juicing vs. blending

For the last couple of months I have been juicing,at least once maybe twice a day. 

The results have been great and the whole family is taking part. 

This has been a really great way to enure the kiddos (and husband) are getting enough veggies every day. My kids have no issues getting enough fruit each day but getting the hardy greens into them was a bit challenging to say the least!

I still offer up some smoothies from time to time but mostly we are drinking fresh juice lately. 

I thought it would be helpful though to outline the benefits for each and the differences as well.

 

First up Blending (list via) ...

Pros

• Depending on which juicer you may have, it can be faster to make a smoothie.

• Bananas and avocado can be put in the blender, whereas the avocado especially cannot be juiced.
• Because the pulp is still in the smoothie, it can ward off hunger longer than the juice can.
• Most people already have a blender, so start up costs are minimal.

Cons

• Many hard/root vegetables (beets, carrots, etc.) are difficult to blend and taste better when juiced.
• Because of the fiber content in the smoothie, the nutritional value is not as high as a glass of juice.

Juicing

Pros

• Juice has a higher nutritional value per ounce. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to eat pounds of carrots, beets, and other leafy green vegetables in one day.
• Even if your digestive system is working poorly, you can assimilate almost 100 percent of the nutrients contained in juice. While fiber often takes hours to digest, juice is absorbed into the body rapidly with hardly any strain on the digestive system whatsoever.
• A blender basically chops and mashes the fruits and vegetables. The juicer breaks open the cell of the plant, releasing vitamins, minerals, and life-giving juice. The juice does retain a portion of the soluble fiber, and the discarded fiber has a lot less nutritional value compared to what's in your glass.

Cons

• Usually involves more clean up time.
• More expensive than blending, as it requires more fresh produce.

So as you can see there are plenty of benefits to both blending and juicing... so do both! 

I chose the Breville Juice Fountain Plus... mostly because it was readily available and affordable but it has turned out to be a great juicer. It doesn't have a high yield on greens like kale, etc but it does a good job on a wide range of fruit and veggies and is super easy to clean. I still use my ninja to whip up a good smoothie but I find we use them more as treat or for little teething toddlers!