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)!
Celeste
August 30, 2014 at 12:13 pmA friend juices but then he takes the pulp and makes vegetable soup out of it.
Shannon
August 30, 2014 at 1:09 pmWe 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.
LeeLee
August 30, 2014 at 1:23 pmShannon, this is really not the forum for you to advertise another product.
Susan
August 30, 2014 at 4:28 pmLeeLee, 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.
Jenny
August 30, 2014 at 11:52 pmNope. Shannon is clearly advertising. That is not a real review of anything.
Bree
August 30, 2014 at 1:21 pmHow 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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
September 2, 2014 at 1:01 pmHi there Bree. Here is their info page: http://squooshi.com/pages/how-to-squooshi. I do not find them difficult to clean. :)
Andrea
August 30, 2014 at 3:40 pmJust 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 :)
Karen
August 30, 2014 at 4:59 pmI 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.
Angela H
August 30, 2014 at 6:57 pmWe 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
Vyvienne
August 30, 2014 at 7:40 pmI 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. @~{}<.
Betty W
August 30, 2014 at 8:19 pmI 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.
Julie Calcao
August 30, 2014 at 8:59 pmJuicing 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.
Jean
September 1, 2014 at 3:32 amI 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.
Travis
November 17, 2014 at 1:04 pmDisagree 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..
Travis
November 17, 2014 at 1:10 pmWho is right, you or Foodbabe? Just curious on your take. Thanks
http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/05/juicing-mistakes/
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
November 20, 2014 at 11:59 amHi 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
Aislyn Harrison
March 18, 2015 at 1:24 amthere 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.
Rhonda
September 11, 2015 at 8:50 pmPersonally 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).
Keli
September 12, 2015 at 11:33 pmI 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:)
Rene
September 26, 2016 at 6:37 amI 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.
Lynn
September 26, 2016 at 9:08 amI 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!!
Selina
May 31, 2017 at 6:54 amI 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
Niel
April 10, 2018 at 2:58 pmWell, 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.
[email protected]
June 25, 2018 at 11:29 amI 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.
Karen Ollis
August 1, 2018 at 4:32 pmWhat 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.