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?
Kelly says
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.
E. C. says
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!
D. U. says
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.
Lynn says
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.
Brenda@SugarFreeMom says
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!
Eris says
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!
Kathy says
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
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathy. How does it differ from smoothies? ~Amy
Shelly Ririe says
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.
Michelle says
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.
Lori says
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!
Traci Kolinek says
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/
Catherine says
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!
Annemarie says
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).
Erin says
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.
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
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/
Jacqui says
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!
sheilah says
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
Beth says
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.
Regina says
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!
Tobey says
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.
Molly Delgado says
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!
Judy REZA says
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.
Vicki says
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!
Grace says
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.
barbara says
Thank you for sharing this. I have wondered if it works that well. It seems to be easier than my traditional heavy blender.
Annemarie says
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!
Beth says
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.
mysteryautumn says
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 :)
Carey says
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.
Jennifer F says
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
Sue C says
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.
Kerry M says
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.
barbie says
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.
Johnathan Stein says
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.
MH says
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.
Sissy says
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!
Cathy says
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.
Shadi Mirza says
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.
Adri-Anne Ralph says
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....
Liz says
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.
Julia says
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!!
kk says
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.
liz says
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.
Sue C says
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/
Connie Embleton says
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.
Meghan says
I also do both & agree 100% with you!
Martha says
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!