoothies!We have them 3-4 times a week using coconut water. Thanks to the 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge a have some new receipes that get more greens into my boys and help satisfy my cravings for something sweet! As always, it comes down to personal choice and what works for each individual. Thank you for all your posts!
I agree with you about juicing. At my old apartment, I uncovered a juicer that had been left behind by a previous tenant and decided to give it a try since the equipment was free. Right away I could see why juices at juice bars are so incredibly expensive – it’s actually not that much of a mark-up compared to making it yourself at home! There was no way I could justify spending that much $$ on juice, plus the clean-up was a HUGE pain (I do not have a dishwasher). I also hear you on the waste issue…when I was spending so much money on the ingredients, it felt terrible to be putting so much of the pulp in the compost.
I go through spurts on smoothies…I like them, but often find it just easier to eat the fruit plain/cut up without blending.
I have severe GI issues, so I have been very malnourished, and I am forced to live on a low-fiber diet. I have even gotten so bad that I spent eight months on TPN (being fed “formula” through a vein in my chest). I have switched my family to real foods, but have struggled with my own nutrition. I bought a juicer, and I have managed to put on seven pounds (badly needed!) just because my body is finally getting some of the nutrients it was lacking in order to function.
That being said, I have to agree with your stance. Juicing is NOT for everyone! I have learned a few ways to make it cheaper, but that still leaves cleaning the machine every day. And although my compost pile loves the pulp, I feel like it is such a waste!
We do both juice and smoothies. My son is not a fan of water and would drink very little so we juice mostly for him, BUT I only juice once a week for the entire week and store it in Ball jars. When we drink it we use half juice, half water ratios; I’ve read that it helps you digest it better, plus it lasts twice as long and it would be too sweet for us otherwise. Making them once a week makes it a lot less hassle for clean-up and they also preserve really well in the fridge in the glass jars. You can use the pulp for composting. We buy our produce from Costco which helps keep costs down, but they’re limited on their organic selections.
After having on going serious health issues… Juicing has saved my life!!!! I love it so much and will continue to make this a part of my life. The nutrients go right to the cells. I could not digest all that pulp. It has given me a new energy and zest for life. I love smoothies too but they are often too full of sugars with all that fruit.
We juice more in the winter when fruit isn’t as plentiful and I promise you I have never used the pulp for anything but a garden!
Smoothies just work much better for children!
Great post. Similar reasons why I don’t juice. I do a smoothie most morning for breakfast and throw micro-nutrients into those (spirulina, macca, etc).
This is very timely! We were trying a juice fast just last week, and I agree with all your reasons for not doing it – all based on recent experience. Well, all except the fiber part. My goats and pigs LOVED the extra fiber left over! I’ve had a juicer for years. Did some fruit juices in the beginning. Then it sat for a few years. It is somewhat time-consuming and I hate cleaning the thing. But we’ve seen Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead at our chiro’s office over a few weeks. My oldest daughter has had digestive issues and we were hoping this might help her detox a little and reboot. We were going to do a 10-day juice fast – me, my daughter, plus my husband, who has a few more pounds he wants to lose. Three days’ worth of juice cost me $200 and I couldn’t even find everything I needed locally. Our monthly food budget is only $800. At this rate the 3 of us were going to use 3/4 of the food budget in 10 days, and then we still would have 20 days to eat “real” food – plus feed the other 4 people in the house who aren’t juicing, for the full 30 days. I juiced 2-3 times a day so we had 2 or 3 meals/snacks. Start to finish – washing all the produce, preparing it for the juicer, juicing, plus cleanup took 2 hours each time. That was 4-6 HOURS to make juice for 3 people. Remember – I still had other people to cook for. I NEVER spend that much time preparing food, except on Thanksgiving. By day 3 I’d had it. I did like most of the juice. I was feeling well, and lighter. My daughter wasn’t feeling any different, though it had only been 3 days. I made some juice for a couple of meals on day 4. On day 5 I drank leftover juice my daughter and husband couldn’t drink, due to the taste. I understand that some severely ill people can benefit from extended juicing. I believe that everyone can benefit from some juicing – as a supplement as another person commented. I do not believe, as another commented above, that the body has to “figure out” how to digest whole foods in different combinations. Our food was created, and our bodies were created to digest those foods. Again – some severely ill people may have difficulty digesting whole foods, lots of fiber, etc. We live in a fallen world and our bodies don’t always work as designed. So those people benefit from these diets. I’m just not one of them currently. I’ve had smoothies for years and years. I invested in a vitamix 12 years ago and have LOVED it ever since! I have a smoothie for breakfast at least 6 days a week. As my garden produces more stuff this year I’ll add more veggies to my smoothies, and by July or August, I plan to make some juice 2-3 times a week – when my kale and beets, etc., are free and not $2 a bunch. I know that long-term juicing can benefit certain people and would recommend it whole-heartedly for them to heal. I recommend it for others on a “sometimes” basis, as a supplement. But we do need WHOLE foods. Our bodies are made to use them and once the crisis is healed, a person should transition gently from all juice to whole REAL foods for long-term health.
I agree. I grew up in a family without much money.
We were lucky if we could eat once a day. Not only do I worry about all the nutrients I’m missing out on when all that pulp is being expelled out the side, but I morally have issue with wasting perfectly good food due to my upbringing . I do smoothies instead. I could throw that waste into my compost but I would rather eat it. Plus when I drink a smoothie I am full, and I don’t have room/need for an additional meal with it. I have friends who all jumped on the juicing bandwagon after seeing that movie “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”, but after a week of the expense, and the mess, and the cleaning, they gave up and their juicers are all sitting on their shelves now.
I agree! A good blender will provide the same result with way more nutrition. My girls are 7 and 10 and eat all kinds of veggies and fruits in their smoothies. Fiber is so important to a diet, why take it out???
I don’t know what kind of juicer you were using. I have an Omega juicer that takes about 2 minutes to clean up…if that. The kind of juicer you use will make a big difference in the quality and quantity of juice that you get. If anyone is on the fence about juicing please don’t use one person’s opinion as a basis for your decision.
Love the NutriBullet. Husband and kids use it, too. Easy to clean and we make all different kinds of great smoothies.
Great blog post. I found the exact same thing from juicing. I know it works for some, but we ended up taking our juicer back and bought a Vitamix for smoothies instead. I also didn’t like the way I felt when I juiced, but again that was just me. Again, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. I never “juiced” and didn’t realize that much of the fiber/pulp was removed during the process.
I LOVE using Amazing Grass Green Superfood powder with veggies in a blender for a morning smoothie (I know the difference between juice and smoothie now! Thanks!) and I do feel a boost in energy from the added veggies in my diet but as you mention that’s because I am getting all the nutrients.
I agree with you on the issues. I hate to handwash, don’t want the added expensive of the machine or the food, and like getting the most out of the fruits and veggies from a smoothy. With my blender I do a quick rinse after making the smoothies then add some soapy hot water and give it a whirl. It makes the clean up pretty easy.
I have a question about blender juicing/smoothies. Since you put the whole food in and all would that be better? I don’t really do either much but always thought blender juicing would be better and less waste then juicer juice?
Love your honesty and a great post!
Hi Shannon. It is completely a personal choice as to which you prefer. Many people incorporate both. I enjoy smoothies for both the texture and heartiness that results by drinking the whole food. ~Amy
Great post!!! These were all the exact same thoughts I was having, but still feeling like I might be missing out. Thank you for voicing your opinion!! In addition, I always think to myself “how demanding is your life that you can’t possibly get enough vitamins and nutrients from unprocessed whole foods that you need massive amounts of vegetables in order to perform at your optimum?!?” Our ancestors lived way more physically intense lifestles and they didn’t juice! :)
Totally agree with you–prefer smoothies for all of the same reasons you stated.
Thanks for braving it and putting yourself out there to public scrutiny!
I need the fiber badly, so I prefer smoothies. My partner is trying to lose weight and the juice helps him feel more energetic and focused (I like it sometimes too). We just juice once a week, and keep the extra in the fridge – it doesn’t go bad. And the best part is (drum roll…) we feed the pulp to our doggies! We sort it out – they don’t get the pulp from apples or ginger root, but carrot, celery and cucumber pulp are all fine for them. We mix it in with meat or canned wet food (we alternate between semi raw, canned food and kibble…they get a little bit of everything each week).
I will say that my grandma has an awesome food processor, and once while visiting i made a veggie concoction for the dogs – cucumber, carrot, celery, cooked greens – all mashed up together in a juicy fibery blend – and it looked pretty awesome. I’d like to invest in one to increase the awesome healthiness of my smoothies. He says a badass blender is the way to go. Not sure what we’ll decide on.
I use our juicer for any leftover fruits or veggies that are near the end (overripe / uneaten at the end of the week). Towards the first of the week (when first purchased) we aim to eat them as-is in salads / lightly steamed, etc. so i guess we are not hardcore juicers. I got my juicer (on sale plus the 20% off coupon at bbb) to have another way to introduce my kids to a different variation of eating whole foods in a healthy way. It has been excellent for that. In our house my kids prefer juice over smoothies. Our blender leaves big chunks of spinach, etc in the smoothie and the juicer was much more affordable than a vitamix or other fancy mixer. Our whole family has enjoyed juicing and i like that it uses up all the leftover fruits and veggies. I havent tried to use the leftover pulp in anything, but i would like to have a compost pile eventually and then there is no waste!! Also, 98% of the produce i purchase is either on sale (or cheap at our local farmers depot) so cost is not an issue in our scenario.
Great idea for the fruit and veggies that are about to go bad!!!
Don’t hesitate to get a NutriBullet. It makes wonderful smoothies, pulverizes nuts and seeds, and for the price it’s a great buy. It’s easy to clean, which I appreciate :)Whatever it takes to get the nutrition.
We love smoothies but never put in raw leafy greens (the oxilate (sp?) issue). I’ve never juiced but I have to wonder about the raw leafy greens in that too. I think I’d use juicing on occasion. I think it’d be more useful during times when certain fruits and veggies are in abundance (grow your own!). Organic juice is expensive at the store!
We have a juicer and I’ve tried getting in the habit of using it several times. However, (with the exception of an occasional fresh orange juice (because it is just so yummy) we too prefer smoothies. I’ve discovered I like the smoothies better too for all the exact same reasons you mentioned above. Juicing takes all of my fresh fruits and veggies!!! And I do not like cleaning it the machine! :-)
As a frugal person, I’ve always skipped the juicer and just followed the juice recipe with added water or coconut water so I’m consuming the whole food…I think it’s more like a watered down smoothie? Not thick and no dairy products.
In this way, I have not seen much of an increase in produce spending.
We have a Breville juicer and a Vita-Mix blender. My husband likes the juices better. When he drinks a smoothie, he wants it really sweet with basically no veggies. By juicing, he gets a much higher intake of veg. He makes a juice every morning at 4 am and takes it to work for breakfast and lunch.
I, on the other hand, love green smoothies and drink them all the time. So, I tend to favor the vita-mix and my husband likes the breville.
I tried juicing, but I am breastfeeding and could never do a total juice cleanse. But, I have seen my husband lose a lot of weight and gain a lot of energy juicing. Different strokes for different folks.
My mom recently bought a nice juicer, so I asked her to bring it over and we ran to the ranch market and loaded down on a wide variety of things to try. Our experiment was a little less expensive than yours since we don’t tend to buy organic and have access to very inexpensive produce due to our year round growing season here in Arizona. The first turnoff was the cleaning issue. We tried various different combinations and between each go, we had to spend 15-20 minutes cleaning the machine. On the other hand, it takes me about 45 seconds to clean my Bullet between customized made to order smoothies. I did make several batches of various single flavor juices that I then froze in ice cube trays for later smoothies. I’m not saying I won’t juice at all, but I will probably limit it to an occasional afternoon set aside like this one to restock my frozen juice store.
Can you prepare smoothies the night before? How long do they “keep”? My hubby has a peanut allergy but this sounds like the perfect breakfast for me.
Hi Annie. I do that all the time and then just blend it with a bit of ice the next day. I keep my smoothie concoctions in mason jars in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Not certain what their actual refrigerated shelf life might be. ~Amy
I enjoy my smoothies but I adore my Norwalk juicer juices because without the fiber it absorbs almost instantly and doesn’t slow down to digest with the fiber. As for cost, I use a base of organic juicing carrots (25lb bag at publix is $14.99), organic celery and organic parsley and will add in cukes, zuke, green beans, garlic, ginger root… whatever on hand. The Norwalk food processor is quite expensive but you can find an older one on ebay sometimes for a reasonable price. Same thing goes for a Vitamix blender. I bought one that was 40 years old and it still works like a charm.
Here is a trick that will get the little ones to fall in love with carrot juice. Simply had some barley green powder and the darn thing tastes like chocolate milk! I would bring some to work and had people try it with their eyes closed and they has guessed…chocolate milk!
I agree!!! When I saw the juicing thing I was thinking, are these people crazy? This reminder me of other foods that have turned out to be bad for you because they are extracted and concentrated part of the whole food. Sunflower oil, corn syrup, white sugar!? Too much of a good thing an be a bad thing. Sticking to my blendy thanks.
We do both also. But since I hate cleaning my juicer we tend to make more smoothies.
I have a ninja and eat a veggie smoothie for breakfast every morning. I’ve never owned a juicer, but I love my smoothies for the same reasons as you – eating the whole food, all the benefits and nutrients and fiber from the pulp, as well as the full feeling.
I’ve had my Breville juicer for about 2 years. I was really good about juicing the first few months but soon lost interest. I loved the juices that I made but I hated cleaning up after (clean it immediately or you will hate yourself when you get home from work!) I also didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t store the juice in the fridge for long. The juicer is now in the basement and I use it once in a while. I didn’t notice any weight loss but I also ate soon after juicing because I was hungry already.
I agree for the same reasons you stated.
Hi there, I often wondered if you all juiced especially because Vani is the poster girl for juicing :-) I recently bought a Vitamixer, I make a smoothie for my husband and myself almost every morning. But I also use the Vitamixer to make juices. I toss in the whole pieces of vegetables and fruit (apples cored) and add water… so I feel like juicing this way I am getting the WHOLE food. Aren’t I? The Vitamixer does not filter out the fiber and it is so extremely easy to clean. Heck, it cleans itself actually ha!
Yep – what you’re describing is a smoothie! I believe that’s what she was opining…might as well eat whole fruit and not just the juice. I tend to agree with you guys – smoothies are the “whole food”, yummy, and p.s. I also love my Vitamix!
I make smoothies every day. You basically described me in your post for all the same reasons!!! I love your posts even if I do things differently. Keep up the great work!
Your stated reasons are the exact same as mine when it came to juicing. I didn’t like the waste. I got a Vitamix and use is for everything!
I make peanut butter, mayo, soup, chop nuts for homemade granola, chop veggies, grind coffee, milkshakes and of course smoothies! I use if for more I just can’t remember. I use it at least once a day.
I love smoothies!
I juice about once a week to use up whatever fruit & veggies may be starting to go and/or before my next f&v delivery. It’s a good way to not waste the whole food. I make whole food smoothies regularly and start my day with a green smoothie. I can then add the juice as needed to the smoothie or drink it as juice. I agree juicing is a lot of work for what you get, but I prefer smoothies in general. I do however have a great blender (Blendtec) which works very well without having to chop everything up before blending.
Our experience with juicing is very different. Although I like your opinions on whole foods I’m going to have to step aside for your opinion on juicing. One week is just not enough for an accurate picture. If that were the case (except for the fiber excuse) I’d be giving the same reasons as to why I didn’t want to continue with whole foods in the beginning (too much work, too much to clean, too expensive, my kids wouldn’t eat it, didn’t notice a difference, etc. It took awhile to find the groove.) I am unsure why it is an either/or situation. We’ve been doing both for 15 years. They are just tools in the kitchen. My blender was more expensive than my juicer b/c the normal store bought blenders blew up with frozen fruit and the amt of use. If I absolutely had to choose one, I would have to choose my juicer because as a healing tool over the years I can’t duplicate its benefits. Luckily, I can have both! :)
Totally agree – when you juice you get some vitamins, water, and sugar, but you’re missing fiber and a lot of the other minerals, etc that are in the pulp. Juicing is better than nothing if you aren’t going to eat veggies, but smoothies are a much more balanced approach! I always add a handful of spinach, 1 TB of almond butter, and a TB of flaxseed to my fruit smoothies. Yum.
I am a little shocked by this post…it seems like very little research has been done on the benefits of juicing. Try a few docs on Netflix!!! Charlotte Gerson might argue a VERY different side….as would most natural doctors today!! Eating the whole food is excellent and is vital, however the nutrients in todays organic food is a great deal less than when “nature” created it! You can blend away all the organic produce that you want and your cells will NEVER receive the kind of nutritive jolt that it does from juicing due to the fiber….this is a well established fact that “nature” built into our body….much of the nutrients are lost in digestion! Dr. Norman Walker and Dr. Max Gerson have used juicing to HEAL many incurable cancers!!! I am very disappointed in this post, you have a following, you really shouldn’t misguide the public due to your 1 week trial!!!!! I love this website…this one is grossly incorrect! I had graves disease, numbers that have rarely been seen…cured thanks to juicing, really the jolt of nutrients that went straight to my cells, it tricked my body into thinking that I was eating 30+ pounds of produce a week…I guarantee that you don’t eat that much produce per week….there is no such thing as too much nutrients…too much phytochemicals!!!!
This post was well timed for me. I have been playing around with the idea of juicing lately to get more veggies and a nutrient boost and hopefully help clear my skin. DH was not into the idea. I think juicing can be beneficial especially if you are trying to give your digestive system a break, but you made a great point about juicing not being whole foods. I’m so glad you included the info for the 30 day green smoothie challenge. I tried making my own green smoothie once and it was horrible. I’m ready to try again and reap the benefits. I love your blog and always recommend it first to anyone who comes to me asking about eating better. You are an inspiration.
I am a part of the smoothie group!! A blender is so much easier to clean. Lol.
Sort of off topic, but what recipes do you use in your refillable pouches? We have a bunch but my son is not loving anything I have put in the yet.
We’ve done mostly applesauce and sometimes smoothies like this one: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/11/recipe-pbj-smoothie/
I love this post!! I agree with everything you stated. However, I still like to juice. I do not do it everyday but the vitamins and nutrients get into your system much faster because your body doesn’t have to break down the food to get the nutrients. It is very healthy but definitely not filling. It is very costly!! My goal has been to make some type of juice once a week just for fun! I have made juice that would last me a few days and put it into mason jars and vacuum sealed them. I like to think of my juice as my coffee in the morning (that is when I do make/drink it).
We love our Vitamix. I use it for whole foods smoothies and raw/semi raw soups. It’s an awesome way to up your fruit and veggie servings.
I have a juicer and a vitamix and I love them both. I like green juices (mixed with matcha tea) for a mid-day snack and I feel like it gives me a little boost and absorbs quickly. It’s very refreshing, hydrating and light – it actually gives me a little buzz too. My vitamix makes my morning smoothies and protein shakes. I believe there’s room for both in the kitchen if it suits your personal taste. I make a lovely frozen treat for the kids (and me!) using both. Juice 3 sweet apples then take that juice (and the “froth” too) and add it to the blender. Then add one small handful of frozen cherries and one small handful of frozen strawberries and blend. You can drink it (tastes like a frozen daiquiri!) or pour into silicone freezer pops and toss into the freezer for lunches or snacks. They are DIVINE. Sure, it’s not a “whole” apple, but I certainly wouldn’t consider it a waste.
