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
Juice Is Not a Whole Food
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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
Why I Like Smoothies InsteadI 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.
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.
So what do you prefer...juicing or making smoothies? And why?
Laura says
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.
Noelani says
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! :)
Becky says
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.
Rachel Sarafin says
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!
Lisa O says
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!
amy says
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!
Laura says
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!
Jill says
I agree for the same reasons you stated.
Jen says
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.
Jeannine says
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.
Laura Ammerman says
We do both also. But since I hate cleaning my juicer we tend to make more smoothies.
Angela says
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.
Linda says
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!
Annie says
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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Michelle says
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.
Sunni says
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.
Sarah S says
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.
Meggen says
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! :-)
Jessica T says
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!
Lisa says
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.
michelle says
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.
Jessica says
Great idea for the fruit and veggies that are about to go bad!!!
lydia jane says
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.
Caty Kehs says
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!
Meghan says
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! :)
Shannon {gidgets bookworms} says
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!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
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
Bev Flowers says
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.
Mica says
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.
Katherine says
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!
Karen says
Love the NutriBullet. Husband and kids use it, too. Easy to clean and we make all different kinds of great smoothies.
chance says
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.
Caroline says
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???
Keely says
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.
Cheryl says
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.
Paul says
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).
Jean says
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!
Debbie klassen says
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.
Anca H says
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.
Lorie says
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!
sara says
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.
Donna says
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!
Ginger says
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.