Juicing or Smoothies: Which One Is Best for You?

Dear GreenSmoothieGirl: Should I juice, or should I blend? Which one is best for me?

This is one of my all-time most-asked questions.

We know the body understands and absorbs nutrients from food best. I love juicing and smoothies for “getting more” nutrients, the way our bodies prefer them.

Juices and smoothies aim to get more raw, whole plant foods in our diet.

Why Eat Raw Foods?

On several occasions, I’ve eaten 100% raw for months and never felt better than I did then. However, I’m not convinced that ALL raw is necessary or even reasonable.

But still, more raw is better. I recommend at least 60% raw. (I’ve been eating 60-80% raw every day for 27 years.)

The Truth About Juicing

My grandmother cured herself of cancer when she was in her 50s, primarily by juicing tons of vegetables and greens for two years. (And eating no sugar, animal products, stimulants, etc.)

[Related: Open Letter to A Cancer Patient]

Juicing can be powerful.

A pint of juice is the nutrition extracted from a dozen or more servings of vegetables and fruits. Plus, you’re giving your digestive system a rest.

Virtually everyone worldwide who treats cancer holistically and uses nutrition at all juices organic vegetables for patients and teaches them this practice!

Virtually every functional medicine doctor counsels cancer patients to drink multiple glasses of organic veggie juice daily.

Yet, juicing has some downsides.

The Downsides of Juicing

If you take an orange and juice it, you just remove all the fiber, which slows down the impact on your blood sugar.

Then, if you’re drinking a tall glass of orange juice, you're getting the sugar of 8 oranges.

[Related: Why you shouldn’t be afraid of the sugar in whole fruits]

And another thing I don’t love about juicing:

You’re typically throwing away 90% of the plant. (I hope you at least compost the pulp. Some people use it to thicken soups or make veggie burgers, which you might want to look into.)

The other problem with juicing is that people tend to start it and then quit. It’s not a very sustainable habit.

Juicing can be a one-hour process, from getting produce out of the fridge to cleaning the juicer. (Except my Breville juicer is SUPER quick, both making the juice and cleaning up.)

You simply cannot get more bang for your buck than drinking a glass of raw, organic green juice. I do it a lot.

Juicing a bunch of greens and vegetables … and no fruit, except a little bit of lemon and a little bit of ginger — it’s delicious!

When you consume green juice, you’re getting such good antioxidants and incredible nutrition that it quickly gets into every cell.

Green Smoothies Are for Everyone!

Here are 3 advantages of smoothies over juicing:

1. You’re keeping all the fiber
2. You can use the whole plant
3. It’s a 10-minute habit

This is why I teach green smoothies for everybody.

A green smoothie habit is highly sustainable. And it really is life-changing.

[Related: Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Own Smoothie Greens]

Ultimate Answer: Start with Green Smoothies. Try Juicing If It Works for You!

Both juicing and green smoothies can be great for you. I do both.

But, I have smoothies a lot more. Almost every day because it’s doable.

Green smoothies are an incredible way to support your health. They provide greens and 10+ servings of vegetables a day in one meal.

Especially if you can enjoy them daily or as often as possible.

In most cases, getting more nutrients in the form of green smoothies or green juices is better than getting nutrients from supplements because the vast majority of them contain cheap and toxic ingredients.

 

Read Next: The Ultimate Green Smoothie Guide: My Best Recipes, Tips, and Tricks