I prefer my smoothies. So easy to make and I find mine very filling with my kale or spinach added in with my banana, coconut milk, frozen fruit and ice. Sometimes I throw in half an avocado to thicken it up a bit! Yummo!
Definitely in agreement with you.
Maybe it’s a nomenclature thing, but I looked at the Simple Green Smoothies page, and for me those are juices. To me, a smoothie contains a thickener like yogurt, bananas (since these have no juice), or even ice. If it’s just fruits and vegetables I consider that juicing, even if you’re making a thicker version of juice.
I don’t like traditional juicers (extractors), in large part because I agree with the first section of your post. I think it’s much more beneficial to eat the whole fruit/vegetable, than to remove all the pulp. This is why I use a pulverizing juicer (much like a blender) that breaks down the whole fruit/vegetable. If your machine has a powerful enough motor, you don’t even need to chop, remove seeds, etc. (hence the pulverizing). It makes for a thicker juice, but you are keeping all the nutrients (leaving in the seeds even adds more nutrients), especially the fiber, which will make it more filling. I add chia seeds or hemp seeds to mine and make them a meal replacement.
Everyone must choose what is best for their situation. Unfortunately too many people would rather make their decision based on someone else’s instead of considering all the facts. For calories, budget, and ease, not juicing is the best option. For getting the most nutrients in your body as possible, you must juice. I believe this is heated topic because for a cancer patient (for example) it’s a life and death decision. If all that person read was this post, they may miss out on lifesaving information. Please do your research for your own situation. No one can say it’s better to juice or not to juice for YOU. This post lists the reasons that she doesn’t juice and they are valid reasons that fit her circumstances. There are also reasons why, for someone else, juicing is a better option. Don’t waste your time arguing, research the facts for yourself.
those sqooshis are adorable! and perfect for a baby presant!
I bet there will be a lot of people who will bitterly disagree with your post. lol, but I can see both sides. Personally, I love carrot/apple juice in the morning and I figure if people all over the US can buy themselves an expensive starbucks every morning then I shouldn’t feel bad about spending the money on the produce. :) I also make green smoothies which my kids like too!
It can be expensive, that’s true. I have a juicer and a good blender, and I like both juicing and making smoothies. Berries and some other fruits don’t juice well, but they make really good smoothies. My juicer is easy to clean because it can all go into the dishwasher. For me, I just became so inspired by Joe Cross and his documentary. I find I do feel better when I’m juicing regularly (once a day or so), but it is hard to maintain the habit.
I just said the exact same thing to someone today and then saw your post – I definitely prefer smoothies because they are more economical, you eat the fiber, and they are easier to make!
Using a blender denatures the fruits and veggies and strips them of most of their nutrients.
We do both! but I too think it is time consuming and expensive, But my kids love it and they love helping me come up with new recipes! We all do prefer yummy smoothies!!
I do hear what you are saying but for my family green juice is an essential morning ritual, we have it before breakfast and also before dinner. We live on fairly modest means and growing carrots, beets, kale, spinach, along with wheat grass and other sprouts is a very budget conscious decision, leaving our produce budget wide open for things we cannot grow such as organic tropicals. Nothing beats a vitamin and mineral charged green juice and when little bodies only hold so much fiber, I can get more green juice into my kids than I could ever get whole kale and other greens. Smoothies are also a daily part of our diet so while I appreciate your decision, I do think that juicing is extremely healthy and is something to be supported. A few extra dishes are hardly a disaster to wash. The pulp of greens,carrot and celery makes a superb base for a veggie loaf, veggie burgers or a flatbread cracker and many fruit pulps can be added to muffins or even pancakes.
Sarah, I want to move my families into your house. I wish I had a daily routine of that sounded like yours!!
get a Vitamix! Life changing and worth every penny. you can put everything in the blender you would normally juice and it pulvarizes the fruits and veggies into juice! Amazing! you can also make almond milk, peanut butter, soup, etc!
Another point about juicing is that when you take out the fiber, the natural sugars don’t have the fiber to balance them out, so it’s almost like a sugar high and then a sugar crash.
I use a cuisinart blender and I haven’t ever owned a juicer. I am not a morning person, so I have to streamline my before-work routine. Once a week, I make up zip-lock baggies (if I had more freezer space, I’d use washable containers) and make up smoothies. I put fruits (frozen or ones I got at the farmer’s market), protein powder (I use a vegan one), and frozen spinach in. I also mark whether I should put juice or milk in them (sometimes I put almond or peanut butter in them). In the morning, I dump the frozen contents in the blender, scoop a spoon of plain yogurt and add the milk/juice. It takes much less time than measuring out and deciding what type I’d like to have. My favorite has rasberries, strawberries, half a banana, and peanut butter. Add a little milk and yogurt and it’s a PBJ in a cup!
I totally agree with your post! Love my vitamix and use it daily to make a smoothie, whatever I can throw in, and blend goes. Don’t have a juicer, and figured the same as you, why not eat all that pulp?
We are fairly new to juicing but love it so far. While it is true what you are saying (it is expensive and I wash a lot of dishes), we have noticed several positive benefits of juicing. First, my husband and kids would not eat half of the amount of vegetables that I juice if they were just put on their plate to eat. My 3 year old daughter gulps down beet juice (mixed with carrots, ginger, lemon, and half apple) where she would NEVER eat all of those if I put them in front of her. I even mix some of the pulp back into the juice and spoon-feed it to my 8-month old.
I think it adds variety to our diet since we would not get nearly as much produce into our systems if we only relied on eating the “whole” fruit or vegetables. My husband also used to love to drink soda, Gatorade, Powerade, etc. Now that we are juicing, it has satisfied his need to drink something other than just water. We have really noticed a difference in our energy levels since beginning juicing.
I have to say – this post is very valuable and timely. My husband and I totally went juice-crazy when we got our Breville juicer. I LOVE to juice – I was seeing really good results with my thyroid stuff when juicing – overall it just felt like a win-win.
Then once I drank a big glass in the morning on an empty stomach and suddenly got violently sick – nausea, sweating – just so sick I could hardly stand – I had to go in late to work. It passed a few hours later after a meal and some rest.
Weeks later I just happened to mention to my doctor that I had been juicing – thinking he would be so proud of me. He’s one of these SUPER HEALTH nut progressive-type doctors who is pretty into holistic stuff for an MD.
Anyway- he surprised me by telling me what he felt the dangers of juicing were.
He said:
We have a 14 foot digestive tract for a reason. Nutrients are meant to take time to get to our liver, because that time is used by our bodies to process, break down, and disseminate nutrients. He said when we remove the fiber from the food, we are just straight- shooting tons of vitamins right at our liver. He said our liver can only handle so many nutrients at one time. If you straight shoot a ton of vitamins at it in one go, with no fiber, your liver will process a certain amount, then the rest just gets left on the table to be absorbed into tissues, your blood stream – places it shouldn’t go. Furthermore, he said that when we do that to our liver consistently, we train it to be LESS effective at its job.
He went on to say that western cultures tend to think that more is better – no matter what. If kale and carrots are good – then a full bag of kale and 20 carrots at once must be even better.
But he said our bodies have not evolved that way. If you couldn’t eat it whole – (I couldn’t eat a bag of kale and 20 carrots whole in one sitting – but I could drink them) – then it’s probably more than your body could handle.
Anyway – I was stunned by this. But mostly because I had been juicing for over a year and thinking it was a great thing.
But I couldn’t deny his logic.
I just couldn’t.
I did tell him that I had felt I had had success with dealing with some thyroid symptoms and he definitely agreed that it was not his place to tell me something is not working if I think it is. He suggested perhaps I try to juice in a little more moderation – and with food, if possible.
I see both sides of this argument = because I was so passionate about juicing, I was sending juicers and “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” DVD’s to ALL my friends with autoimmune disorders.
I was a believer – and I DO think there are benefits.
But I just can’t disagree with his logic. He was the only doctor – out of literally 20 doctors I saw – who was able to help me regulate my thyroid. I trust him for many reasons – but regardless, he just made sense.
More is not always “better.”
But that’s my experience.
Thanks for bringing up the topic. My husband and I are currently not quite on the same side of the fence about this – but I respect his right to take care of his body as he sees fit – just as I do others.
However – it was a profound enough experience for me that I felt it was worth sharing.
Thanks!
:)
I like your post Natasha. I get that feeling too if I use sweet fruits or drink too much at a time. Bear in mind that many if not most vegetables and fruits are not as nutritious as they used to be due to the way our food production depletes soil. Farmers want to produce a lot of food, not nutritious food.
I definetly prefer smoothie for basically the same reasons. It contains the fiber, it keeps me full longer, it is less expensive because you don’t need a juicer & you use less fruits & veggies. Also, I find it doesn’t spike my blood sugar like juicing does. I love it as a way to add veggies to breakfast. It’s easy to make & after I eat my protein & whole grains I can take my smoothie to go.
I agree with you 100% but to add another point, God gave us the whole food. His design for the whole food is for our health, we need all of it. GREAT post!
I agree with your post. Feel so guilty wasting all the “food” when I juice. Not so with smoothies or just eating “real” food.
Our family probably would have juiced more in the early days of our juicer gift if washing it took less time! But like you mentioned, seeing most of the produce being removed began to be unsettling. Now we juice on an occasional Saturday when we haven’t been able to go through our produce box and the produce is on on it’s way to spoil. Our boys get very excited about “smoothie” day (Yeah, I know. I’m going to have to correct their vernacular one day :>). I would like to start doing more smoothies and am gearing up to try some of your recipes. I have your Norpro’s in my amazon cart – but maybe I should check out the Squooshi’s. No discount, eh? Can’t win everywhere I suppose ;). Thank you and love your site!!
You basically summed up my exact thoughts on juicing vs smoothies! I definitely think juicing can have its benefits but it just makes so much more sense to me to consume the whole food! I still want to try juicing with my husband for maybe a week or so but I don’t see it as a practical choice for long term. Thanks for writing this post!
I use Garden of Life Perfect food berry – and add it to 8oz of organic apple juice. It gives me such a burst of energy and I feel great. That is my ‘green juice’!
I prefer juicing vegetables because vegetable smoothies are disgusting. I can’t seem to come up with a vegetable combo that tastes good blended up without adding a ton of fruit, which I can’t have because my bowels are sensitive to sugar. I don’t like chewing on all that flavorless fiber, but I love the taste and the energy rush that a 100% vegetable juice gives me. However, I think of it as a luxury, not a necessity because it does take a lot of time and money to do it everyday. For me its a good way to make sure I use up all the vegetables sitting in my fridge that I know will go bad soon. Given that Americans tend to waste about 25% of their food, you really don’t have to shop for extra veggies in order to juice.
I agree…juicing is a waste of $$ and time. A lot of work and produce for a minimal amount of juice.
I have a bullet that I use and it puree’s everything without the waste. I throw in a banana, what ever berries I have frozen ( I always throw my not eaten/wilting berries in the freezer before they go bad) and some unsweetened vanilla almond milk, flax seed and if I have it on hand some spinach or kale and crushed ice. Smoothies are definitely a better/healthy choice than green juice in my opinion, you get the “whole” fruit/vegetable along with all the nutrients that nature put in!!!
I like juicing for the reasons most like juicing. Lots of energy afterwards, feel great. And my kale gives me more than a couple tablespoons. Yet it is a bit expensive. And I am not sure we need all the fiber that is in the pulp of a 10, 12 oz juice. The vitamins are there, but I could never eat that many veggies in one sitting, and that may be too mulch pulp. My juicer does allow some pulp to infiltrate. Whatever is left of the pulp, I usually toss in with some grass fed ground beef and sauté. Though I wonder how much nutrition is left. I like green smoothies, but my ninja does not chop up kale and other stuff so fine that I don’t have to chew, and perhaps it may not even be bioavailable, as so I read on the Vitamix site. The vitamix chops kale so fine that it is a real non chunky smoothie with “bioavailable” greens apparently. Lastly, everyone’s got something to sell. Whether it’s Joe Cross, or the Smoothie Challenge, every one is hawking something in this world of clean organic green eating.
I have that same juicer you photographed. Yes, we are poor and juicing takes a lot of money. I used to juice a LOT when I cold have fruit. The juicy fruits made it more economical. Now, while battling candida overgrowth, I can only do veggies. I love kale juice, but get very frustrated that almost ALL of the kale seems to come right out the shoot and does not produce much juice.
I do need to look into some recipes for green smoothies instead.
I was a smoothie girl, recently converted to juicing. The reasons are… juicing retains the soluble fiber and the nutrients of about 10 servings of veggies. Smoothies are whole food…..yes, but in the extra effort needed to digest all the extra fiber you don’t absorb all the nutrients nor do you use as many veggies in each 8oz glass. So smoothies are actually less nutrient dense, but cheaper. Juices are more nutrient dense and available in your blood stream in about 10 minutes. Also I was tending to use more fructose filled fruits to make my smoothies taste good, where in veggie juice I maybe add half an apple for taste. If you want to know more google Gerson institute. They are curing cancer and other diseases with juicing.
I agree with you!
I tend to have a mix of smoothies and juices. I have IBS and too much fibre does horrible things to my insides so juicing is a great way for me to get all my nutrients without putting too much strain on my digestive system (I can’t eat raw vegetables at all).
I do not juice. First off, because of all the reasons Lisa has mentioned in her article: too expensive, too inefficient, and I would not be organized enough to make use of the pulp. I grow some of the vegetables myself and considering how time-consuming growing your own food is, it would kill me to see a big junk of it being wasted.
The other reason I don’t juice is the same reason why others think it is a great idea. A lot of people posted, that the best thing about juicing is that you can ingest an amount of veggies you would not be able to eat in a regular way. I have no supporting data, but I can’t imagine it being healthy to bombard your body with a high concentration of nutrients and anti-nutrients. Is our body really able to handle high doses of vitamins and minerals and whatever other things are in juice? Best case, everything that is superfluous just gets discarded. Worst case, those high doses on a daily base are even harmful.
Although it is widely believed that mother nature provides us with the best nutrients we need, plants have no interest in getting eaten up. In contrast, they are like chemical fabrics and produce there own pesticides to fight us off. Over the course of thousands of years, humans figured out what they can eat safely and used breeding methods to decrease harmful constituents. We did not adapt to “injections” of highly concentrated vegetable juice.
I think you’re missing the point because all of the reasons you stated for NOT juicing are the reasons you SHOULD juice. But the key that puts it in order is that juicing should only be a temporary thing. It’s not a lifestyle and there are no juicing advocates that I know of that DON’T also eat whole foods as well.
You hit it right on the head. All the waste that comes with juicing is why don’t. Like you I prefer the whole fruit. Smoothies are the route I take as well.
I’m about to have a garage sale…with the sole intent of making a chunk of change to put down toward the purchase of a VitaMix. First thing to be sold (I hope): my very nice Breville juicer. I’m getting rid of the thing because I too have been completely depressed when I see all of the fiber flying out and I absolutely despise cleaning the thing. I’m also looking forward to being able to make my own nut butters… Thanks for the post that I feel could have fallen out of my brain!
It think it is unfortunate either/or juicing vs smoothies; both are very beneficial and neither should be dismissed as a waste of time or money.
Juicing, because the fibrous properties have been removed, impact us much more significantly at a cellular level, bypassing the digestive processes that solids and fiber necessitate. This makes it very healthy and desirable in feeding our bodies from the cell out.
Smoothies, as we know, leave the solids and fiber qualities, and those too are very valuable and necessary. So lets not dismiss either one please, or pit one against the other.
I also do both & agree 100% with you!
why argue what is best? some people enjoy juicing and some prefer smoothies..who cares really as long as you are getting what you need in vitamines? [it still will be healthier than any junk food] the only thing that bugs me is that a lot of people seem to using nearly over ripe veggies or fruit…i think that it is important to use fresh food and if possible organic..if for financal reasons non organic food is used it should be well washed to rid it of pesticides.
Washing produce helps but you cannot rid it of pesticides. The U.S. government washes all produce before testing it for pesticides (or peels it if it has a non-edible skin/rind). Please see ewg.org for The Dirty Dozen highest pesticide produce based on ongoing government tests. The list is updated every year but the same foods tend to remain the worst. Keep in mind factory farmed meat (on top of all the other contaminants) contains more pesticides than produce does. While you’re in ewg.org see the meat section to help protect yourself and your family… from this link click on TIP SHEET in the BROWN BAR (not to be confused with “Helpful Tips” in the white sidebar) http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/superbugs/
Contrary to popular belief, most “juicers” still eat food during the day, they just choose to supplement their lifestyle with a healthy beverage that happens to be packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and chlorophyll. It is virtually impossible to get the vitamin and mineral nutrition in a regular meal that you can from juice unless you want to eat six pounds of vegetables a day, and quite frankly, raw kale just doesn’t taste all that good and juicing it along with other greens gives me my daily greens. Also, since I and most other juicers eat other foods during the day, I don’t need every morsel of fiber lost from the vegetable pulp while juicing. In the end, when I am drinking one or two juices a day I feel much better than when I don’t.
How about juicing, saving the pulp, & then adding some of it back into smoothies later… Wa-LA… I think I’m onto something awesome and WHOLE!!
I don’t juice, I’ve never really understood the appeal. And there’s no way I could afford it. Unlike most people, I probably eat enough vegetables daily since my diet is about 80% raw. I do like smoothies, but I never put greens in them. Like someone mentioned above, my Ninja doesn’t chop them up fine enough and chewy smoothies are gross.
I actually like the product you’re advertising on this post, but overall your blog has become way too saturated with ads. So much so that it’s almost not even worth reading because it’s hard to tell which posts are real and which are ads.
To be honest, I don’t really like either, because I really enjoy chewing. But if I had to choose, smoothies would win. I tried adding juicing to my diet, but it actually made me cranky and tired (maybe because there was no/hardly any fiber to blunt the blood sugar response?) My husband feels like he has more energy after a glass of fresh juice though… go figure….
I couldn’t agree more with your post, which is why I’m mystified that the juicing trend is experiencing a resurgence. What’s healthy about it? You’re getting all of the fructose and none of the health benefits of eating fruit. If I wanting something sweet with no nutritional value, I’d drink a soda.
I think generally we should be EATING our food and that drinking too much of our nutrition isn’t a great example for our kids (for us with them). It’s that eating on the run thing. Thus I’m not a big fan of either. We do smoothies for fun maybe 1-2 x’s a week at most, and at times months without. If I had a significant illness I’d look into juicing and that would of course be veggies. Just like I wouldn’t take chemo drugs daily but sure would if I had cancer, same with juicing. All that wasted food (pulp) would drive me nuts. So many people in the world are starving and you throw away so much pulp. Socioeconomically not a good use of resources.
