Juices vs Smoothies

We all know that incorporating both juices and smoothies into ones daily diet can have a tremendous effect on one’s health, especially if there aren’t any other whole fresh fruit and vegetables being eaten. One of the questions I receive a lot is “what is the difference between a juice and a smoothie and which one should I be drinking?”  Many people seem to group them into the same category but there are some differences between the two including the way they are made and the effects that they have on the body.

To create a juice you must use a juicer/ juice extractor to separate the juice from the fiber in a fruit or vegetable. Once the fruit or vegetable is put through the juicer there is no longer any juice attached to the fiber or any fiber attached to the juice. With smoothies on the other hand the juice is not being extracted at all and a blender is used to blend and breakdown the fruit and vegetables together into one liquid. Another huge difference between the two is how the body processes and digests them.

Juices are digested a lot easier than their smoothie counterparts. Being that the juice has no fiber attached, it along with all of the living nutrients in it will literally be absorbed into your bloodstream within 15-20 minutes. Smoothies will take a longer time in the digestive track because although the fiber is broken down digestive work is still required by the body to fully assimilate it.

So which one should you be making in the morning?

Both smoothies and juices have great benefits and are an easy tool to incorporate more fruit and leafy greens into your diet.  Juices are amazing for allowing the body to detox and giving the body’s digestive system a break so that it can use that extra energy for things like healing. Being that the body doesn’t have to do any extra work to assimilate the nutrients of a juice makes it a great option for someone who is cleansing or someone that would need a quick boost of nutrients and energy. Think of it like taking a living vitamin.  Smoothies are whole fruit broken down by the blender so they are great meal replacers. They would be great for someone who needs to have access to a quick meal on the go or someone who needs to prep meals for work and travel. Although both do have excellent benefits you should never ever rely on either of these to be your only source of raw foods. Always make sure to eat whole fresh fruit along with whatever your choice of green drink may be.

A few tips:

·         When drinking smoothies make sure to chew or swish them around in your mouth so that your saliva can help start the digesting process

·         Blend more fruit rather than juicing them. 

·          Juice more leafy greens

·         Drink smoothies slowly