JUICING V. SMOOTHIES - BATTLE OF THE LIQUID NUTRITION GIANTS
Both fresh juices and smoothies offer nutritional benefits for those who wish to add liquid nutrition to their diets. Both have advantages and disadvantages, something you might want to take into account before choosing between the two. Having said that, however, you don’t have to choose between one and the other because variation and balance is always best when it comes to nutrition and therefore I recommend alternating between the two.
Juicing is a good way of boosting your fresh vegetable and fruit intake but if you need a nutritional on-the-go meal your practical go-to option is a smoothie.
JUICING ADVANTAGES
The main reason for juicing is to increase fresh produce and nutrient intake. Vegetable and fruits are both suppliers of vitamins and minerals which are crucial in boosting immunity and reduction of oxidative stress in our body. This means that calorie intake can be reduced without nutrient deprivation. Juicing also offers people who might otherwise refrain from certain vegetable or fruit on grounds of taste or texture an opportunity to consume them in a liquid form. Further, it has been suggested that process of juicing makes the nutrients in produce more readily available because the body does not have to break down the food before absorbing the nutrients. However, I have not yet come across scientific evidence that confirm whether this is healthier than eating fresh fruit and vegetables.
Another advantage of juicing that is worth mentioning is that there are a lot of tasty and nutritious things that you can do with the pulp (juice waste). For practical purposes, I recommend that when you juice you start with either the fruit or the vegetables and follow with the other. This way you can have separate pulp piles for fruit and vegetables. For some uses, the mixture of the two is just fine. Please note, the moisture content of your juice pulp can vary depending on your juicer, so you may need to squeeze out excess juice for the best results depending on the application.
Here are some ideas:
JUICING POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES
The process of juicing strips almost the entire fibre content from the produce. Therefore be aware that the content of the juice cannot be counted towards the recommended daily fibre intake. You will need to ensure that you are getting enough fibre content from other dietary sources preferably not avoiding fresh vegetable and fruit in their raw form.
Juice is not a meal replacement because most juice recipes are devoid of proteins or fats. Fibres, proteins and fast are what fills you up. Finally, unless you already have one, you need to go through the expense of buying a juicer. To help you decide on which juicer might be the best choice for you I recommend reading this http://www.juicingwithg.com/types-of-juicers/
ADVANTAGES OF SMOOTHIES
When it comes to making smoothies, all you need in terms of equipment is an ordinary blender. Using fresh well balanced ingredients will be the basis of a light nutritious liquid meal. To get the most of a smoothie, it should include fresh fruit and vegetables and a source of protein and fat. This can be by adding things like soy milk, low fat yogurt or simply adding a scoop of protein, flax seed or chia powder. As with juicing, making smoothies can give you the opportunity to experiment with fruits and vegetables that you might not otherwise consume because of taste or texture or even just because you do not know what to combine it with or how to prepare it. For example, a standard green smoothie mixes a leafy green vegetable like kale orchard with an antioxidant-rich fruit like blueberries.
Unlike juicing, making smoothies allows us to retain the fibre content in the produce as well as adding dietary proteins and fats which all contribute to your sense of feeling your tummy is full.
Another advantage of having a liquid meal is that it does not require less effort form the digestive system in breaking down the meal. This can be especially beneficial for people who are low on energy because it requires less work from their body.
SMOOTHTIES POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGE
Smoothies which contain sweet ingredients such as ice cream, flavoured yogurt, sweetened almond or soy milk, honey or too much fruit (which are high in fructose) will cause a significant addition to your daily sugar intake which increases the daily calorie count and lead to spikes in blood sugar and insulin resistance. Therefore the most nutritionally beneficial smoothies will be those that will have a lower sugar content, balanced with healthy proteins and fats which will keep your hunger at bay until your next meal.