My daughter got me a bullet a few Christmas ago and I started using it for juice, I loved it, but my husband didn’t because of the waste, which I told him to put in to make soup , which is very good but you either have to use it then or freeze it, so then you were overloaded! We saw a program about another juicer with David Wolfe , it is fabulous , no waste! I prefer the juicing because I’ can’t have fiber. Unlike some I have an ileostomy , you can’t have fiber, a lot of it anyway! You can’t get your nutrients from eating the raw because of the ileostomy , but you can with juicing! Within a week I noticed a lot of changes! So there are pros and cons for different people , you just have to see what works for you!
Then why do you cook with flour? Flour certainly is not a “whole food.” In fact, there’s very little fiber and literally no enzymes left in your whole wheat flour. Juicing packs a ton of nutrients into a small glass and void of fiber, frees up the body’s energy to clean house. Juicing can be very time consuming and I do prefer smoothies too, just pointing out the inconsistency.
Lisa — You picked a juicer that looks to be as hard-to-clean as a Jack La Lanne; we had one, but it doesn’t do green veggies well and is so hard to clean we stopped using it!
We finally settled on an Omega 8006 http://www.amazon.com/Omega-J8006-Nutrition-Center-Juicer/dp/B001L7OIVI/, which cleans in less than a minute.
We use the basic recipe from “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”, which is mostly veggies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCfxfqmutk4. It’s quick to make up the night before, store in Mason jars, use for lunch the next day. (After a month, the wife complained her clothes were too loose, and she needed new ones. So, I bought her a belt…)
The pulp goes to our chickens, and so gets turned into eggs. Will be looking into making soup and/or soup-stock with it.
You will all pelt me with the fiber spit from the juicers but from what I understand and have learned NEITHER is good for you other than occasionally. A very well respected degreed, licensed, registered dietician ( in other words, the REAL thing… NOT a “nutritionist”) I know and has been working in my community for more than 30 years and is a clinical health educator says that both are fine if you have trouble getting food down or need to gain weight and need extra calories. It is more important that you CHEW your food..real food………that releases digestive enzymes and you can actually mess up your digestive system by drinking your food rather than chewing. She said that everyone would be better off to just lose the juicers and blenders. Fruit juice also can load you up with too much sugar.
I continue to love reading your blog because of posts like this. I, in fact, just got a juicer and I absolutely love it. This is because I can’t stand the texture of smoothies. But will this not replace my meals or my vegetable intake. My juicer is a supplement to my diet because after a year of giving up processed foods and eating whole foods, I still am not eating nearly enough vegetables. My 2 boys love smoothies, so I will be providing them with smoothies so they too, can get the fiber they need.
Thanks for writing such a straight-forward, honest and truthful post. All very practical and good reasons why not to juice.
I have a juicer, and it does take time. I know the pulp is such a shame to waste, I use it in my compost. I want to point out that juicing does not need to be a meal replacement. I use it as medicine, supplement, etc. It has amazing healing properties as our bodies are able to immediately use the nutrients it provides. I only post this because I think your thought process, although real and completely valid, is not focusing on what juicing is really worth.
Love your blog! You are amazing. Thanks for what you do!
Jen
Notice that Lisa says if she had health issues she would give juicing another chance (2nd paragraph under My Takeaway). Personally I’m sticking with daily smoothies for myself and family (regardless of health issues) fresh smoothies are fabulous IF you add healthy fat, or eat healthy fat on the side to absorb the fat soluble vitamins, minerals and antioxidants- same goes for juicing. I’m sorry I would not use the cute Squooshi bottles, BPA-Free plastic contains BPS an equally harmful carcinogen and hormone disruptor. I’m sorry you just can’t do better than stainless steel for non-breakable to go bottles. They come in kid’s sizes and are easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.
You are spot on with all your points. In pursuit of health, it is vital to consider the process along with what we get out of it. It does no good to incorporate something that ends up stressing us out, or ultimately keeps us from engaging in said action.
For those that juice and enjoy it, go for it. However it is very nice to read an article that honestly points out some of what I have decided are limitations. Thanks!
I was gifted a juicer about a decade ago. I put some fruit and vegetables through it once, and immediately decided that this was not going to assimilate into my lifestyle. The primary deterrent for me was the left over pulp. I know I could add it to anything I baked or cooked, but I would much rather eat a whole food, then chance wasting it. That and-as you mentioned- the juice was not satisfying; now I need to find more food to eat- straining an already tight budget. The machine proceeded to collect dust until the day I donated it.
Eventually I discovered smoothies, and realized that given the right blender, I could very well incorporate any fruit or vegetable I wanted into a “drink”, yet have it satisfy me like a meal, or dessert (because, I really got into smoothies after having a milkshake craving!). When I can, I intend to purchase a pulverizing blender. Until then, my regular blender is doing a pretty fine job cranking out whole food, albeit chunky, smoothies.
Smoothies all the way. You get the whole fruit in an easier to consume form. I had never put it into the words you have, nor had I really considered all the why’s, but I have found I prefer to use a utensil I can also use for other things (aka, my blender). I prefer the consistency of the smoothies and when I was a kid my mom did the juicer thing for a minute and it quickly fizzled out. I remember seeing all the wasted pulp and I can’t imagine wasting that part, the most important part, of my produce. So yeah, I’m Team Smoothie!!
Oh, and you can mix nearly anything in and they usually taste really good :)
As others have stated, juicing has benefits that some need more than others. I purchased a juicer because I suffer from fibromyalgia and arthritis. I keep it at bay with whole foods most of time. But I will occasionally indulge in too many sweets and suffer every time. The juicer is almost miraculous for bringing healing to my body. I can understand that Lisa is young, healthy and doesn’t need juicing in her life. I’m thankful it’s an option.
I’m with you on the inconvenience of juicing. The large size of the appliance, plus cleanup involved is enough to turn me off of juicing as a busy mom.
My awesome find has been the Nutribullet. Look, I know it’s on TV Infomercials, but I’ve had mine for 2 yrs and I love it because it crushes down the tough parts that my blender doesn’t get, like kale, flaxseed, chia seeds to where they are virtually undetectable in the smoothie (making it better for my kids to take without rejection, plus better for digestion and absorption). I got one for my aging parents and they are really enjoying the ease of use as well. Plus, cleanup takes only seconds! I sound like an infomercial myself, but I promise I just wanted to pass on this find.
Thank you for sharing this. I have wondered if it works that well. It seems to be easier than my traditional heavy blender.
I love my NutriBullet!! At first I was a little skeptical when a co-worker recommended it (only because of “infomercial stigma”). But I watched a bunch of YouTube videos done by real NutriBullet owners and that was enough to convince me. I have so much fun experimenting with different green & fruity smoothies. There’s no no waste of food and clean up is literally done in under a minute. It’s one of the best kitchen tools I’ve ever purchased. I can’t recommend it enough!
I just found your blog through Pinterest and I’m very excited to start exploring! I recently bought a juicer because I have been having periodic bouts of diverticulitis. I sometimes have to go for weeks with a fiber-free diet, and juicing is my perfect solution for getting some great nutrition without fiber. I use it every day now even when I’m healthy and I feel better than I have in years! I love my green juice :-) . I totally get your perspective though. A year ago I would have wanted to keep my fiber too!
I have a Blendtec Blender/juicer and there is NO waste, no pulp for discard like my old juicer. Consequently I am getting a volume of veggies and fruit in one or two glasses and it is easy to clean.
Thank you for your post!!! I totally agree! Instead of using a juicer I use a high-power blender, Blendtec, to make whole juices with the pulp & entire vegetable/fruit! My husband and I really enjoy the whole juice for a meal substitute that also helps us to boost our vegetable and fruit intake! I do not recommend an actual juicer for the same reasons you said above– but a blender like my Blendtec I do recommend. We can substitute meals by eating the whole raw fruit & vegetables, the blender is just the jar & lid so very easy & quick to clean, it doesn’t have to cost extra since it’s replacing a normal meal, and it only takes about 5 mins to make & clean up!!! I do not like juicers, but I do like true whole juices from a high power blender!!!! Thanks!
I agree, I love reading your posts! I am a ‘juicer’. I love juice and I love making my own juice. I do not feel like there is any waste because the reason I juice is to ramp up the volume of nutrients I’m getting from that little drink. You couldnt possible sit down and eat the amount of vegetables that you put in one cup of juice so this is for nutrition reasons that I believe in juicing. I do agree it is a lot of work – my work around for the work is I juice a bunch of greens, carrots, whatever I want to juice and I freeze it in ice cube trays and then add to smoothies – so I do get some whole foods with my mega dose of juice nutrients. It also works as meal replacement for me/us. Works for us this way! :) Also, less planning and less waste for us if I freeze the juice because there is nothing to hurry up and use before it goes bad.
I agree 100%! I never understood juicing, especially fruit only juice. Maybe for an occasional treat, but I find it wasteful & not entirely healthy to be cutting out the fiber. Your body needs the fiber. Love our smoothies!! Juice is good for a treat, but too much work for me usually!
I understand the inconvience of juicing when first trying it. I was diagnosed with an autoimmmune illness two years ago and have completely changed the way I eat. I put off juicing until just recently. I bought the Montel juicer. The pulp/fiber doesn’t get filterd out and I love it. I was so tired of all the spinach and kale that was incormporated into my meals. I have found that I can eat so much more and never taste it by juicing. For me, I would rather spend more money on all the healthy foods going into my body than the hundred’s of dollars I have paid my pharmacist every month. I have gone from 16 pills a day to 1 (these were making my illness bearable). All of this in less than a year. Not once, in the 2 1/2 years since being diagnosed, was nutrition discussed with me. I was a runner and did high-impact aerobics, so I was lean. I have become more aware of everything that I eat. Before I thought yogurt was healthy, when in fact, most of it has more sugar than a Mt. Dew. I only buy Greek Yogurt that has 5 gms of sugar vs 14+. So many food changes has had a wonderful affect on my health. Btw, I have teenagers that love junk, but they absolutely love my juices and smoothies. They love that the kale and spinach is incorporated and can’t be tasted.
I totally agree with you about the juicing. Have tried it two different times now in the last 10 or 15 years. I just couldn’t bear throwing all that away. Baked with it some but we were making more than I would use for baking – felt like I was throwing money away and nutrients as well. Oh and the clean-up is a time-consuming chore!
Our whole family loves our green smoothies which we started in 2009. Our young grandchildren and even our dogs love them too. I
Ditto to all of your reasons! My family loves smoothies too and they are a great way to include more veggies and fruits. Sometimes I juice before a long run when I don’t want a lot of fiber sitting in my stomach but just want some quick, easily digested energy. Even then it is rare because of the expense!
I’m with you on the smoothie versus juicing – but only out of pure laziness. I have a juicer and once in a while I’ll make juice, but between getting it out, making the juice and then cleaning it up, I can enjoy my favorite green smoothie and be on my way! Here is my favorite – it’s YUMMY: http://behealthybehappywellness.com/the-best-green-smoothie-recipe/
I think I agree with you on every point, Lisa. Oddly enough, I don’t like pulp in my orange juice but I’d much rather have a smoothie. Maybe because it’s thicker so I don’t notice the pulp as much.
I think there are a few reasons some people (not EVERYONE) feel better on juicing. For example, if people who are trying to lose weight are used to eating junk/fast food, etc. and they switch to nothing but juicing, they’re almost definitely going to feel better and lose weight. Now they’re getting nutrients with an absence of excess processed food, sugar, salt, etc. They’ll lose weight because of less bloat and lower calories overall. In those cases it’s not the actual “juicing” that’s helping them. It’s all the other things they’re NOT eating that’s helping them, plus nutrients they may not have gotten before.
I don’t see anything really wrong with juicing (other than I HATE wasting food), but I’m not so sure it’s the “magic bullet” cure some say it is.
Hi Lisa, I share your feelings about juicing. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it and if it works for someone, great. But I also couldn’t wrap my head around the what I see as the waste of food by throwing out the fiber/pulp. I bought a NutraBullet approx a month ago and absolutely LOVE IT!!! A green & fruity smoothie for me every morning…and zero waste because the fiber is pulverized and you can drink it all. YouTube is full of videos done by regular folks demonstrating how much they love their NutraBullet. The price is reasonable, too (approx $80 to $100, depending on where you shop).
I totally agree. I bought a juicer and loved it for about a week, then realized my entire month’s budget for my organic vegetables and fruits was gone within that week. The clean up is a pain, but that’s not what put me off…it was the expense. I’d love to try one of those high powered blenders (i.e., Blendtec or Nutrabullet) that use the entire vegetable, and if I ever have an extra hundred bucks or so laying around (snort!) I will. Until then, I use my blender and make delicious smoothies…every day! I always use fruit and add kale or spinach, etc. I don’t mind a little pulp from that as I’ve learned that chewing is an important part of the enzyme process.
Also, I’ve been adding a teaspoon of organic, powdered chlorella for the added energy/chloraphyll boost and some ground flax for the omegas. It’s the best energy drink hands down!
We use to Juice too, but for the same reasons as Lisa we switched to Green Smoothies or Green Drinks.
I crave them daily. Here is our recipe.
http://www.yourunlimitedhealth.com/blog/kolinek-green-drink-smoothie/
Yes! I love my blender and do smoothies almost everyday and then pop the blender into the dishwasher. For a while, they were my 10am snack, but I started gaining weight because I added calories instead of substituting them (let’s face it, a banana is 100 calories even if it is a whole food.) I have recently decided that my smoothies are my new breakfast–with an egg on the side for protein. I have been drinking them for about a month and can definitely tell the difference when I skip a day. I love that I can get most of my fruit and veggie servings in during the first meal of the day!
Great post! I definitely agree with you. I’ve never juiced, but I have quite a few friends who do. It has its benefits, but Ive never been a fan of using so much produce for 1 or 2 drinks when I know it can used better to create a meal. The wasted pulp has always bothered me too. I love smoothies and do make them often.
I totally agree. I rarely juice but rather “blend”. I do not like the waste of juicers either, and love mixing the whole fruit and veggies in my smoothies. I add a lot of greens but never take out the fibrous parts, and just blend them up. One of my favorite new lemonades is with a green apple and two lemons blended and dumped on ice. Very refreshing! Just be careful to remove seeds as some are not good for us to eat.
Maybe this has be addressed already but there are over 200 comments lol
What do you think of whole juicing?
http://www.wholejuicing.com/
It is a little different than smoothies
Hi Kathy. How does it differ from smoothies? ~Amy
I love juicing and I love blending! I think both of them complement each other and are so beneficial in their own ways. You will not feel great after one week of juicing, however, once you continuously juice you will feel as I do, that it gives me far greater energy than a smoothie and I know those vitamins are going right to my blood and its a huge dose of natural medicine. Thankfully I’m not sick, and hopefully by taking the time to juice it will prevent me from getting sick in the future. I do believe that if you are sick, juicing is crucial to giving the body the vitamins it needs to heal itself and the energy you need to get well. If you watch the movie the Gerson Miracle, you will understand more why juicing is so important.
I love blending as well and will use that as a meal replacer in the morning and to get my superfoods in. Juicing is the energy boost in the afternoon that keeps me going!
You make some valid points and it can certainly be expensive to juice. I’ve made some “juices” but don’t have a juicer so it was really a fruit/veggie smoothie since I used my Blendtec. I agree with you that smoothies are whole foods and more filling. I personally don’t have a juicer but wanted to buy one but honestly reading your post I’m second guessing whether or not to even invest in it since smoothies are working just fine for our family. In fact I prefer pulp! I appreciate hearing your opinion, thanks for the post!
This article is a bit misleading.
#1 The soluble fiber is contained in the juice, therefore you are still getting all of it when you juice veggies. The only thing you are ‘missing out on’ is the insoluble fiber. The idea that juice contains no fiber is very outdated.
#2 Not all juicers are hard to clean. This article makes it seem like time consuming clean up is a way of life with a juicer. Mine has 4 parts that are super, super easy to clean (i am also a hater of hand washing). Its an omega 8006 if anyone is wondering.
Just wanted to make sure those who are on the fence are not swayed away based solely on this article. I think its great that there are so many options out there to eat a healthy diet – especially on the go!
I agree with you whole heatedly, and I own the same easy to clean juicer. I wanted to add that our juicer allows you to keep your juice for 48 hours because it is a masticating juicer and not a centrifugal juicer as pictured. So you can juice once every two days. And, if you buy produce at your local farmer’s market or similar group you pay far less money. When I was doing a juice fast, I was spending $66/week.
But the insoluble fiber is good for your diet as well. Soluble fiber is what you can actually digest, but insoluble fiber is what helps move food through your intestines.
Reading the article, I didn’t get the sense that “juice contains no fiber” at all. I got the sense that someone who is mainly juicing is going to miss out on half of the benefits of fiber rich food like vegetables.
I think people can get a lot of power packed vitamins and minerals juicing but I have to agree that for many, missing out on the whole food can wreak havoc on your system. I tend toward hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and juicing spikes my sugar tremendously without the insoluble fiber to spread out the sugar processing….and not to mention that I would not likely sit down and eat 5 beets, 3 stalks of celery, 9 carrots and a bunch of kale in one 5-10 minute period. I have had friends with recurring yeast and other ailments related to to much sugars in the body give up juicing and be better within a week. I do juice on occasion…when I have an overload of beets or carrots from our CSA basket….and I freeze the juice in ice cube trays for later addition into smoothies or applesauce….one ice cube at a time so that the sugars are not overloading.
VitaMix! “Juices” it (i.e. blends it all up finely) – but uses everything. And easy to clean.
that was going to be my comment exactly!!! not only does it make juice you can use this appliance for almost all of your food prepping needs….its not another 1 use appliance…..i can sing the vitamix praises all day
I prefer my green smoothies, for all the reasons you stated in your post. However, I do love a good green juice too, from time to time! I just like to drink juice occasionally (seems a totally different drink to me than a smoothie), and so I figure a fresh, homemade vegetable juice is probably a much better choice than drinking some bottled fruit juice.
So, for me, it’s a treat from time to time. And I figure that’s a pretty healthful treat for me to choose….so makes me feel good in more ways than one!
When you juice you push clean produce through the chute of a juicer. This process removes the insoluble fiber (but the soluble fiber remains in the juice). Important micronutrients typically more difficult to absorb become accessible to the human body. These nutrients include digestive enzymes and certain phytonutrients. Also, by creating an all liquid product, the body and consume more of these phytonutrients at once.
I really hope that ppl do some of their own research about Juicing. This article is an uneducated personal opinion.
There is nothing wrong with juicing if you practice moderation. Personally I juice every now and then depending on what I have in the refrigerator, time and also how my menu has looked for the week thus far. It’s great for a quick meal after gym but I will usually find myself snacking on something before dinner. This is okay if you are prepared with a nutritional, light snack to fill the gap.
I have felt the same thing. The whole food is best for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I prefer smoothies usually as well because of the added protein. I last much longer without cravings if I have protein and yogurt offers that. Of course when I have a swee craving a fruit based smoothie can fit the bill nicely versus an unhealthy snack.
