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.
Guest Post: Toddler Bites from Weelicious
Juicing for one week is NO WAY enough time to make a conclusion on drinking raw juice! If juicing in the mornings does not work for you, why night juice in the evening before dinner? Another major difference in taste is only juicing organic fruits and vegetables. Additionally, adding a couple apples or hard pears to any juice actually improves the taste of juice tremendously. Carrots should always be your standard to any juice and then build from there. Yes, juicing is expensive on the front end; however, your body will actually show results after juicing for two weeks. Your skin starts to glow and people actually notice. Additionally, you MUST drink raw juice immediately after juicing and cannot store it in the refrigerator. This means juicing twice a week with one big pitcher of juice defeats the purpose of absorbing live enzymes contained in raw juice and could actually make you sick if the juice becomes toxic, by storing it. Hence the reason for pasteurization of all juices purchased. Happy juicing!!!
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.
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.
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 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
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 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 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:)
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).
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.
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
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..
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.
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 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.
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. @~{}<.
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 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.