Juicing Versus Blending – Is One Better than the Other?

How do you start your day? Some women, on the go, grab something from the fast food. Some take a few bites from their toast and go straight to work. If only we could make these practices healthier, right? If you want to have something nutritious and easy to prepare in the mornings, you will try juicing or blending!

Remember Kris Carr? She is one of our inspirations when it comes to drinking healthy juices and smoothies. As a cancer survivor, she overcame her health challenges by following a healthy lifestyle and eating right. One of the healthy ways that helped her go through it all is juicing and blending! But wait, is one better than the other? Let’s find out more about it in this article.

Juicing and Blending

Smoothies and juices are not new to us. You may even have your own recipe for these refreshing drinks. But, not all smoothies and juices are made equal. Some contain too much sugar and calories, especially if the ingredients are all fruits. Smoothies are like slushy beverages, while juices are more liquid in form. But, the question is, can they give the same amount of nutrients?

Is one better than the other?

Well, there is no definite answer to this question. It depends on what you really need, whether you want a bulky drink or something that is less filling. Here’s a video of sisters Janet and Greta about the similarities and differences between juicing and blending to help us understand more about the similarities and differences. (5.27 minutes)

When you are blending, you add all the ingredients into the blender without taking out the pulp. This keeps all the fiber in the drink. As a result, you feel full for a longer time with a smoothie. You can also add different forms of protein to your smoothie to make it a good meal replacement. Especially if you have a good blender in your kitchen, you’ll surely enjoy easy smoothies every day!

With juicing, the pulps are taken out, and you will have most of the liquid, and just very few to no pulp at all, depending on your juicer. This means that your body will no longer need to process those insoluble fibers, and you get to absorb the nutrients a lot easier. You still get all the other nutrients coming from the ingredients, with the soluble fibers too! All you need is a powerful juicer at home, and you’ll be ready to make a drink that is nutritious but not too filling or bulky.

Basically, juicing and blending are both good!

So, we cannot say that one is better than the other. They both allow you to get the nutrients from fruits and vegetables. When the ingredients are all mixed up to make the drink, you don’t get to taste them one by one. Instead, you will have a refreshing combination of flavors! Therefore, all you need to do is to be creative with your mixes.

Blenders and Juicers

Before we get into blending and juicing, let’s learn what types of blenders and juicers are best to have in our kitchen. Blenders are the best smoothies if you want your drink to be a little slushy. But, if you choose your drink to be more liquid inconsistency, you can have a juicer.

Choosing a powerful juicer

There are two main types of juicers, centrifugal juicer and the masticating juicer. Let’s see how these things work!

Centrifugal Juicers

How it works: It is the more common of the two types of juicers. They work by spinning the ingredients inside the chamber using centrifugal force or a spinning force. Razors under the chamber shred the fruits and vegetables into pulp. A high-speed, spinning motion separates the pulp from the juices.

Benefits:

• Good for juicing soft and hard food, but not too effective in juicing leafy greens.
• They are often more affordable than masticating juicers.

Types of good blenders for smoothies

There are different types of blenders that you can use to make your juices and smoothies. The best thing about having a blender is that it can also work double as a food processor. Aside from a healthy drink, you can make nut butter and nut milk! Let’s get to know the different kinds of blenders you can choose from.

Hugh Performance Blenders

How it works: They have powerful motors and fast blades. These are countertop blenders, but they work so efficiently. It has a heavy base that keeps it free-standing as you blend.

Benefits:

• Can serve up large amounts of frozen drink and smoothies
• Even high-fiber fruits and vegetables can be blended in a whim.
• Some types can blend hot soups and make homemade ice creams.

Personal Blenders

How it works: It’s a smaller and personal version of conventional blenders. These are mainly made for powder shakes and smoothies on the go. Although they can blend, they are not meant for very heavy blending. So if you use this for your smoothies, it is better to cut up your ingredients before placing them in the chamber.

Benefits: 

• It’s best for personal use and single servings, too.
• Since the mixing containers are relatively small, they can serve as travel jar
• They are handy and are more affordable compared to bigger blenders.