Another great post. I agree 100% with you about not juicing. x
It’s really a matter of personal preference. There is no right or wrong method. The author is merely explaining why SHE chooses not to juice, not why YOU should choose not to juice. She is just giving her preference and why she has chosen this preference, just like I am about to give you mine…
When I was diagnosed with a less then ideal health crisis, I immediately turned my attention to research on how I could help my body heal. Enter juicing. I juiced every day, 7 days a week for a year. I did this because all my research had shown that juicing is an excellent way of flooding your body with an abundance of nutrients. As someone who didn’t use to favor greens, this was a great way to consume mega doses of vegetables and greens. I did it daily for my health. To boost my immune system. Did I FEEL any different? No. Nada. But that’s not to say I didn’t benefit from it all. Of course daily green juices is wonderful for your body, I just happened to be someone who didn’t experience a boost or outward effect from it. I am still more than happy to experience an internal boost.
Fast forward to today, I no longer juice on a daily basis. I’ve cut back to once or twice a week. I’ve cut back for several reasons. One of them being the same as the author of this post – Organic juicing is expensive. My grocery budget went up by $200-$250 a month. Secondly, it was time consuming. I own a breville juicer, and to me, (maybe not to you, again this is MY opinion and MY experience) it’s a pain in the ass to wash that juicer, every day. I am more content doing it on a once or twice a week basis. Lastly, again in agreement with the author, juicing was more of a snack or pre snack if you will. It went right through me. There was no ‘oomph” to juicing, even though I packed my juices. I was always hungry an hour or so later.
To this day I green juice one or twice a week, and make green smoothies about the same. I may not flood my system with as many nutrients as I once did, but you know what, I’m okay with that. Juicing was a compliment to my overall healthy eating, not the ONLY healthy eating habit.
Maybe juicing is perfect for you, your must-have-daily-non-negotiable-habit. Maybe you rather eat 2 pounds of lettuce than juice on a regular basis, maybe smoothies are your calling. Whatever floats your boat, you’re entitled to your opinion. Juicing, smoothies, there is no right or wrong choice. Choose whatever methods agrees best for yourself, whichever one makes you feel the best – that is the correct choice.
http://www.nutribullet.com/site/index?gclid=CLKE-4ncj7gCFe1AMgodrQYA1A
You really need to look into a VitaMix. The whole fruit/veggie is pulverized into a ‘whole food’ drink. Super simple clean up, no pulp. It can make drinks, soups, frozen fruit “ice cream”, etc.
I have been using mine for almost 20 years.
Love my Vitamix. Mixes everything nicely, just add some ice and plenty of water unless you like a thick smoothie. Throw in whatever greens you have, add a fruit or two, maybe some flaxseed, and viola! Easy to clean (rinse) out. And I use the whole food, including peels.
I am addicted to green smoothies, have lost 30 pounds since March and find myself really really picky about what I eat now when I do have a meal. They have changed my life. I will be turning 60 this year and sit at work pretty much the full 40 hour weekday. In the past seven years that I’ve been at this job, I gained 50 pounds and was despairing of ever losing it. Started green smoothies in March! OMG and 30 pounds just melted away! And I feel fantastic!
I find it hard to read articles from people who can’t or don’t use grammar properly. Example from above: “(i.e. 5 or less whole ingredients)” should be (i.e. 5 or fewer whole ingredients). Sorry, I hope writing isn’t your day job! :(
Most of the people who are reading responses and participating in the discussion on this site are looking to gain more insight into the topic. Your comment has absolutely no relevance to the article.
Before opening your mouth consider 1. Is it the truth 2. Is it necessary 3. Is it kind. Fail
Hello Lawreen. I don’t think any of us here at 100 Days claim to be technical writers or professional editors. We do appreciate all “constructive” criticism when we receive it. Wishing you peace and a happy day. ~Amy
I love the Breville BJE820XL Dual Disc Juice Processor. It’s the best of both worlds. The same unit will juice or blend. You just swap out the top half of the unit and use the same motor base.
Chris, I just looked up the Breville BJE820XL Dual Disc Juice Processor on amazon, it looks amazing and cheaper than the vitamix. If we had know about it we may have gone that way. Good call!
How long have you been using this blender? Does it really offer a smooth smoothie? I am toying with the idea of purchasing a different blender and when I saw your post, I was intrigued by the “best of both words.” At this point I have been using a Ninja blender and a Jack Lalane juicer. I love the juicer, but it is a bit time consuming, due to many parts. I also love making smoothies, but I find that the Ninja just doesn’t blend the greens as smoothly as I would like. I was worried that most other blenders would provide the same type of consistency ( a bit too chunky at times), so I haven’t pursued buying another (I also don’t want to spend a fortune). Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Hei.
Man you for real?
You say you prefer Smoothie infront of Juice because to make juice you need a juice machine >…<
Hey man i make real jucie in my old blender.
The resaon i like juice better than smoothie is because it is harder to wash the blender after you make smoothie than after you made juice!
If you ever travel to land like Colombia all people there make their own jucie everyday with simple blenders.
It is simple easy and simply just the best jucie you can get!
While I enjoy most of your posts and recipes, etc. I don feel like this post is way too opinionated. I think people need to think for themselves and juicing might be a great healing option for them and a great way to lose weight for a 30 day juice option. I use my Vitamix daily for smoothies and it’s the best appliance in my kitchen. My juice gets plenty of action also. There is a difference and it really depends on your goals.
Thanks
I do both. I use my NutriBullet every day (can’t afford a Vitamix)& sometimes twice a day to make green smoothies. I like it so much that I bought a 2nd NutriBullet to keep at work. I also like that I’m wasting less. But I also like to juice & do so 1-2 times per week.
I like to make my own juice as a treat for myself and the kids. Not that it’s a hugely regular thing – I agree about the mess and the pricy-ness – but where other kids get soft drink, my kids get freshly made juice. It is hard to find a balance between healthy and restrictive!
We LOVE our vitamix! I’m going on a juice fast today actually and I’m just going to ‘juice’ my fruit and veggies in it so I don’t have to buy or borrow a juicer. And cleaning it, oh man I’ve never had anything this easy to clean!
Chris, I just looked up the Breville BJE820XL Dual Disc Juice Processor on amazon, it looks amazing and cheaper than the vitamix. If we had know about it we may have gone that way. Good call!
Love my shakeology no fuss .. A perfect meal. Protein vitamins minerals vegan …. check it out myshakeology.com/nhammonds
With regard to the children’s food pouches mentioned……we shouldn’t be putting anything in any kind of plastic that may stay there for a while.
I personally can’t afford to juice or I would do it everyday. I do smoothies and I get no where near the energy I got from juicing. I was about to have surgery to remove my gallbladder because the pain was so intense it felt like my insides were being ripped out. I did a 7 day juice plan from a reboot site I found from the fat sick and nearly dead movie. I got so ill on my 7th day I quit the reboot thinking it was killing me. I started going to the bathroom like every hour. I couldn’t figure out where all this poop was coming from?! In the toilet I kept seeing peas and I kept thinking when did I eat peas?! Lol as it turns out they weren’t peas they were gallstones. Just 7 days of juicing saved me from a 9,000 dollar surgery. For a family of four we spent 100 dollars to do the 7 day cleanse. So 100 dollars vs 9,000 totally sounded great to me. I have a cheap black and decker juicer from Walmart and it has 3 parts to clean. It’s dishwasher safe so I usually just run it through the dishwasher when I do juice. My blender is actually more work to clean. I do a lot of smoothies now because I can’t afford the 100 a week. The blender is a oster and you have to clean the lid, the bottom has to be unscrewed and washed, the blade has to be washed, there’s a rubber piece that I have to wash and the main glass part.. It says it’s dishwasher safe but it isn’t. I’ve already had to replace the blade and the rubber piece.. And I have to deal with seeds which I hate. I totally would juice everyday if I could. There’s no question juicing is better for you. I idea of the juicing is to get more out of a meal. Instead of eating an apple for a snack you can drink four apples, a carrot, kale, beets, 6 strawberries some blue berries.. Get all the benefits from those fruits instantly absorbed into the body. That’s why cancer patients are treated and cured of cancer using the gerson therapy diet. The amount of nutrients is key.
Lisa, that is amazing that you cured your gallstones. I used a juicer for 2 weeks straight to heal h-pylori, which causes ulcers. It was a better option than triple antibiotic therapy along with acid reducers and proton pump inhibitors that destroy your gut. I couldn’t digest the fiber and I needed to give my stomach a rest. Its definately great for certain health conditions!
Hi Lisa,
What recipe did you use and how big were your gallstones?
Thanks.
I have never used a juicer before, and it is for the single reason that you mentioned above – you lose so much of the fiber when you drink your fruits/veggies that way! I get the argument that juicing allows you to eat “more” fruits and veggies in a day, but I disagree when Lisa says it is “better for you.” It is different than making a smoothie, not better. I start every single day with a fruit/vegetable smoothie, and I definitely have more energy than I did before I started making smoothies (I’ve been doing that for 4 years now).
If you get more from making smoothies then it may be due to not having health issues like others may have. I personally do both, but I have to say that I’ve never gotten an energy buzz from making a smoothie. If anything I tend to feel full and tired. However, juicing gives me endless amounts of energy. I’ve gone on two different juice fasts – one that was mainly green juices with some morning fruit juices and occasional smoothie and the other was mainly smoothies. I still felt tired and lacked energy with the smoothie “fast” and really didn’t lose any weight. However, when I went on the juice fast I felt energized when I woke up in the morning (which NEVER happens for me), had sustained energy all day long, had no more migraines, inflammation in my joints disappeared giving me increased range of motion and flexibility, I could actually see better and worked all day without my glasses, and I lost about 12-15 pounds in just 10 days. So, for me, juicing was WAY better then making smoothies.
By energy rush, do you mean sugar buzz?!?
I do juice, & I do smoothies as well. The time argument is not an issue as I veg juice for breakfast and the juicer I have doesn’t take long at all to clean up. I hear what you are saying about the pulp and yes I don’t get all the pulp but I still do get some. I had great intentions of using the pulp, but as yet haven’t. I have found that I have experienced huge benefits from juicing, and so will keep doing it….as well as smoothies!Thanks for sharing as we are able to read, learn and make a decision one way or the other. D
I am with ya on all the points you mentioned. We do daily green smoothies as well. I have also started freezing extra smoothie as Popsicles and I give it to my boys (age 15 months and 3 yrs) for a treat in the afternoon. They think its the best thing ever. Mommy points!
Firstly Lisa I would like to commend you on hanging your head out there with this one and speaking your truth. If people were personally offended by your words, it may be that they are holding on to their paradigms a little too ardently.
Having said this, I do believe that your position on the subject is somewhat ignorant. Unfortunately it is VERY difficult to get the concentrated levels nutrition we need to live in full vitality from our food supply. Even if we follow a strict real food eating plan (and respectfully my standards are even stricter than yours – http://www.therealfoodguy.com/real-food/)we may not get everything we need as even our “organic” soils demonstrate reduced biological activity and mineral content, AND contain greater levels of environmental toxins. These toxins all draw on our nutrient reserves for detoxification and elimination. Thus our demand for concentrated nutrition is higher than ever while our supply is concomitantly lower than ever. It’s a double edged sword.
This is where juicing comes in. It is NOT a meal replacement, nor should it be thought of that way. It is a method of fortifying our bodies with concentrated levels of nutrition to compensate for what we are NOT getting with even the strictest of real food plans. By eliminating the fibrous portion of the plant, we concentrate the nutrition and ease the digestive process. I talked a little bit about this in my most recent blog post in case you are interested – http://www.therealfoodguy.com/2013/07/03/nutritional-supplements-part-iv-vitamins-vs-real-food-any-questions/
I hope this comment helps add a little balance to a great post. Just because some of us do not personally agree with Lisa does not mean there is not value in her words. She is promoting real food alternatives and speaking her truth; we should ALL recognize and appreciate that!
I LOVE the journey you and your family are on and the incredible impact you are having on global consciousness. Thanks for sharing your truth so openly and spreading your real food love.
Very well stated Mark and I couldn’t agree more with your position that we are in desperate need of concentrated nutrition, coupled with supporting Lisa and the journey she is taking and leading the important discussion of health and food. I do both, juice and blend. I juice heavily when I start to feel the first signs of getting sick, or when I travel on a plane (both before and after). I am proud to report I havent’ been sick since I started this approach four years ago. I recommend drinking the juice of 4 oranges and 4 carrots at the first sign or prevention of sickness.
My husband and I just started juicing after making the choice to stop eating packaged foods.
We bought our juicer used and thought we’d try it and see how it goes before we spend big money on one. We got a really nice juicer for under $10.
The first concoction we made was of the two glass variety and as you mentioned, the clean up was a pain in the tush. We know the benefits of juicing and we decided to make enough juice for a few days. So, we pulled out our class half gallon jar and started quadrupling the recipes.
As for the mess that fly’s out the back (we’re missing that part of our juicer, some of it we take to the horses, depending on what it is. We’re considering composting and starting a garden next year. Maybe this year if we can get our rears in gear but it’s getting a little late.
Honestly, I do feel better since juicing. There’s no way I could eat all the food we put in that juicer. I don’t have time. But one thing I noticed since juicing, I do less mindless eating and that is a real good thing.
I use a vita mix, no pulp is left over. I t throw in my organic veggies, skin and all. Pure juice.
love my vitamix too.
no waste….
Yup, we have a Vitamix too, wouldn’t think of doing whole food juice with a regular blender. We Vitamix green juice at least once a day for the entire family, if not 2,3 or 4 times a day.
We all get energy, keeps us healthy from all the sickies out there, usually.
I too have a Vitamix Nancy. LOVE IT….
the price was a little high but I use it everyday and for so many different things from fruit/veggie drinks to soups and ice cream/sorbet. you can throw in a handful of spinach with fruit & you would never know the spinach is even in there.
well worth the extra time I had to work to pay it off. haha
sounds like you are lazy, Juicers are charging rhinos not cud chewing cows.
Wow, Phil, way to contribute to the conversation. Care to tell us about your lifestyle choices so we can all learn from the rhino himself?
I totally agree with everything you have said…. about 10 years ago I dabbled with juicing – bought a juicer, used it maybe half a dozen times.
But as you said it was expensive. you needed to use a ton of vegetables to get even a teeny glass. pretty much all of the fibre was thrown out (And that is part of the reason I eat veg). And the juicer was a pain in the butt to clean… it took ages.
And if you juice fruits what you are basically producing is vitamin enhanced sugar water (aka fruit juice) which will raise your insulin levels and make you fat. far better to eat the whole fruits because the fibre will fill you up more than a glass of juice will.
In the end I gave it away on freecycle. Rather buying a juice I would buy a decent blender and make smoothies any day.
But even then I don’t eat (drink) smoothies every day – you can fit far more fruit and veg in a smoothie than you can comfortably eat if you ate them as pure veg… it can result in over-eating and weight gain… (have you looked at the calorie and carb content of most smoothie and juice bar smoothies?)
I’m new to your site on a reference from a friend who is a big fan. I have to say I’m a little disappointed in this post as the reasons you listed for not juicing are the same reasons most people give for not eating healthy (other than juice not being a whole food). I understand you were just giving your opinion and experience on the subject but I think you failed your readers in not mentioning any of the benefits of juicing. There are a lot of claims that one of the reasons juicing is so good for you is because it does not have the fiber and is therefore easier for your body to digest and a more gentle way to get vitamins. I’ve never even tried juicing but I felt like using the expensive and time consuming excuses was a little off base for someone who promotes healthy eating.
I think the time and money are entirely valid reasons for not juicing. Not many people can legitimately afford $6 for a glass of juice and for many of us time is almost as valuable of a commodity as money is. Personally, I think it’s all about trying to do better where you can. If some people have the time and money for it – great! I’m jealous. For some of the rest of us, this is a great critique of juicing.
You might try the Nutri Bullet. I have one and love it. It is similar to the Vitamix but less expensive. No pulp left, it uses the whole food and simple to clean. Just rinse and go.
Amazing read, We just bought a juicer and we love it. we use our deydrator for the pulp to make veggy chips. Delish.
I agree it’s a lot of upkeep. The pulp uses are great as well. Adding that to smoothies is a great fiber additive!
My question is this considered real food? drink.. because the tropical fruit juice has corn syrup in it.
lol
lets just say i really hope so or i failed the 10 day challenge!! ;)
My SIL uses a Nutri-Bullet and uses whole foods to make her juice/smoothies. She uses whatever fruit she has on hand, either 2handfuls of Kale or spinach and almond milk/water and ice.Blend until smooth and she gets all the nutrients from the whole foods.
I agree with you! I have a juicer and I use it when my IBS acts up and I need to eat a low fiber diet for a few days. I usually juice celery and cucumbers with a little kale (not much juice in kale), an apple and lemon. I’ll add in ginger for an anti-inflammatory property and a kick :-) Otherwise, I try to eat a variety of whole foods every day. I tell my clients (I’m a dietitian) and friends the same thing you spoke of – it’s expensive, it’s wasteful of the “good stuff” and on top of that, it’s a lot to clean up for so little juice. Love your posts :-)
i personally use both, but i have a hard time getting my son to drink a smoothie. it’s a texture thing and he literally gags not for the flavor or the sweetness (I start all smoothies with frozen bananas) but simply drinking a thick liquid. its not worth it to me to have him throwing up so I sneak any pure juiced veggies and the pulp into everything I can without him noticing. also I love to drink carrot orange juice and my main reason can be found by watching the “Gerson Miracle” you can eat eight carrots and wait hours for your body to digest the nutrients, or you can drink 8 carrots and the nutrients will be in your blood in 15 minutes. :) Thank you for sharing Lisa!
Great article, thanks! I don’t juice either, but am considering it. I was hoping I could get your opinion on my reasoning:
1. There is such a thing as too much fiber. Excess fiber can cause bloating, gas, etc.
2. Juicing allows you to add a daily nutrient boost. You get a greater concentration of micronutrients in a smaller serving (nutrient density). Having a serving of juice allows you to have meals that are that are filling (macronutrients), but not necessarily nutritional. This allows for a greater variety of meals.
3. Juice is more efficiently absorbed than smoothies. It does not require as much digestion and doesn’t have to fight against blockage by fiber of the interference of anti-nutrient proteins.
Hi Mayan. Lisa was just offering her opinion on why she chooses smoothies over juicing. If juicing is what works for you and makes you feel best, that is absolutely what you should do. I, too, have tried both and prefer the texture and the slower entry of sugars into my blood stream (I’m hypoglycemic) that smoothies provide but believe, as well, in the potential benefits of juicing. All the best. ~Amy
I prefer juicing over smoothies. I am a single mom on an extremely tight budget and I can still manage it daily. I had several minor health issues and juicing helped me tremendously. I have suffered from severe eczema since I was a child. I was covered. It was so bad I had to bandage my hands because they were infected and bleeding all the time. Nothing worked until I tried juicing. I noticed a change in a few days and in a month it was gone. (I also gave up gluten, but when I skip a few days of juicing, the eczema comes back) I add a few tablespoons of Dr. Schulzes Superfood to mine…this adds some veggie protein, tons of vitamins and fiber. It makes the juice feel more like a meal. It takes some getting used to…but the benefits I felt outweigh the taste. :)
When I juice (and it’s not a lot) I just throw everything in my Blendtec blender and hit ‘whole juice’ button. It blends everything up to a liquid and I get the WHOLE fruit and/or vegetable. I think that’s the best way to go. A Vitamix will get you the same results :)
To each their own.
