A question that is commonly asked: To blend or not to blend? To juice or not to juice? What are the differences between juicing and blending? Does one offer greater health benefits than the other?

Truth is, juices and smoothies both play an important role in maintaining the body pH, repairing and renewal of cells, detox and of course, getting the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. No, we’re not talking about commercially packed “Vegetable Juices” or “Fruit juices with REAL pulps”, nor are we talking about smoothies with ice creams and whipped creams! (though they might sound delicious… but artificial. Just think of all the additives contained in your drinks! Yikes)

Here’s a brief breakdown of the differences between Juicing & Blending:

Juicing
This basically means extracting the liquid from fruit and vegetables, leaving the fibre in the catch bucket. Juices are pre-digested in your juicing machine, removing the fibre through the process of squeezing the pulp. As a result, your body doesn’t have to work as hard to break down food and absorb the nutrients. This is an easy way to get phytonutrients in their most absorbable form. Hence, concentrated nutrient are more readily available to be absorbed by the cells in much larger quantity compared to eating fruits and vegetables only.

As juices are easy to digest and assimilate, they are normally used for cell renewal and detoxification programs because they’re nutrient dense with the ability to nourish and restore the body at cellular level.

Blending
Blending is a surefire way to pack leafy greens or food that you do not find that palatable (but crucial) in your diet and it’s a great way to sneak in few servings of vegetables throughout the day.

Smoothies have higher fibre content, hence more filling while keeping the system clean and running smoothly. Mix up your routine and tickle your taste buds by experimenting different texture and flavour that aren’t juicer friendly like hazelnuts, almonds or even sunflower seeds.

The fibre in produce helps slow down your digestive process (which keeps you full for a longer period) and provide a steady release of nutrients into your bloodstream, preventing blood sugar from spiking.
                                                               

Strawberry Smoothie

Avocado Smoothie

Chocolate Banana Hazelnut Smoothie

 Ingredients:

250 ml hazelnut milk (with pulp)

1 ripe banana

1 tbs cacao powder

1 tbs honey

For those who find it challenging to consume large amount of vegetable and fruits with your fork, juice and/or blend instead! However, it is best to consume your juices and smoothies within 15 minutes. When refrigerated overnight, the nutrients in juices and smoothies tend to decrease.