Are you ready to make your smoothies? Get your own NutriBullet today!

Tips for your Smoothies and Juices

Is there a quick and easy way to prepare smoothies and juices?
Debra Atkinson has a simple trick for you! Watch her video below. (3.54 minutes)

That was a brilliant idea to prepare smoothies ahead. Well, here are some more tips for blending and juicing:

• Mix in some of your favorite fruits and vegetables. The fruits can be added for more natural sweetness to blend with the tangy and strong taste of the greens.
• You can chop up your fruits and vegetables, place everything in a bag, and store them in the freezer.
• Prepare everything during the weekend. Whenever you want to make a smoothie or juice, pop the ingredients into the juicer or blender, and you’re good to go!
• Top your smoothies with berries or sliced fruits for an added taste, too.
• You can also be creative and use coconut water, flax seeds, oats, nut milk and nut butter!
• As much as possible, choose organic ingredients to make high-quality drinks.
• For your juices, you can make a large batch for everybody at home. Or double a recipe so you can have one in the morning and prepare the other one ahead for your afternoon drink.
• Choose glass containers over plastics because plastics may contain harmful chemicals.

Upgrade your juices and smoothies!

To make smoothies that are good for menopause, you would want something that is more nutrient-filled than just sweet and tasty. Aside from adding leafy greens, fruits and vegetables, you can also add more nutritious ingredients like the following:

• Use some green superfoods like chlorella and spirulina.
• Yogurt and kefir, because they are filled with natural probiotics
• You can add Protein powder for added protein, too. Nuts, seeds, green beans, milk and yogurt are rich in protein, too.
• Tea powder for antioxidants! Especially Matcha Tea, which is 10 times more powerful than ordinary tea!
• Maca powder is also good because it is an adaptogen that helps regulate hormones.
• Chia seeds and flax seeds are good sources of vitamin E, also protein and fiber.

Decide what taste you would want to have for the day, and pick the ingredients you would want to use! You can even make your own recipe for menopause! Here’s a tip, most greens are rich in phytoestrogens, so you gotta add more of the green bunches in your recipe!

Watch what you add to your drink

Milk and fruits (berries are better, though) tend to have high calories, so it is good to consume them in moderation. It’s very easy and good to add different things to your drinks, but you have to consider how many calories each food item will add to your mixture. Sometimes you may think that you are already drinking something really healthy, but you get too many calories and energy in reality.

So, let’s start making healthy juices!

There’s this YouTube channel that we really love, which features all things raw. Are you familiar with FullyRaw Kristina? Well, we love her and her recipes! In fact, here’s a video on how she made her Anti-Cancer green juice and tonic. We think you’ll like it, too! Check this out. (3.33 minutes)

This juice is filled with fruits and vegetables that help alkalize the body and prevent diseases! It has phytonutrients, antioxidants, essential fatty acids and powerful proteins!

You can access more of Kristina’s yummy recipes made straight from her kitchen! Check out her YouTube page at FullyRaw Kristina.

Some juice  and smoothie recipes that you may like

1. Homemade Tomato Juice
2. Low-Sugar Minty Clean Green Juice
3. Tropi-Kale Coconut Juice
4. Anti-inflammatory Ginger Pear Juice
5. Happy Morning and Goin’ Green Juices for Menopause
6. Lemon-Avocado green smoothie
7. Greek Goddess Protein Smoothie
8. Sunshine Smoothie
9. Morning Green Smoothie

Supplementary Juice Drinks

If your schedule is too packed to make even simple smoothie recipes, you can also grab your very own healthy drinks using some supplementary powders! These may not be as great as the ones shown above, but they will do when you are in a hurry or travelling. Check out the Organifi Green Juice with Moringa and the Green Superfood for your daily dose of nutrition!

Get recipes from books!

Are you using a blender or juicer or maybe both? What ingredients do you put in? Please share with us some of your secrets below!

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for updates!
Happy journey!