I’ve been having a juice every breakfast and lunch now for the last couple of months and I swear by it.
I’d like to make some comments from the other side of this:
It is not a WHOLE food: This one I only PARTIALLY agree with – It’s true, I do not eat the ENTIRE food, but I also don’t eat stems of carrots, cores of apples, things like that. It is removing part of the food, but that doesn’t mean it’s not A whole food, it’s just not THE whole food. I do throw away the pulp (with the most fiber) and don’t know that I’d recommend juicing for someone with bowel issues, but for me, I get enough fiber anyway. We tried making crackers out of it, but it didn’t turn out right so I’m looking for a new recipe for that. Until then, we do throw it away. I personally don’t have a problem with being hungry and it not filling me up – I drink about 10oz for breakfast and 10oz for lunch every day. I do make sure to snack and drink lots of water as well.
It’s expensive: Darn right it is! My juice contains 5 cups of spinach, 2 cups of kale, four carrots, 2 cucumbers, two apples, and a lemon. That’s what I use EVERY day and because I drink that much every day, it’s important to me to buy it organic. It’s expensive. BUT. When you consider that I’ve eaten out less since I’ve been juicing in order to offset the cost, it’s not THAT much more expensive. (I decided to spring for the super expensive fancy juicer, but that was a personal preference – There are ones for less than $50 that work just as well).
It takes time: Again, SURE does. Our juicer is one that really pulverizes the juice (a masticating juicer) so it takes quite a while for the juice to be made – About 10 minutes prep, 35 minutes juicing, and 10-15 minutes cleanup. We don’t have kids and it’s only two of us living in an apartment, so this isn’t really a huge issue. I can TOTALLY see how it’d be horrible for someone with kids, especially if EVERYONE in the family wants a juice.
For ME, the reason I don’t like smoothies is because I just don’t like the texture – I like it completely liquid and the juice does this for me. It’s all a matter of personal preference.
I also don’t think that I’d get NEARLY as many vitamins and nutrients from a smoothie because I don’t know that my entire 5 cups of spinach, 2 cups of kale, four carrots, 2 cucumbers, two apples, and a lemon could be consumed in two meals – Though I’ve never tried a smoothie so maybe I’ll use this to try it.
My takeaway: I’m VERY happy with juicing. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for me. Since I’ve been juicing, I’m fairly certain that I’ve eaten more veggies in the last couple of months than I have in the last 10 years – I’ve never been a big veggie eater and this is a great way for me to get plenty of veggies in.
Since I’ve been juicing, it’s helped with some weight loss and my blood pressure is FINALLY at a normal level. I don’t think it’s ONLY because of the juicing, but I’m fairly certain that the juicing helped. I’m eating FAR less processed foods and eating out a lot less. I’m pretty sure that no matter what your method, we can all agree that’s a pretty good thing.
Anyway…I just thought I’d share from my point of view.
I do both, juicing and smoothy’s. I feel they both have great purposes, and depending on how I am feeling I choose one over the other. Between the two, I have lost almost 60 pounds over this past year. I know juicing is expensive, but the vitality I feel from it is worth it. I don’t get results from any other method than when I juice. Our bodies and are health are worth any effort and price we can afford. I have found by my changes in lifestyle though, I can afford better quality food by cutting out all the junk/meals out we used to do. Get on board with whole foods/plant based foods. It is worth retraining your mind and tastes for greater health. I just turned 50 and look and feel the best I ever have. I wish I had done this years ago. I think the more knowledge we get, the better we can choose. We shouldn’t judge where someone else is at, but keep an open mind and heart and you will figure out what is best for you!
My problem with juicing is the fruit and vegetables, if not organic, have to be cleaned to remove the sprays from them. Even some organic fruits and vegetables. That is time consuming and then what do you clean them with? Tell me about Nutri-Bullet, how many parts to clean after use?
Hi Janet. Not sure who this question was for. Was it for someone making a comment about their Nutri-Bullet? ~Amy
Great article. I juice and I use the pulp. Veggie pulp goes in my turkey loafs and breads. The fruit pulp I use in pancakes and cookies.I do smoothies too. I just like knowing where my kids juice comes from. Great perspective.
I do both, although since getting my Vitamix I have somewhat abandoned my juicer. I like that I get the whole food item and also it is so much easier to clean. Love that thing!!!
It could be because you did not actually use the right type of “juicer”. There are things like the nutribullet, that pulverizes the entire vegetable!! So there is no pulp or anything left over! They have an entire book of juices that you can make and most of the ones I have taken so far taste good…. So.. perhaps give it another try before you are sold on the idea that its not for you?
Post breast cancer my nutritionist at sloan kettering suggested that I not juice. She’d rather I eat my fruit and veg instead. She had many rational reasons why, two of which have stuck out in my mind.
1. it is important to eat the whole vegetable to get all the benefits and nutrients. Beginning with the chewing process, swallowing, digesting etc we use all the body parts and each step signals the next. Most importantly she said it was imperative that the healthy fiber worked through the intestines and the colon to keep everything moving and functioning in a healthy process.
2. It’s important to get a variety of minerals and vitamins but it is equally unhealthy to get too many in our body. Particularly vitamins A and C make hospitable breeding ground for tumors – they feed off these vitamins as our bodies do and get stronger. I have been cautioned not to ingest too many vitamins now that I’m a cancer survivor. Again rather than taking synthetic vitamins and supplements she said it is preferred to eat a variety of healthy foods rather than ingest lots of juices.
Personally I believe in everything in moderation. I enjoy the ease of eating a whole salad meal in smoothy form and have been on a kick lately of one a day. When it comes to juice once in a while for an added energy boost when I’m feeling run down offers a great pick me up but I don’t make juicing routine. I’m with you, whole foods and smoothies give me plenty of energy and healthy benefits – don’t see juicing as an efficient way to go.
2 WORDS NUTRI BULLET!!
Gretchen, you are spot on!! Love Love Love our nutri-bullet
It’s smoothies in our house. I find frozen cherries are the best for cutting out the taste of the healthy greens for those who are finaky eaters.
This is why is want a Vitamix. A juicer is wasteful and my Ninja just doesn’t quite liquefy in the same way as a Vitamix.
Vitamix!!! Love mine. I also thought juicing was wasteful, so I go the smoothie route.
Well summarized – we arrived at the same conclusion. Juices can be refreshing, a delicious treat … but do not constitute a long term meal replacement plan. http://goodnotperfect.com/2013/09/20/the-skinny-on-juice/
I agree with you on juicing. I purchased a Vitamix over a year ago and we use it daily for green smoothies (and also soups, sauces, salsas, nut butters, bread, ice cream, sorbet, etc.) It is the best machine I have in my kitchen and I am confident that I get the most out of our whole food juicing. The Vitamix blows regular blenders out of the water! It is a must have for anyone serious about their health and wanting to get the most nutrition out of their food, not to mention it is so versatile and fun to use!
We have a ninja blender around $99 extra special one with the small piece to make homemade icecream at Costco $119. It has 3 very sharpe blades that run up the center stem. My husband loves his veggie smoothies and takes them with his lunch. I put some cinnamon, and a few frozen berries at the last. It is thick with puréed veggies and a little fruit. I could never understand the whole juicing thing either? I’m with you we are a smoothie household not a juicing household!
I recently looked into juicing hoping my husband would enjoy it and not take so many supplements but when I read the fiber gets left behind I wouldn’t even think of juicing!!! Lots of vitamins and minerals getting left behind with the fiber completely defeating my purpose!!!
Agree. I find smoothies over juices way more filling & nutritious, but perhaps it depends on your body type.
We bought a thermomix which is awesome; more expensive than the others but its also meant we make all our other healthy meals from scratch now as its so easy. Definitely worth it for us as we spent so much money on takeout previously.
I’m off to make my daily smoothie now!
I juice then put both in the bullet & emulsify. Just don’t like putting water in bullet & throwing out all that good fiber from juicing. Wanted it all. It does take forever & have 2 appliances to clean. But then I found these great-big ice cube makers, so I freeze & bag juice. That way I blend 3 ice cubes (all different types) @ a time. Helps that I get free fruit.
I just love reading your blog, but I was wondering how you have dealt with “The Hotdog Issue”?. Do Your children ask for them?
Hi Cindy. You can find the organic hotdogs that Lisa will occasionally give her girls in this post: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/29/real-food-while-camping/. ~Amy
I love the zing I get from a fresh, green juice but I consider it a treat, not a meal. I have a nutribullet and honestly, a smoothie is not enough of a meal for me, but it’s a great morning or afternoon snack, Also, I have some digestive issues and the green smoothies help. I like them tart, with lemon or grapefruit!
We first started juicing over 30 years ago. This year we discovered the Nutribullet. This little powerhouse appliance is under $100. Totally recommend it.
Great topic and info! Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy smoothies, and just bought a Nutribullet this past weekend after thinking about it for months. Juicing never made sens to me for all the reasons you mentioned. The smoothie from the Nutribullet is worlds smoother and more palatable than the product from my standard blender! I’ll be drinking smoothies for a long time to come.
It doesn’t have to be juicing or smoothing, I love both! And for some fruits & veggies I prefer blending (mangoes, spinach, melons) for others, I prefer them juiced (like carrots) then I mixed them. My kids have a hard time with thick smoothies.
The Breville juicer $99 on Amazon , cleans super fast just three pieces. I love it. That and my Vitamix have helped me feel better, plus loose some weight.
I have never tried juicing, but my husband got me a Vitamix blender for Mother’s Day, and we use it to make a lot of smoothies. The blender is very easy to clean, which makes me much more inclined to use it.
Not to mention that blenders are much easier to clean! I haven’t used my juicer in years for that same reason- it seemed so wasteful to throw all that pulp away when I could use all of the fruit in a smoothie! My son loves “Green monster smoothies”- simply spinach, banana and pineapple
I would have agreed with you on this post if you had used a juicer that is meant for juicing greens. I had the Breville that you have pictures of, and I also thought juicing was a waste. I traded up for a masticating juicer (mine is an Omega, but there are many other great brands) and I get a great deal of juice for my money and time. We juice 6-7 bunches of kale with about a half cup of waste, and we are seeing a great return on our nutritional investment. I feel that juicing is great for us because we don’t sit down for 3 meals a day, but we juice every 3 days and get a ton of nutrients on the go a few times a day(also something you can’t do with that Breville, but can with a masticating juicer). You just can’t beat it, because meal prep isn’t always an option, but raw greens are.
Juice or smoothie, cheers to great health! :)
The Vitamix is by far the best thing out there. Like you said you don’t waste the pulp but get all the good stuff into your diet. The Vitamix does it all. Peanut butter, Almond Butter, Soup, Ice Cream etc. It’s a bit expensive but you get a life long waranty with it.
I’ve been making juice with my blender for years….. I guess Like a smoothie but not so thick do it’s more like juice. My kids live juice and I’ve found blending my own from fresh fruit and/or veggies is the best option! They love it! Anything I make from scratch at home with whole and raw ingredients is better then buying that crap they make in the stores.
Yesterday I my husband were at the Virginia State Fair and there was the Vitamix. I had though about buying one but knew the cost was high but he watched and tasted, juice/smoothie (no pulp-all liquefied), strawberry sorbet (with spinach) and tortilla soup (he saw the hot pepper go in, along with other peppers he will tolerate but not each normally. He asked more questions than me and then asked which color to get! RED!
Said he was sick of getting rid of the pulp – the waste was too much for him to take.
This was no baby step for him, this was massive!
Smoothies. I bought an expensive juicer and now it’s sitting to the side. I would love to sell it!
Juicing is awesome! At first wasn’t sure I would feel full but with a little time that changed. It is satisfying and I felt less hungry depending on types of veggies you are juicing. Also, juicing before a meal helps consume less solid food which eliminates feeling stuffed from over eating. With that said I don’t see why we have to choose one over the other. Smoothies are awesome too! Although , I personally did not like adding water to my nutri-bullet. It gave a watered down feel to the mixture. I would love a Vitamix though!
I am thankful for your article. I was looking for a juicer but the cost??? I love the whole foods of my Vitamix Smoothies! I guess you helped me make my decision. Thanks!
Louise
Personally, I like both. I juice quite a bit in the winter, for the extra vitamins and minerals with fewer calories, especially when we want a regular, filling breakfast, but we also have smoothies once or twice a week for a quick breakfast on the run. I don’t find it that much more expensive to juice (then again, I live in Italy now so prices may be different), especially since I don’t eat as many raw vegetables when it’s cold!
Vitamix. There’s nothing like it.
I love smoothies! I actually have been able to grind them with my ‘stick’ or immersion blender in a quart mason jar in under a minute so I don’t even use my blender. This has encouraged me to prepare them even more. I want the whole food as well so I can dig it. I have recently chosen to purchase a juicer because I needed a beet juice for my pre-run drink at 5am. I found the fiber from grinding beets provided me with a little too much fiber before a run and made me need to run home! LOL And recently I found that my son LOVES a lime, yellow pepper, pear juice. What a $$ treat. I will use juice pulp in my turkey meatballs for moisture, and keep with smoothies! Cheers
I am SO relieved and glad to read this post, oh my God. I too prefer not to juice, and have felt like the only person on the planet who doesn’t find it helpful. The sugars without the fiber do NOT agree with my body’s digestive system. And it’s ridiculously expensive with very little output. I know many people who have healed their body by juicing, and I think that’s fabulous ,,, for them. It’s not the right thing for me, and I’m ok with that. I am just ecstatic to find I’m not alone in how I feel. :-) Thank you!!
You’re not alone! There’s nothing wrong with juice, like Lisa said … but I’m with you, I’d rather eat the veggies (or drink a nice thick smoothie). :)
I wanted to like juicing so bad. But I was not a fan for all the reasons you mentioned. Plus, I felt like it was giving me a sugar rush, even when it was just veggies. Smoothies on the other hand are a big hit.
I’ve got a few favs, but right now I am loving: frozen banana, pineapple, light coconut milk…pina colada anyone? yum
Thanks for a great article! I completely agree! I was skeptical of juicing because of the lack of fiber, the high carb and possibility of high sugar content (albeit natural–it’s concentrated) possibly causing blood sugar spikes. Part of eating is the chewing and it’s affect on brain signals for satiation. Then there is the feeling from digestive organ sensors of fullness, or satiety. While I think it would be better for me to eat all the fruit and veggies in my green smoothies blended by an old [cheap] blender; this is as far as I will go in terms of any “supplement” for my food intake. I make them twice a week on my busiest days to get the whole food servings I might otherwise not have time to prepare or chew in an equal amount.
If you have a masticating juicer you lose a lot less fiber. Also the leftover fiber can be used for yummy breads.
I want to Thumbs up or like this comment. :-p
If you do juice things it really helps to have a garden to get things from.
I grow & juice Kale, cucumber, spinach. I buy apples, carrots and oranges in bulk whenever possible. It’s not as expensive as your numbers come out. With 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 cucumber, 4 carrots, a knob of ginger I can make 2 nice sized glasses for my girlfriend and me.
You can use the pulp in compost or add it to breads.
Cleaning an Omega juicer is a breeze, maybe 5 minutes, and doesn’t have to be done right away, it can soak in a sink. I will admit though, that Breville juicer looks like a pain to clean.
Also, the Omega juicers can make pasta, nut butters, and many more things to offset it’s cost.
I started out with smoothies then worked my way up to juicing. I do a combination of both and usually vary the times in which I consume them. Morning breakfast smoothie capped off with an afternoon juice. The problem with this article is it doesn’t explain the major difference between juice and smoothies. I did my research and that is why I do both… every day. :)
I felt the same way but now that I have a Vitamix, it’s fantastic!
I must be weird because i sit there and eat the “trash” while drinking my juice. I don’t juice very often, but yea, i’m a weirdo who eats the stuff in the bucket.
I tried juicing. And I do like it. But it is definitely expensive, and I was getting my produce very cheap from a co-op. Right now, our food budget just can’t afford regular juicing. My husband and I (and our kids) really enjoy the juice, but as far as an everyday, multiple times a day thing, it just isn’t for us. I have a Hamilton Beach juicer and a few parts have to be cleaned immediately. It’s bulky though and takes up a lot of counter space or cabinet space. I think juicing in moderation is great, but I can’t see the benefits of cutting out whole foods. I have an auto-immune disease I’m trying to get under control with diet, and whole veggies and fruits are vital. My opinion- juicing is great but not as a meal replacement or means of total nutrition. (I can see detoxing with it though, if needed).
I don’t juice for exactly the same reasons you don’t. I cannot bear losing that much of the whole fruit or vegetable. The expense is more than I can afford. I don’t have a juicer and have never used one, but I have seen how much there is to wash.
While I do make smoothies, I don’t put water or ice or sugar in them. Most people say they need sugar in fruit smoothies. ??? I use frozen strawberries as the “ice” or frozen blueberries. Every smoothie has about a half cup of yogurt and maybe 1/3 cup of orange juice. The rest is pure fruit, making about 10 to 12 ounces of smoothie. My favorite smoothie consists of oj, plain yogurt, banana, strawberry, blueberries. For my bf I substitute cantaloupe for banana.
I totally agree with your points about juicing. That is why I use a Vitamix, which enables me to utilize the entire fruit and/or vegetable, so I benefit from all of the nutrients and fiber. I have been making “green” drinks for the past 6 months. Tonight I mixed kale, cucumber, broccoli and apple.
Do you have any favorite green smoothie recipes you could share?
I drink green smoothies regularly, and here’s what I do: I fill the blender to the top with kale and then pour in about 1/4 cup of coconut milk and about 1/4 cup of unsweetened organic cranberry juice. I blend all that together and then throw in some frozen berries (any kind), frozen or fresh pineapple, 1/2 a frozen banana, and a handful of frozen peach slices. I also use fresh fruit when I can, but I usually eat fresh fruit on its own later in the day, so I don’t like to put it in the smoothie. I blend all of this together and sometimes add a tablespoon of hemp protein powder. If the smoothie looks too slick, I pour in a bit more coconut milk or cranberry juice (any juice with no sugar added will do). That’s it. These smoothies are cold and thick and sweet–you can’t taste the kale at all. It’s best not to use all-fruit smoothies because of the high sugar content, but when they’re mixed with greens the sugar is released more slowly. I never add a dairy product such as yogurt or ice cream (ew!) to my smoothies, and they are delicious.
Up there I mean if the smoothie looks too thick, not slick.
I’m a big fan of smoothies too and I give them to my daughter whenever possible. It’s a great way for me to get leafy greens into her since she can’t chew them properly yet to eat them whole. I just feel a little better about the fact that she’s eating the whole fruit/vegetable, fiber and all.
I absolutely LOVE my Nutri Bullet … it breaks down the whole fruit and/or veggies and can be as thick or thin as you want depending on what you add. We use it every morning and am out the door in minutes!Love!
I love green smoothies and have one most every day! I was checking into purchasing a juicer (for the occasion that I’m just in the mood for juice rather than smoothie) but then discovered I could juice with my blender just as well! You have to work for it a little and it takes a little time, but just pour the smoothie mixture into a mesh strainer over a large cup and press with the back of a spoon until the juice is out. I give my dog the pulp mixed in with her regular food and she loves it plus my pet get a little organic veggies!
