At first glance, homemade juices and smoothies seem the same. You take fruit and or vegetables, put them through a machine of some sort, drink to your heart’s content and through making either drink a part of your regular routine, you drastically improve your health and nutrition. In some regards, it actually is that simple, however when you get past the fundamental elements you will find that there is more that make juices and smoothies different than most people realize.
Here at Juice n’ Flow we advocate juicing, teas and drinking lots of water to help with health and wellness. However, this isn’t smoothies vs. juices article. Right along with baking, steaming, stir-frying and raw, smoothies are another good option to include in your whole foods diet.
Besides, it would be dishonest to say I don’t make smoothies, especially when I have a well-used and appreciated Vitamix blender sitting not too far from me on my kitchen counter. This article is to help you know what makes smoothies different from juices so you can make better choices and have a better understanding of the nutrition and activity taking place when you drink your fruits and vegetables. 🙂
Even if you’re tempted, try not to think of this as a battle between juices and smoothies or comparing the benefits of smoothies and juices against each other. They both have health benefits but if you have particular needs or concerns, juices may be more suitable for you or vice versa. I’ll start with juices first.
Juicing
One of the great benefits of juicing is that juicing gives you so much more of your fruits and vegetables per serving. This is because when you separate the fiber from the vegetable or fruit it becomes concentrated allowing you to have more.
Additionally, because most o the insoluble fiber gets removed, with juicing your body is able to consume and digest the nutrients and minerals supplied by the fruits and vegetables much faster than if you were to eat them whole, cooked or by making smoothies.
Because of the significant boost in vitamins, minerals, micronutrients and phytonutrients people generally gain more energy when they drink juices and improve their immunity. The immune system resurgence is partly because certain juices are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals from your body which can weaken your immune system.
More juicing benefits include the natural, whole body detox and system cleansing aspects. Certain juices are known to help flush the system, repair cells and damaged organs in your body, which is why when many people think “detox” or about a natural way to “cleanse your system” they almost automatically think juicing as the way to go about doing it.
Even after listing those healthy effects of juicing, the number one reason people juice is because of the way juicing affects weight loss. Juicing to lose weight is one of the most effective natural ways to drop pounds fast. Juice fasting is effective and a natural alternative to surgery or other ways to lose weight fast and can get you immediate results.
Not that I have covered the benefits of juicing I’ll go over smoothies and you can then decide which is better for you. Keep in mind that over time your health, nutrition and dietary needs may change, so what you need this year may be different in the future.
Smoothies
Before I describe the benefits of drinking smoothies, I just want to mention that not long ago smoothies were merely considered a healthier alternative to milkshakes or ice cream. In recent years however, the idea caught on (thanks to places like Jamba Juice, Juice It Up and others), that fruit blends by themselves or with added ingredients are actually quite healthy.
Probably the most popular benefit about smoothies is that you can blend just about anything and make a new drink and not just fruits and vegetables. This includes nuts, seeds, supplements, protein powders and nutrient rich leafy vegetables, which barely produce juice unless you buy a high quality juicer. Also, you can add other liquids like soy milk, almond milk, coconut water, to give your smoothies varied flavors.
Fiber is another reason to enjoy smoothies. As the skin and flesh of your fruit and vegetables gets included in your drink instead of discarded your fiber intake increases significantly. This added fiber helps to regulate your blood sugar, to improve your digestion and to keep you regular. 🙂
An additional benefit from the fiber is where the amount included can help you lose weight. Fiber can help suppress your appetite. Often you will feel full after drinking a smoothie and will eat less because your hunger gets satisfied. Also, depending on your recipe, a smoothie can serve as an outright meal replacement or a healthy substitute for junk food or other snacks.
Now that you have some specifics about the benefit of these two healthy choices, it should help you along the way in your journey of positive health and wellness. Thanks for reading and if you liked this please share.