I too love my Vitamix. About 2 years ago I really, really, really wanted a juicer. I used my hard earned Air Miles to get one and waited axiously for it to arrived. I was so excited when it did. The kids and I immedicately started juicing fruit and veggies that we had. Although it tasted I great, I HATED the waste, I am not a baker of anything and would never use the pulp. The clean up was another aspect I did not like. Also the expense that was mentioned, my budget was blown away by how much I had to buy to get just one glass of juice. Sadly, we only used the juicer about 5 more times, before I sold it on Kijiji. Now I have a Vitamix that I used almost everyday and there is not waste. I swish it under the tap with some soap, ta da, clean. Sweet!
What kind of juicer were you using? It doesn’t sound like a very good one if you only got 2oz of juice from a bunch of kale. Personally, it’s a lovely way to consume more veggies than is possible in a smoothie or salad. And there are times when I don’t need any more fiber.
I appreciate your insight, as everyone has their own opinions on juicing vs. blending. However, it seems to me that you were expecting results from juicing like the ones you get from blending and that just will rarely ever be the case. Juicing is not suppose to fill you, it is meant for healing aspects. You blend to feel full, you juice to heal. Because, when juicing you allow your digestive system to take a break from breaking down any of “that pulp stuff” aka fiber from the fruits and veggies and therefore all those beautiful phito-nutrients go straight to your blood stream, more oxygen to your brain, and it also helps fight off free radicals. See what you did in this article, although very insightful, was compare apples and oranges. I think that if you went into the juicing experience with no expectations you would have had a much different article to write.
I have been having a green smoothie almost daily for over a year now. I love them and feel so full after I have it. I do recommend having a higher quality blender so that it saves time in chopping the veggies and it blends so well. I love my Blendtec!!
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
It Works Greens are amazing and they are the answer to all your above issues. All the benefits of juicing without the high price, inconvenience, thick texture and bad taste! $33 for a month’s supply and the new berry flavor tastes incredible. Two tiny scoops of the very fine powder in water is all you need, and within 3 days you feel brand new, no joke. You can google the It Works greens and see the reviews and ingredient list for yourself. Feel free to contact me with questions or to place an order.
[email protected]
Amanda :)
I ADORE my juicer, BUT I do not use it like most people do. We grow a lot of our own veggies and supplement the rest with CSA boxes. Because of where we live, we can grow food year round. I’m not huge into canning or freezing massive amounts of things because we are VERY limited in regard to space. My garden is a terraced container garden that utilizes maximum space efficiency. For the above reasons, when our veggies and fruits start to get a little too soft for regular consumption, rather then throw them out I run them through the juicer and we all enjoy a fresh round of something we would otherwise have thrown away. An apple that is going soft makes a sweet delicious juice.
I put everything in our juice. This morning it was 1 Zucchini Squash, 2 pomegranates, few handfuls of Swiss Chard, a garlic clove, an apple, and some carrots. It sounds grosser then two day old baby poo, but it was sincerely delicious. The pulp does not get thrown away. I mix it into cookies and a few other baking recipes for my daughter and she loves them. I even add it to the 100 Days of Real Food Carrot Applesauce muffins that I love so much. So we still use it all, and the fiber doesn’t go to waste.
That being said. I really feel like it boils down to everyone’s personal style. If we had more room in our abode I would probably be canning and freezing more, especially if I didn’t live in Southern California where we can grow food year round. However, we do, so a juicer rocks my socks. If I had space for a freezer, though, and room to store more canned goods, I would certainly utilize that option more.
I actually appreciate that your Real Food blog does not require the use of a juicer. You’re very correct that if the pulp isn’t utilized in other recipes in some way, you are losing out on a lot of valuable nutrition. It’s a valuable tool, but one that can be misused easily. You’re better off just using what you have in traditional cooking recipes, and then if your produce is starting to look under the weather utilize it however works best for you. Whether that’s baking, canning, freezing, juicing, whatever works for you!
P.S. My daughter and husband are not of this world. They abhor smoothies. I personally love them (I sometimes wonder how we get along so well when our food preferences differ so dramatically haha)! Unfortunately when you’re the only one that loves something in your household, it doesn’t get made often.
Juicing isn’t for everyone but one of the biggest pluses for juicing is that, because the fiber is eliminated, it gives your digestive system a break. It works VERY hard and takes a lot of your energy to function. There are scads of things you can do with the fiber. My sister tosses hers into homemade stock. You can make raw crackers in the dehydrator. It is a great addition to compost. Sometimes I toss it in my (very spoiled) dogs’ food at meal time. The list goes on. I don’t do juice fasts but shoot for 5 mornings a week. It’s an energy burst for me and gets me through until lunch time.
Vitamix may be good but it is too $$$ for my budget. I bought a car once for the same price! NO JOKE.
Love the smoothie~ get your fiber!! YUM!!
Completely agree! I have a pretty basic blender, and it makes awesome smoothies! :)
I think blenderized veggies and fruits are much better for you because of the fiber, vitamins in the skin, etc. I use a Blendtec, similar to Vitamix and it will even grind an avocado seed. I do grapefruit smoothies for immune boosting and can grind the seeds too with the pith. (always add a little cinnamon or ginger to balance out the cooling effect). I’m a little concerned over the sugar rush with just juicing since it has no fiber. I believe God intended us to use the whole food. I also use the pineapple stem for boosting my immune system per my natural doctor. I had a lot of health problems resulting in cancer and feel like this has helped a lot. Also, neurologist Russell Blaylock recommends blenderized smoothies in his book “Health and Nutrition Secrets that Can Save your Life”. Great Book!
Renae…I’d like to hear more about immune boosting smoothies.
The basis of the juice is for your body to absorb it without your stomach working over time to break down the fiber. I have severe immune system problems and it has helped me tremendously. I do eat salads and fiber so everything balances out. I think juicing, smoothies, whatever way you can get your fruit and veggies is a great thing!
totally agree
Finally someone agrees with me!Yay! I prefer blenders and smoothies as well. Nice post.
http://www.junkfoodjournal
I have tried both and agree with Lisa on every point. It’s expensive and time-consuming. If I were in need of special health considerations I would probably to a juice fast to kick start some healing. Yes, any blender will do a decent job, but I am grateful to my dad for sending me a Bullet for Christmas last year. It really pulverizes the food to a very drinkable consistency, and still retain the whole food.
Juicing is expensive….that is why I added Juice Plus (whole food supplement)to my diet…to help get more fruits & veggies (phytonutrients)in me. They juice it for me in bulk so it is very affordable. I also eats lots of “real” food. I don’t think we can get enough!
First I would like to preface the statement I am about to make with…. to each their own. I totally can see why people do not juice, I do not judge people for not juicing nor do I think anyone who eats all whole foods and doesn’t happen to juice will be less healthy in any way, shape, or form. First… it is STUPID expensive which is why we do not do it all the time…. that being said. We do juice. Juicing isn’t suppose to be filling or provide fiber. Juicing’s goal is to provide micronutrients in amounts that would be impossible if you tried to eat all of those veggies. Some others also use the juice as a way to allow their stomach to get a rest and heal the lining and their gut during juice-fasts. Not sure if any of you have seen Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, or Crazy Sexy Cancer (I think they are both on Netflix… maybe not the Crazy Sexy Cancer but there are a ton for the Gersen Therapy and such which is based on healing via green juice) but that could probably give a better theory behind it than this comment ever could. And I love smoothies too so win, win.
Lisa, I couldn’t agree with you more!! Organic vegetables are pricey enough and quite honestly I have a family of four to feed and can’t afford to throw all that waste away. However, I did buy myself a NutriBullet and I have come to REALLY LOVE my green drinks in the morning. Through experimenting, I have found that if you add a little extra water, your drink becomes less thicker than a smoothie and goes down more like a juice drink! P.S. I love your honesty & practicality and I love your website (as do my husband & children). It has been my “go to” for quite some time now ~ Don’t know what I’d do without you!!
Unfortunatly you’ve been mis-informed about fibre as unfortunatly most people are, ther are 2 types of fibre Soluble and Insoluble, the Soluble is what you will get in your juice and is perfectly sufficient to live on if that’s what you want to do, however the insoluble is also important to keep your digestive anx waste system moving as Soluble is used by the body in its entirety there is no waste, basically see a juicer as an external stomach which separates all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients from your fruit and veggies(soluble fibre), from what is generally waste with little nutritional value (insoluble fibre), this gives the bodies internal organs a rest from needing to process the insoluble and means it can spend time putting all this great nutrition to good use and where it needs to go. I would say it takes a good couple of weeks to get into a juicing routine with recipes and experimenting and also finding what works for you time wise and i often stick tona handful of juices
Someone else here said, “The basis of the juice is for your body to absorb it without your stomach working over time to break down the fiber. I have severe immune system problems and it has helped me tremendously. I do eat salads and fiber so everything balances out. I think juicing, smoothies, whatever way you can get your fruit and veggies is a great thing!”
Juicing gets you micro-nutrients you cant get in drinking a smoothie, rather as much.
I drink my juice first thing every morning, before eating anything else! Tons of vitamins and nutrients packed being absorbed! Then I eat normal the rest of the day. (Large salads and yummy real food) The problem I see with smoothies as its easy to add lots of sugary fruit and milks and fruit juices, though natural fruit sugar is great, I feel like people expect a sweet smoothie and over do it. More veg than fruit should be key in both smoothies and juice. ALSO the speed of the blenders are super fast, heating up whatever your blending breaking down the nutrients resulting in loosing some. Deal breaker no… but something to think about.
There are so many different types of juicers, and blenders out there. Mine is a single ogger, squeezes the juice out, no blades, never ‘heating’, and fairly simple to clean.
Im both pro juicing and smoothies. I think both are great, both healthy and great choices. I do both.
There are different juicers for different needs.
ALSO, Costco has GREAT prices on Organic Greens!!!
I bought a juicer.. didn’t realize that it would take out the fiber.I thought it was like a Vitamix. Now I know there are people with diverticulitis who may need my machine (and its for sale).
We did use it when making and canning tomato juice from a heap of tomatoes and it successfully eliminated seeds and skin, but added air to the juice.
Smoothies for me. I bought a juicer years ago, and haven’t used it for the same reasons you stated, plus the clean up. I also like the fact that I am getting my servings of veggies in through the smoothies too, otherwise I do not get enough. I admit I would not eat beets, but I will drink them in a smoothie. I do have a nutri bullet and have been drinking 1 or 2 veggie w/fruit smoothies a day. Even the 2 yr old I nanny drinks them and has since she was about 8 mos.
I disagree-you are missing the entire point of juicing. You can drink a lot more than you can eat- therefore you take in more nutrients by juicing vs. attempting to eat all of that food. You can juice multiple times a day but you can only eat so much. Juicing isn’t meant to replace a meal- it’s a great supplement to a healthy diet.
Thank you for this! I was going to ask for a juicer for Xmas but had some doubts. Your comments have changed my mind. I make green smoothies and drink the included fiber and they are very satisfying. Now I can save the $ and trouble (plus finding a place to keep another appliance).
Thank you Thank you, your timing is perfec. I saw a late night infomercial about the benedits of juicing and was planning on getting a juicer and trying it but was concerned about the cost. I had heard it takes alot of fruit and vegetables to make a little juice but didnt realise there was an alternative. Instead of a juicer I will now be buying a good blender! Thank you!!!!
I have read that you can use a cheesecloth to extract straight juice from your smoothie. Just pour it through and squeeze.
I bought a 15.00 personal blender at Walmart…makes the best smoothies! I’m in total agreement when it comes to juices over smoothies. With me, smoothies win hands down!
SOO grateful for your honest opinion about juicing! I’ve been on the fence for several months now trying to decide if I should buy a juicer or not. I love the juice and I really loved how I felt after trying some a couple times with my friend at her house. (She made it in her machine.) I already own a Ninja system that I love, but wasn’t sure I I should add to the counter space it takes up with a juicer as well. From my experience, seeing how the pulp is spit out, definitely the added expense of produce, the added calories in my appetite (I too do not fill up on juice or a smoothie 😕), and lastly, the clean up she had to do, made me question my desire to make the move to buy one. Also one day recently when I was making a smoothie in my Ninja, I realized that I was going to have an awfully thin smoothie due to my adding too much liquid. As I poured the drink up, it almost had a thicker like consistency than juice, but it was not that far off of pulpy like juice. I haven’t tried actually making juice in there yet as I don’t think it would be my taste in consistency. But, I did see it might be ok for some. I’m now satisfied that I don’t need a juicer….I can just use what I have! Thanks!!!
We *used to* have a juicer, but I didn’t like throwing away the pulp, or trying to figure out something useful to do with it. And I didn’t like having so much clean-up work!
We used to have a regular blender and made smoothies…but it only lasted a couple of years till the motor burned out. We replaced it…got a “good brand” that lasted about 7 days. Replaced that with another that lasted about a year. Started getting tired of buying blenders!
So I researched a lot, and ended up buying a refurbished VitaMix with a 10-year-warranty. It’s been going strong for about 6 years now. It makes wonderful smoothies, is a breeze to clean, and also can grind wheat berries, pulverize oat berries, and can make peanut butter and almond butter, no problem. It’s strong as a horse, and I just feel happy about not having yet another disposable kitchen appliance in my kitchen. Refurbished turned out great for us…a money-saver. If you buy one, try to get the strongest motor you can afford.
Every summer we bring in gallons of organic home-grown grapes, and make a grape puree which we freeze in ice cube trays. Handy for adding a grape ice cube to a smoothie recipe!
With the exception of the VitaMix being noisy, we love it.
If I want actual juice without pulp, like for somebody who has a digestive sensitivity, or for a clear jelly, I can just pour the puree through a strainer.
I juice every morning for myself, husband and three girls. At first it was a grind due to the prep and washing the juicer parts afterward. As with anything, it has now become second nature and the work seems minimal compared with the benefits. Our green juice consists of celery, kale, cucumber, ginger, green apple and pear. It is a delicious, nutritious and refreshing way to start the day. The cost per day is roughly $8 for all 5 of us. It works for us! I am going to figure out a muffin recipe from the pulp soon so there will be no waste!
Others have already addressed the rapidity of absorption rate, increased number of micronutrients consumed, and giving digestive system a break. Those are all reasons I juice. There are concerns voiced with the expense and waste. We compost all of our leftover pulp, and use that soil in a garden to grow our own organic produce. Eliminates waste, decreases cost, and decreases the carbon footprint. Now, I can’t say that all of my juice is grown in my backyard, but I do my best. Baby steps.
I know we are talking about making ones own juice, filled with low calorie high nutrient vegetables and fruits, and fewer sugars than commercial juices. But, I just wanted to remind people that juice in general (and of course I am talking about commerically made juice) is considered to be one of the many causes of childhood obesity. I think it is just wise to make children learn to eat foods that are home prepared, nutritious and flavorful rather than getting used to the idea of drinking this or taking that pill for nutrition.
I put the pulp in a food dehydrator. Store in a mason jar and put it in my smoothies.
Very good idea “store in a mason jar and put it in my smoothies”.
In your post, you say that you and your husband had juice and were still hungry for breakfast. Juicing does not equal a meal. Is that what you thought? Juicing is something you do in addition to eating healthy meals. And, as explained by other comments, juicing helps get those nutrients with better absorption. I don’t think it has to be juicing or smoothies, they are 2 different things and you can do both. Many juicers think of juicing as taking a vitamin in the morning or using it as a natural medicine. Green juice is wonderful and give me a boost. You have to watch out for sugar intake in juicing fruits, which is why many juicers only add a small amount of fruit.
Have you looked into a Vitamix??? It blends everything, so you don’t end up wasting the good stuff. They are fantastic also for making soups, salad dressings, etc. Very versatile.
Hi Dani. Yes, we are very familiar with Vitamix. :) ~Amy
I juice daily. I will wake up 10 min earlier to juice my vegetables.
I feel the same way u do . Eat foods as a whole for all the benefits. Love your site n recipes. Thank u!
One reason I encourage people to chew their food (and calories) rather than drink it is because I want them take their meal in more slowly. That way they don’t take in excessive amounts of calories before their brain gets the signal that they are satisfied. However I have pushed liquid calories for clients that are underweight.
Hi all,
I’m loving this topic and the comments that go with it. I have to say that for me I do all three things – jucing, blending and eating whole foods as much as possible. With juicing, it took me about a month or two to get the hang of being organised enough to make it a rather quick routine. I decided to re-arrange my whole fridge by buying airtight containers to store my fresh fruit and vegetables in. Most of the fridge is now taken up with these items. We live in an apartment so unfortunately we can’t grow our own (although I would love to do that one day) so I try to buy in bulk as much as I can to save money. Living in Australia I think our ‘organic produce’ prices differ immensely compared to the USA. Needless to say I can’t afford all organic but buy what I can when I can. So, we use conventional produce most of the time and I make sure I peel everything that is peel-able before putting it in my juicer. Before I bought my juicer I researched for some time as to which one would be the best for our family. After looking at all the different options we settled on a ‘slow’ juicer – meaning it ‘chews’ and ‘squeezes’ the food at a very low RPM rate (75rpm) which in turn means it keeps as many live enzymes and micro nutrients as possible and does not lose them like some fast centrifugal juicers that use a lot of heat in their spinning blades (e.g. some Breville juicers etc). The pulp and peelings I save for a friend who has chickens so nothing is wasted at all. If I have a particularly large amount of carrot pulp I then make a nice carrot cake loaf as a treat. I was recommended juicing by a health professional to generally improve my immune system and give me energy. This it certainly has done and I’m so glad I stuck it out for the first couple of months. I mainly juice 80% vegetable and 20% fruit as I do not want too much sugar from fruit in my drink. So a typical juice would contain: kale, cucumber, celery, spinach, broccoli, ginger, lemon, 2 apples and 2 carrots. My three year old also loves these juices and helps me to prepare them. The juicer is so so easy to clean, just three moving parts that come away easily and rinse off. Apart from juicing it also makes pasta, nut butters, fruit & nut balls, sorbet and sausages. The only thing we haven’t tried making on it is the pasta as we have a lot in our pantry still. But the other things are amazing too. With a handful of blueberries, one mango cheek and one banana I can make sorbet for three people. Goodness, ok, I’m rambling a bit. I make about 2 litres of fresh juice in the morning and keep it in the fridge so I don’t have to make it later on. With the so called ‘slow’ juicers apparently you can keep the juice fresh in the fridge for up to 72 hours. Mine never lasts that long but there you go. My breakfast in the morning is a super smoothie that I make in my blender consisting of: blueberries, 1 mango cheek, organic milk, organic yoghurt, raw organic cacao powder, organic maca powder, organic rainbow superfood powder (5 superfoods in one jar), cinnemon, chia seeds, wheatgerm, oats and a teaspoon of manuka honey. I try to eat mainly lean protein, grains, legumes and fresh salads during the day and then I have between 500ml and 1 litre of juice for dinner. It works for me. My husband will take a glass here and there but is not as fanatical about it as I am :). The thing I’d like to stress is that I use juicing as a supplement to my diet and not the only ‘meal’ per say. Cost wise, it costs us about $8 a day for juicing.
I would recommend buying a vitamix unlike juicing it is using while food. Apple peels and core, pineapple rind, kale, strawberry stems, whole nuts etc. you can also make humus, hot soups etc. I got mine at costco and love it. Unlike juicing you can make a fruit/veggie smoothie full of protein and fiber that will replace a meal. Clean up is a breeze too.
I use a Vitamix and strain the juice in a bag if it has to be clear.
I use a Vitamix and strain the juice through a bag if it has to be clear.
Read about Jason Vale, my son 2 years old driks everyday a juice made with pinneapple, apple, cucumber, spinach and ginger… dont give up juicing.
A very easy juicer to try is the PHILIPS, easy to use and to wash.
How is juicing, especially with a masticating juicer, any less a whole food than eating cheese? Cheese is made by removing the whey from milk and only using the curd? Don’t get me wrong. I love your site. I just think your argument is a little off on this point.
Juicing is a good way get your and your kids veggies ( and fruit) intake Not a meal supplement. Adding a vegan protein supplement does help if want it to be counted as a meal. As for the fiber loss is not stated correctly in your post,. There are two types of fiber soluble and insoluble, when juicing the soluble is contained in your juice, the insoluble is in the pulp. So needless to say on that side of things the bad fiber is gotten rid of when juicing.
“the bad fiber is gotten rid of when juicing” – Wait, what? You know that insoluble fiber is a big part of what keeps your colon running properly, right? You need that stuff.
I went through a 3-4 month juicing phase. It was a lot of fun and delicious. But it was also expensive and time-consuming, and there doesn’t seem to be any hard science behind the notion that juicing helps your body absorb nutrients better than eating the whole fruit or vegetable does. Unless your digestive system is impaired in some way, absorbing nutrients from whole foods is what it does, and it does it well.
I have an Omega juicer and it take about 5 min to clean all the parts after making our daily juice. It is different then smoothies as you and other suggest – faster nutrient absorption for those that want the vitamin boost, a detox, or may have health issues as we do. We do smoothies in the vitamix and juices too – it definitely isn’t a meal but a power packed vitamin boost that really gets your body the fullest extent from those veggies. My 2 boys & I love our green juices. My older one loves smoothies but my younger won’t touch them-to
each their own I guess. Either way – I think juicing is an excellent way to get extra
Nutrients quickly and without your body having to process all that fiber – just my opinion.
I don’t think you’ve done near enough research before commenting on this subject. I have seen juicing do some incredible things for people recovering from cancer not to mention a whole host of lesser ills.
I regularly juice, and find that a good glass of juice more than replaces a meal. For many, hunger is a habit or learned response. For some, super-nourishing with high quality fresh juice can be a life saver. T here are lots of testimonials to this, the best being the Aussie movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.
I haven’t tried smoothies, yet….but I’m very happy with my 3-times a week juice snack. I grow my own veggies and fruits, so it is a way of using up all the surplus and not so perfect specimens. I get an extra jolt of energy and vitamins and minerals, and the pulp is fed to the chickens. So for my lifestyle the juicing fits in very nicely. I can understand the points made in this article. I guess we all have to make choices that fit our lifestyle and energy needs.
Juicing is ESSENTIAL within a cleansing lifestyle… Juicing and Blending (smoothies) are 2 different things done for different reasons. You juice 20-30 minutes before meals to alkalinize and mineralize your system, which sets the stage for optimal digestion, utilization, and assimilation WITHOUT burdening the body’s systems with work to do… the juice is absorbed immediately, hence, NO WORK. Followed by a big green salad, this is truly optimal… so alkalinize, mineralize, followed by a fiber rich salad… good to go. Smoothies are awesome as a meal which are very satisfying, and can be quite delicious… anything with fiber/whole food will give your body work to do… your job is to make eating, digestion, etc as efficient as possible by giving the body as little work to do as possible… this eliminates obstruction from forming in the body, which is in actuality a reversal of aging… juicing is essential, smoothies are awesome, eating whole foods is awesome… do them right, do them all! enjoy
I’m with you. Juicing made me feel good, but a glass of liquid is NOT filling as a meal. And it does take extra time. I went back to green smoothies in the nutribullet – blend it in the cup, put the lid on it, and enjoy on the way to work.
it’s worth the extra work Isa… smoothies are not enough
I am so disappointed in my purchase of a Jack LaLaine Juicer. I need to know what too buy now. A vitamix or any other suggestions. Thanks
it’s worth the extra work Isa… smoothies are not enough
Judith, Get yourself a Blendtec blender and a Hurom Slow Juicer… use them both. Juice before meals… have smoothies as meals
It seems to me that you are “forgetting” that it takes more than one week to feel the effects of a dietary change sometimes…as well as it looks a little like an advertisement for the smoothie pouches…which, by the way, look a lot more time-consuming to clean than a juicer. I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. I juice my oranges, apples and carrots then add to a blender with the greens and whatever else I find and blend together each morning and I prepare “juice” for 5 people and total prep to clean-up time is less than half an hour. Add a banana and I’m good for the morning. There are also things you can get that suck the air out of a mason jar and store in the fridge with no loss due to exposure to the air. Either way, juice or blend, it’s more healthy than the SAD.
It’s all priority… people are going to do what they want to do 1000% of the time.
I understand the right way to approach how the body truly functions from a biochemical perspective so to me, the extra time it takes is well worth it… and what you are “forgetting” is that the more work you give the body to do, will somewhat hinder ongoing health/wellness …in the long run, an efficient, healthy body will eventually need less and less to function optimally, so down the road… you won’t have to invest as much time, effort, energy to reap the same benefits… and YES, way better than SAD, but not optimal, unless you approach it all with an understanding and have progression in mind
There are very good reasons to juice. Major health benefits that get lost in the fiber. please read.
http://imjuicerjoe.tumblr.com/post/60362248259/juicing-vs-blending
Right on JuicerJoe!!! well said
I’m surprised at this article. Juicing is not a meal replacement plan and no, it doesn’t fill you up. As for it being more expensive and time consuming, yes. But you still need to eat real food. By default you ARE adding more green veggies to your diet. And you have to buy more at the grocery store because you are eating more of it. It is part of a nutritious and healing lifestyle. It cures some types of cancer and contributes to overall health in measurable ways. I personally get a RUSH of energy in the morning. And my skin GLOWS when I am regularly juicing. I find it to be amazing and the knowledge that all of those nutrients are immediately bio-available and rushing around my body repairing oxidized cells and nourishing my blood, organs, tissue, intestinal tract… Too bad you didn’t find the same thing, and have this public forum to discourage others to incorporate a positive nutritional habit into their lives. But to each his own!
I agree with Chris that juicing, smoothies, and whole foods should be approached as different parts of a whole food, REAL food, lifestyle. I’ll add juicing when I get a good juicer.
I really appreciated your comments, Mary :) Which model do you have?
When you have a garden and an apple tree and more of both than you could possibly eat, juicing is great. It’s more a replacement for vitamin supplements than food, and with high green content, one may even feel an oxygen high from juice.
Even though it’s something that I’ve wanted, getting a juicer hasn’t been a top priority given some of the same drawbacks you mentioned. The biggest being not using the whole food and so much to clean up afterward. Honestly never considered the cost as is if it’s worth it, then it’s worth it – but wow, that is considerable.
I love making smoothies though!! :)
Juicing= instant assimilation of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc, without having to be broken down in digestion…therefore is is superior for a 3-7 day cleanse, or the ticket for giving your liver a detox and rest. It also allows your colon to rest and rejuvenate and cleanse completely on a fast. Promotes superior, quick health results when juice fasting, and slower but incredible health changes when just having 8oz a day.
We juice daily, and do smoothies… We have an Omega juicer, and give the pulp to our chickens along with their organic feed and free range diet . Sometimes I freeze the pulp and add it to soups or mix in muffin recipes, etc.
Cancer victims who heal themselves naturally after or before chemo etc, all juice for the instant vitamin infusion into their bloodstreams. Read “Crazy Sexy Cancer” and you will change your mind about juicing. I always juice if I feel a cold coming on, and my grown sons stop by the house once in a while just to get some of mom’s juice during a stressful week, etc.
Juicing and smoothies both have their place in a real food diet lifestyle…don’t sell yourself short!
Karen is absolutely correct. My brother in law reversed his cancer from many ounces of juices a day and a zero sugar whole food diet. Since my children have been juicing they havent been sick. Dont discourage juicing by any means.
and smoothies pulverize veggies and fruit and decrease the intensity of the nutrients.
However, we do those too.
Pulverizing veggies and fruit decreases the intensity of the nutrients? what kind of nonsense is this? So we should swallow them whole instead of chewing? Juicers pulverize a heck of a lot more than blenders ever could.
Perhaps what Tina means is that when you do the math it isn’t possible for a glass of smoothie to contain the same nutrient content as the same glass of juice because it takes more produce to fill a glass with juice than the same glass of smoothie. At least that’s what I think she might mean.
Detoxing isn’t a scam. Your body detoxes itself you don’t need to fast to “detox”, there is no science behind it nor is there for juicing reversing cancer. Changing your diet is good for your health, it will not heal cancer. Vegans still get cancer, my friend.
detoxing is a scam.*
been juicing every day for 2 years- lost 40 lbs and feel about 20 years younger!
I’m a definite smoothie enthusiast. If all you’re juicing is veggies, then fine, the problem is when you start juicing fruit. The amount of concentrated sugar from fruit juice is horrible. Might as well have a can of soda. Fiber helps meter the absorption of sugar into your system, which is why nature packages them together :)
Agreed, I tend to make fruit smoothies and veggie juices for this reason.
Interesting thoughts but you should consider a few things before you write off juicing. Juicers are not all the same and like most you have one that gives a terrible yield of juice and operates at such a high rpm, that you are destroying the enzymes and nutrients you are trying to extract by the heat that high speed creates. A juice press is a much better alternative on both fronts. There are also less parts to clean. Also, smoothies will obviously fill you up more because you are leaving the fiber. It would be impossible to attain the nutrient content in a smoothie compared to a juice for the very reason of the fiber. Juicing is not meant to replace eating whole foods but more as a way to increase the nutrients you may not be getting. You should still eat a diet rich in fiber from other sources but you’ll never be able to drink enough smoothies to equal the nutrient content in a large juice. ..Too much fiber. Yes a bit time consuming but anything of value,like your health, usually is.
I totally agree with Sam and Karen. It is not an either or proposition. Juicing is a healthy way to get a quick infusion of nutrients, but we still need to eat good, whole foods. As far as too much time and money– you must be kidding. I added up the cost of making the whole wheat tortillas from scratch and it came to about $1.00 a piece. And that is just the food holder. You are spending $30 a week on milk when the rest of us are spending about $6. Not judging but as you said it is all about priorities and preferences. Most of us can’t spend 14 hours a day shopping for, cooking, and cleaning after “real food” preparation. I applaud your perseverance, but it is not realistic for most of us “real” people.
Love your post! I’m studying nutrition and I completely agree. Nothing wrong with juicing but it’s so
Important to eat the whole food, fiber and all. Plus if you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables regularly, we have no reason to need to “cleanse.” Eat well everyday, lay off the alcohol and your body will always be in a “cleanse.”
….one more thing :) I always run my favorite iced herb tea through my juicer as the last thing I do before I drink it…. It swooshes out all the clinging nutrients (think green kale or wheatgrass pulp in the netting) and adds volume!! A great way to make more “juice” on a budget and still get the benefits of juicing. And the herb iced tea cools and makes the juice taste yummy!!
Juicing is perfect for people like me who have digestive issues. If it were not for juicing I wouldn’t get my necessary nutrition.
To bad smoothies have a disgusting texture and I can’t choke them down.
Thank you for this well thought out and well written article. While I agree there are certain people with specific nutritional needs, for whom juicing may provide benefits, juicing is not essential to good health for most people. Our bodies evolved to handle whole foods and do best with a practice of variety, moderation, and portion control. I would like to use your article as part of my wellness counseling program, if I may, with full credit given to you as the author. Again, Thank you!
I couldn’t disagree with you more… our bodies have NOT evolved fast enough to handle the amount of crap our bodies and minds have to deal with on a daily basis these days, food, environmental, etc. Juicing is essential for assisting in the awakening and removal of the surplus of toxic waste that is dumped into our system, continuously… nothing else does this for us, not even our own natural, cleansing, detoxing systems… we MUST be assisted, and that’s what these POWERFUL juices do for us… this aspect is not fully understood and/or even recognized as being necessary. Whole foods, although also powerful do not aid in the detox of the body because when putting in whole foods, the body must go to work on the food instead of putting it’s attention on awakening and removing (cleansing & detoxing)
If you are eating right, you shouldn’t need to “detox.” Why are you putting that waste into your system in the first place? Bad food doesn’t just happen to your body if you don’t put it in your mouth.
Alex, the body’s ONLY job, inherently, is to move towards optimal health… the only way this happens is by removing obstruction in whatever form, toxic residues left behind from food, environmental poisons/toxins, industrial poisons/toxins, etc. It will ALWAYS naturally move towards an awakening of poison that is in EVERYBODY’S cells, a “detox”, a cleaning out… good food, bad food, NO food… either way, for all of those other factors mentioned above, there is ALWAYS something to remove… you don’t NEED to detox… it’s just what’s done, automatically… BUT… like I mentioned above, we have not evolved fast enough to deal with all of today’s modern problems/issues, so we need to be aided in this process… obviously, the process becomes more or less difficult depending on what you’re putting in… and that’s a fact
I agree with all you said/I have juice and smoothed and while I like both occasionally, in general I’d prefer to chew and enjoy my food.
I use my juicer to make tomato juice each summer from the tomatoes I grow. That device has made canning tomato juice SO SUPER EASY! My kids also love grape juice made from our grapes.
Hello, I LOVE THIS POST! I don’t blog about food too often. But recently I was discussing juicing on my FB list. I’ve been juicing off and on for a few months now and EVERYTHING you said is correct! I delicately tried to explain on list that it’s taking me about 45 min to an hour to juice. So each time is cutting into my day quite a bit. Then I tried juicing a days worth in one sitting and putting it in a sealed glass jar. Well, sounded great but I found the same thing as you… We still ate a full meal and I have SERIOUS issues with throwing away the pulp/fiber. I don’t even have a compost pile or container in this rental house to put it in. Also, I had to stop the juicer and clean out the kale fragments that clog the machine.
I won’t stop juicing because it’s almost the only way to get certain veggies into the hubby. But it did not cure all of my ills and it often leaves me hungry unless I drink something like 16 ozs.
Here’s another tidbit… I read an article that explained that when guzzling or quickly drinking water, your body does not absorb it as well and that’s why we eliminate so much after drinking. When you sip on it throughout the normal course of a meal, your body and more appropriately absorb the nutrients. I was thinking this is probably so with guzzling the juice so I get it all down if I’m not in the mood. What do you think?
I couldn’t agree more with you. I am a holistic nutritionist and I suggest smoothies most of the time for clients and for my own family. This is for every single reason you mentioned. Lord I thought I was the only one in the health field that thought this way. Thanks for validating me! I don’t feel as bad now about not jumping on that juicing wagon.
Im on Day 119 of straight fruit and veg juice (made at home in the juicer that I handwash everyday) and have lost 77 pounds. Best part? I actually DO feel awesome, though the first ten days or so are rough. But I say…do whatever works for you to make you healthy!
That’s the way to really loose pounds. Bravo!
And as someone who cannot digest whole raw veggies and some fruits as I have no teeth they were all pulled because of exxescive cavities, root canals and more it is inpossible to eat a hard raw veggie like carrots broccoli, lettuce and more. Juicing is great for when it’s hard to make those ingredients into a smoothie.
Raw veggies aren’t actually that great for you because there is a lot in them that you can’t break down thus become waste. Cooking them is optimal. Try softening them with boiling. Are you saving up for dentures? That should allow you to chew up softened veggies.
One thing I have learnt about juicing and blending is if you don’t own a slow cold press juicer then always throw in a few ice cubes in to keep the temperature low as the heat from the friction in the juicer and blender will kill of the nutrients and you don’t want that… especially if you’re buying organic…
the Hurom slow juicer is suppose to give the best amount of juice and it preserves the nutrients as well whilst juicing. :) Haven’t tried it yet but it’s definitely on my list of things to get…
Vivian, you are right. The Hurom slow juicer is great! We upgraded from a centrifugal juicer and have noticed more juice and a more nutrient dense taste. Its really easy to clean too. Plus with the model we have, the HH premium juicer and smoothie maker, there is an option for how much pulp stays in the juice. Definitely get one if you get the chance!
As someone that consumes and supports a whole-food plant based diet… You really should do your research on the benefits of juicing. There are health benefits to both. We have to remember that we are not all made the same way and what works for one person may not work for the next..due to the realization that we all have different health needs, different health statures, as well as health profiles. Juicing can truly help many people commit to a life-style change of a whole-food plant based diet. I think that these types of articles that are written are a detriment and may defer people that are on the fence about consuming a whole-food plant based diet; especially for those individuals that haven’t been in favor of eating fruits and vegetables in the past. Juicing can help bridge that gap…Instead of separating diet fads and detoxes that focus on consuming more vegetables and fruits.. lets focus on the detrimental effects of animal-based proteins and encourage people to consume a plant and fruit based diet in any way that they need to get them to the next level.
You left out the fact that the juicer is a major headache to clean. Oh my! What a mess!
It’s about the WHOLE food. Well written blog! Thanks for sharing what I’ve been thinking.
When you were born you were not Fat. Food does. I will like to see the physical body of everyone how’s writing a comment here. Juicing is the remedy to loose pounds. Smoothie is to keep the form. Making exercise a little bit everyday is the balance. The most important: Enjoy your life and fell good everyday. Easy to say, very hard to do.
Buy a Vitamix Juicer. Expensive, but will last you for a very long time. It breaks down the ENTIRE veggie or fruit, pulp and all, so that you are drinking the WHOLE THING! Think of the added cost as your TRUE health insurance ; )
You are right that it is hard to know just what is right when there is so much conflicting information out there, this is evidence just in reading through the comments, everyone thinks they know what is best, to juice or smoothie, which juicer works, which destroys nutrients. When researching juicing, or smoothying, or veganism, or raw foodism etc etc there will always be evidence to support these nutritional lifestyles. Claims that a certain type of juicer heats up the juice can be refuted by tests that have been done to prove this isn’t the case. Ask the doctors and one will tell you juicing as part of a diet is ideal and even juice fasting for detox and healing is highly recommended … another doctor will tell you the exact opposite.
What I do know is that for anyone who decides they want to get back to clean eating, organic, nutritionally dense diets, increased costs and increased time spent in the kitchen preparing, or in the garden growing food is inevitable. I get the impression from reading through comments on this post and other similar sites that time and cost is the real challenge for us these days. It’s the fast and cheap convenience of food that is making us sick and tired. Sure it can take me time to make up juice and clean my juicer, but it also takes me a long time to put together well balanced healthy solid foods too.
Amen, Sarah. No further comments need to be said.
You have to buy a real juicer to be able to see the real benefits of juicing. Only then can you give advice to people. I also made my juice experiment and I can tell you that after drinking a cup of juice, you do not get hungry that fast and that you feel absolutely satisfied for at least 3 hours. Try and then tell me about juicing.
This is an irresponsible article. Juicing Kale, shard, spinach, beats, carrots, cucumbers etc etc in today’s society is sometimes the ONLY way to get people the nutrition and macronutrients associated with them that are truly beneficial. You are juicing LIVING FOODS. You get concentrated amounts of benefit in each glass. And all with minimal calories. This article just makes no sense.
Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLSPmKZchQ&feature=player_embedded#!
Ort about about this amazing and inspiring movie: http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead
(Hint, hint: It’s the REVERSE of supersize me. Where very sick and unhealthy people changed their health solely by juicing for 10,30 or 60 days.)
Just because someone has a blog sure doesn’t mean what they write is worth .02.
Vinny
Here’s the HD version and no commercials.
http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/watch-fat-sick-and-nearly-dead/
I prefer juicing. I have a Blendtec and a VitaMix and an Omega Vert so it isn’t an equipment issue. To juice vegetables in the blender, you must add water. The resulting product, to me, tastes watered down. I do have health issues and since I’ve been juicing, I do feel better. I have a long way to go before I’m “cured” but I didn’t put on 150 pounds over night. I was surprised to read that juice did not fill you up. I find it quite satisfying, but then I use a 24 ounce Ball jar for my juice. I was also surprised you found it expensive. I’m only buying organic produce and seem to get by cheaper than I was previously eating before I wised up and called my inner food police on myself.
You did say something that might give a clue as to why you did not notice anything from drinking juice that suggests maybe you are already eating a healthy diet and you body wasn’t craving nutrients. Good on you!
Cost is usually a concern for those that are trying to eater better. I don’t believe that is a reason to avoid juicing. I recently purchased a juicer (expensive) and made a delicious apple juice with two apples, a small lemon, and a half carrot. This is about the cost of buying the bad stuff at the store. No problem here. I drank it with the thought drinking juice and not as a meal replacement. It met my expectations and therefore I am satisfied. Oh, and the pulp, yep breakfast muffins!
Good article. You know what juicing is? It’s processing the heck out of food. You are right that fruits and veggies are packaged just right. Fruits and even veggies contain sugars but they are bound up molecularly in such a way our body has to work a bit to get at them. Juicing doesn’t just concentrate vitamins, it concentrates sugar and acid. It’s important to get the soluble fibre at the same time as the sugar because it regulates glucose levels.
Americans have a much bigger problem with not getting enough fiber than with vitamin deficiencies.
Plus the human body was designed to chew food. The autonomic nervous system is complicated and the digestive process is triggered by mastication.
YES. Thanks so much for posting this. Juicing is rendering the fruits and/or vegetables less healthy. I don’t know how this juicing fad got to be so popular. Its one thing to have a glass of OJ now and then because it tastes good, but to pulverize the heck out of these wonderful foods, because you think you need to concentrate 5 pounds of them into one glass is the worst take on “more is better”. I was disappointed to see juice included in the foods allowed on this 100 day challenge, as they are processed foods.
I can show you a video or web site with testimonials showing how just about every diet change under the sun made people feel better. It doesn’t matter what the diet trend, there are people who do it and feel better. I’ve heard it all. Most of the time when people jump in a diet band wagon it involves eating less junk food and processed food.
I had the same experience Lisa. Even (or maybe especially) if you’re growing your own vegetables, it seems like you’re wasting the majority of your end product.
I’m just amazed that people get so bent out of shape when you share your personal opinions – like they’re unimportant when compared to the complainer.
Just found your blog on Pinterest and I’m loving it.
Would love to see a more thorough blog entry about this. Masticating and Centrifugal juicers are VERY different and do very different things. I would not put greens in a Breville. Just wish there would have been more info in this entry about what kind of juicer you used because I think that’s really important.
I posted before and still no response…. How is the juice any less a WHOLE food than cheese? It’s in many of your recipes so I’m assuming you consider it a whole food. It removes the whey from milk as fiber from the produce with juicing.
Hi Lindsey. Lisa would agree that cheese is processed and she is choosey about her cheeses. Here, she is simply stating her opinion that the waste and cost make it not her cup of tea. :) ~Amy
I feel like some people didn’t read the article properly. It is true we need nutrients and vitamins however by juicing them you remove the fiber however, if you use the same ingredients, with a little extra fluid (water, coconut water etc…) and blend them, you still get all the nutrients and vitamins from things such as kale, spinach, chard etc… but you also get the fiber. This is a very simplistic argument I am making as the benefits of smoothies, particularly green smoothies, are much more in depth than that. I found this video helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5LUkeVA6s
Finally, I would like to say that if juicing gets you consuming vegetables and you cannot or do not want to make smoothies, then go for it. Its really a matter of getting it into your system in a way that pleases you. :-)
Sloth is a sin :)You can definitely still eat all that fiber… And if you are above that, feed it to the animals. If you aren’t able to take ten minutes out of your day to use and clean your juicer, I believe you should write an article titled “Why I can’t manage my time properly”
Here is my response
Reasons to juice instead of blend
1)You won’t damage the Vitamins/Nutrients (with the right juicer)
2)Juicing allows your body to absorb Vits/Nuts at a much faster rate. Also less waste means less energy will be used(digestion)
3)The difference in time between cleaning a blender(scrubbing) and a juicer is negligible.
@Alissa Oh so I guess nobody here understands how nutrients decay. Light/Heat exposure. Cold press fools, the blender is destroying your Vits/Nuts
The fiber is only waste if you throw it away…I use my carrot/apple fiber to make power snacks(just add honey and ball it up). It’s about being innovative, not making excuses.
Also how cheap would it be if you bought/leased property(because I assume you are an adult) and maintained your own fruits/veggies
I’m always surprised when I find people insisting that eliminating half of what makes a fruit or vegetable what it is, is the healthier way to go. I can’t believe someone thinks using the whole food, rather than the extracted juice is worse for your health. I know people claim it’s more nutrient dense, or some other such nonsense, but it’s not. You are supposed to consume a certain amount of fruit and vegetables every day, and juicing removes part of what makes them healthy for you in the first place. The people who lost tons of weight with juice only did so because they drastically reduced their calorie intake, and most will likely end up gaining it all back. It’s no different than a liquid diet. It isn’t practical. I watched the Fat, Sick.. movie too, and I was impressed with what he accomplished, but not eating actual food is a horrible idea. If he continued to only drink juice, I’m pretty sure a whole new set of health problems would face him. Nobody knows whether he has any health problems now, just because he looks good. And he also, if I remember correctly, supplemented this liquid only diet with actual produce in whole form.
Just because someone makes money off of a book by convincing you that their way is the only way, doesn’t make it so. People also believe in “oil pulling” and for a while believed in magic foot pads. Guess what the magic foot pads did? They contained vinegar so when they got damp turned a shade of brown. They weren’t pulling toxins out of your body via your feet. They were a scam, as with most of this “detox” nonsense.
Eating healthy is not detoxing your body. Your body detoxes itself despite your diet. That’s why we’ve got all those goofy organs inside us.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the people so offended by this post are mad because you’re challenging the nonsense they’ve been talked into believing. If you challenge something we’ve been brainwashed into believing, we’ll have to start thinking maybe there’s something not quite right about it. I drink pure juice occasionally just for the heck of it, but in no way do I think it’s superior or more nutrient packed than blending the stuff. It’s no different than people who are righteously Christian, then get all weirded-out when someone dares to believe something else. If you were really so sure yours was the only way, someone else’s system wouldn’t bother you so much. Especially since it has no reflection on your own life. I find the more people scream that theirs is the only way, the less intelligent that person is. And the easier that person is to be led in any way you want-for good or bad.
We have recently started juicing. We have a masticating juicer which results in a “pulpy” juice (fiber). It is a nice balance between a centrifugal juicer and a blender. It doesn’t heat up like the blenders do and leaves more nutrients as compared to the centrifugal juicers. To bad your post didn’t cover the different types of juicers and it’s benefits. It was pretty one sided but I guess this is your blog so do as you please! Since introducing juicing to our lives, both of our health has improved drastically and our food choices in addition to a juice a day is MUCH better. It doesn’t matter to me that it cost us a little more and takes a little time, which by the way is as much time as any other food prep and clean up. It actually takes longer to clean my blender. But anyways, it was a “gateway” for better health and lifestyle changes so I am very grateful for jiucing.
I did a 10 day juice fast with my boyfriend. While I did lose weight and towards the end I felt great buy that was after I started blending in a banana or an avocado to make it more filling. But before I did that I was constantly hungry. I actually felt horrible for at least 3 days. And my bodily functions were way out of wack. I don’t think I did number 2 until day 4 or 5 of the fast. And since the fast I have done a lot more research and I have come to the conclusion that a juice fast is quite unhealthy. A smoothie fast would be better. You are consuming the entire fruit or vegetable which means you not just getting the micronutrients but also the micronutrients. The body needs both.i also ago that I is time consuming. From have to prepare all the veggies to the actual juicing and then clean up. I feel that that is entirely too much work with very little to show for it. I like this post I whole heartedly agree with it. But I can gladly say that I tried it before I judged it.
Hi,
I seem to be a bit confused by the terminology that is being used lately. This is nothing new for me. I understand from the article that when you refer to juicing that you are using a machine that literally makes juice mostly without the pulp. There are machines that will create it with more pulp in it which is still considered juice.
I use a blender to make my “drinks”. I use vegetables and fruits. I never put dairy in mine. So now I am confused, is a smoothie a drink with dairy in it or are my veggie/fruit concoctions considered a smoothie?
I tend to agree with the article in the sense that you are taking the time to make the drinks in the hope of getting more nutrition into your diet. Fiber is an important part, but some people have texture issues and if they do the juice at least they are making an effort to improve their health, it just isn’t for me.
Good health to all this Labor Day Weekend, may we all strive to be open to new ideas and take what we can from those that are presented.
Kathy – your concoctions are definitely smoothies! A smoothie is a blend of whole fruits or veggies and a liquid base made in a blender. Like you, I prefer non-dairy milk such as almond milk, coconut water or just plain tap water.
I do enjoy juicing but I enjoy my smoothies more. I find them more filling and you can add in some nutritional superfoods such as chia seeds or flaxseed which is hard to do with a juice.
I agree with this 100% and whoever says it’s one sided is correct because most opinions/experiences tend to be. It’s not one sided in a bad way it’s what worked for their family and that’s good. Juicing can have side affects. I was juicing for about 3 weeks. Eating whole foods and replacing one meal with juice. I started getting sick to my stomach and it got bad. I ended up at the doctor’s and they told me.to stop juicing. Juicing was eliminating the fiber my body needed to digest food and run the tract properly. They even put me on Prilosec for a month that’s how bad it got. Juicing is not meant for everyone’s body. Kudos if it works for you and have a smoothie if it doesn’t : )
I tried juicing when it was popular back in the late 90’s. I was a bit shocked at how much food I threw away after juicing and what amount of juice I got for it. While I think it has it’s benefits, I’d rather have a smoothie or just eat the food in whole form myself. Smoothies and real food are just more economic for me and I don’t feel hungry. (could be a great Snickers commercial…a group of hungry juicers running around grumpy and snippy lol)
I like & make both. I replaced my morning coffee with a glass of green juice & have noticed an increase in my energy. I do not like to eat early in the morning so it is a nutritious way to start my day. I add the pulp to my compost bin but like the idea another reader gave about adding it to a smoothie later. I’ll have to give that a try.
I am a huge smoothie fan! I LOVE my Blendtec and the fact that they have a “whole juice” option so I can “juice” my veggies (but keep all the goodness of the pulp and fiber)! I would pick a smoothie over a juice any day.
I think that for healthy people, smoothies are great. But for many that are ill and deficient in nutrients, juicing is the way to go. The nutrients are easily assimilated. I personally never felt any difference with smoothies, but juicing made me feel better.
A friend juices but then he takes the pulp and makes vegetable soup out of it.
We juiced for awhile and the cost time and energy was too much. But we found a better way with Juice Plus to bridge the gap between how many vegetables we eat and how many we need to eat every day. Juice Plus is fruits and vegetables that have been juiced and dried and come in a capsule or chewable form. Smoothies are great but we often don’t get the variety on a daily basis.
When Juice Plus crossed my path my first thought was I don’t need that we eat cleaner and fresher than most people and are conscious about our food. What I learned for me is that adding Juice Plus to my already clean diet increased my energy and our family does not get sick.
Shannon, this is really not the forum for you to advertise another product.
LeeLee, Shannon is sharing what she does. She is on topic and her sharing could be useful for someone else looking for another way to get more nutrition into their diet.
Nope. Shannon is clearly advertising. That is not a real review of anything.
How are the squooshi pouches to clean? I’ve considered getting something like this but I feel like I would dread cleaning them and they wouldn’t get used as much as I would like.
Hi there Bree. Here is their info page: http://squooshi.com/pages/how-to-squooshi. I do not find them difficult to clean. :)
Just wanted to comment that I liked your article. Health is a personal thing to all of us and obviously what works for some people doesn’t work for others. All of your points on why you like smoothies over juicing are completely valid and might save someone the trouble of investing the money in a juicer when a blender might suit them better. I recently had weightloss surgery so juicing works well for me because I’m able to get more nutrients from fruits and veggies than I can by eating. Also for that reason smoothies don’t work we’ll for me right now because I can’t get it all down. I have a cheaper juicer for now and save the pulp because I hate the thought of throwing it away, even if half ends up in the compost that works for me. I also like getting my produce at restaurant supply stores or a business Costco for the savings, but I also have a second fridge to store it in. Whatever you do, any step towards bettering your health is a good one in my opinion, even if it’s a small one :)
I would strongly recommend trying juicing again, but with a really good blender so all the goodness stays inside the container. It’s less expensive and much easier to clean. Since I bought my blender (Ninja) this past summer, I have upped my vegetable intake tremendously. Now I easily have 2-3 servings of vegetables in my stomach before I leave the house in the morning. I have no trouble getting my recommended amount of fruits each day, but vegetables have been more of a challenge. Problem solved! It IS a more “chewable” juice as opposed to a traditional juice, but I am loving it.
We make smoothies with a Vitamix. It truly blends everything into a liquid, no gritty or chunky in it. Just the way I like it. :) Still not a fan of kale, but it is not too bad all hidden in a smoothie. lol
I have a VITAMIX which gets used several times per day! I also have a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer which also gets a lot of use! My nutrition plan is mainly a liquid diet so I have both juices & smoothies! I don’t c that u should have 1 or the other as I have both. But if u only have a blender then smoothies is obviously the way 2 go 4 u. But then the same can b said of the juicer. If u only have a juicer then juicing is the way 2 go 4 u. & remember that u can always use the pulp from the juicer. Vegetable pulp is a healthy addition 2 home made soups. There r numerous sites which have recipes that include pulp from ur juicing. @~{}<.
I prefer smoothies over juicing too. Juicing was more expensive, took more time and sometimes I had to almost gag the concoction down plus I hated the clean up. I make a smoothie every morning and it’s quick and easy. Spinach or baby kale, fresh fruit ( favorites are black plums and fresh peaches) then add frozen pineapple, banana, blueberries or grapes and top with chia seeds or hemp hearts. I love it! And I use a blender I’ve had for years with no problem.
Juicing can be expensive but for someone with health issues it can make a big difference in getting healthier the natural way. I recommend people to watch any documentary on the Gerson Diet and it basically explains how juicing is beneficial in healing the body and that the fiber is not needed. Apparently the body needs a lot more fruits and veggies than the recommended dose. If we were to eat what we really need — well it would be impossible. First, the fiber would make us feel full too fast and then we could never chew down that much. Juicing brings the nutrients needed to you without having to brake anything down. But for a person that is not sick, I don’t see the benefits of doing so. I get a glass a day for a snack and I am happy with it. If I ever get sick and would absolutely try a juicing healing diet as opposed to pills. Pills can get expensive too.
I love juicing but it does get expensive!! I solved that issue by growing most of the veg myself. I include juices in my everyday diet rather than living solely on juice. I also do smoothies in my Vitamix. It’s amazing how much of a difference in energy levels I have and I would recommend to anyone to try and include it into your lifestyle.
Disagree on the cost factor. If juicing helps you maintain a healthy weight (which it should) then the cost savings down the road in terms of decreased medical bills will make up the difference, three fold. My 2 cents..
Who is right, you or Foodbabe? Just curious on your take. Thanks
http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/05/juicing-mistakes/
Hi there, Travis. I think this post is Lisa’s “take”. She doesn’t say that juicing is wrong for others but that she doesn’t juice for the reasons she listed. ~Amy
there are TWO types of Fibre 1:- Soluble Fibre, which is inside all fruit and vegetable, Is Drunk in the juices :- insoluble Fibre, the skins of fruit and vegetables, which is Not drunk whilst juicing, but is drunk if used in a Smoothie.
Personally I get no satisfaction from juicing. I’d rather chew my food and get what I need. Given a choice I’d take smoothie, the extra fiber in it leaves me feeling full for longer, by eliminating them I find mussel wanting something to snack on and invariable results in bad choices(but I am weak).
I also prefer smoothies over juicing! So much more filling and complete! I also find that if you want the benefits of juicing and absorption of nutrients that juice plus+ is a way better solution! It gives you 30 wholefoods each and every day into our bodies and that is so much more than you could put into a smoothie or juice:)
I juice once a day and thankfully my juicer just has 4 parts to wash and those go in the dishwasher. I put a bag in the bucket where the pulp goes so I don’t have to wash it.
I know juicers can get very defensive of their beliefs (been there) and will disagree with me but this is my personal experience and opinion. My husband and I used to. juice every day but after lots of research we decided to try smoothies. Since then, my husband’s health issues have made even more improvements (he is not overweight) and was even able to get off 2 of his medications. He also feels better AND more satisfied than before. He said with the improved taste, cost, and time-saving factors he would never go back to juicing. We actually got rid of the juicer, started using our 15 yr-old blender that actually did a great job, and we couldn’t be happier. (It eventually died so we bought a Vitamix) He LOVES the abundance of increased options available with a smoothie along with the ability to add things you just can’t add to a juicer. So easy to throw in some fruits, vegs, nuts, seeds, fresh herbs, or even some homeade almond milk and blend smooth – no mess, no fuss – and so quick!!
I have found that if I am hungry I would use a heavy amount of fiberus base like kale spinach and then add a sweetener like beets and a lemon it is filling because I do not get rid of the fiber .
However when I need a snack I do add fiber just not as much as before.
That way I feel filled …
Just enough to take me to my other meal which generally is dinner
I am saying that if we can understand our hunger peaks we can do our heaviest fiber intake at that time so that our bodies are fooled into a state of feeling full.
This is my take I hope it helps.
I do not diet
I believe everything is to be enjoyed but the quantity is what is is generally our undoing
Well, you could always combine a juice with a smoothie. For example, you could juice apples or oranges, then add it to your green smoothie for a slightly sweeter taste. Moreover, apples don’t go very well with smoothies, since they contain too much fiber. But apple juice is a better option.
I will give a comment as soon as I get started, this is my first day of joining. I look forward to trying the meal plan one and other recipes.
What is your take on V-8 vegetable juice and /or a homemade canned version of vegetable juice? I’m still trying to eat more vegetables every day but sometimes it’s just easier to drink them, including organic carrot juice.