Comparing Juicing vs Blending

8:26am - June 25, 2013

Comparing Juicing vs Blending

Both juicing and blending offer simple and effective ways to incorporate more vegetables into your daily diet. It’s no secret that most individuals don’t get the full 5 full servings of daily vegetables recommended by the USDA. Omitting these essential foods from your diet will likely result in certain nutritional deficiencies. Thankfully, however, juicing and/or blending them into easy-to-drink beverages will make it easier to hit the recommended mark. But which of the two is better for you — juicing or blending? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons associated with each method.

Blending

As the name suggests, blending is a method of chopping fruits, vegetables and other ingredients into a near-liquid consistency so it’s easier to drink. Blenders are inexpensive and can be purchased from most home goods stores for as little as $15 bucks. Using one is also incredibly easy; just toss your desired ingredients into the device and hit the “on" button. Within seconds, you’ll have a delicious beverage that’s loaded with beneficial nutrients.

One of the key benefits of blending is the increased amount of fiber it provides. Unlike juicing, blended beverages contain fiber from the fruits and vegetables used in its production. This fiber will naturally help to promote proper digestion. If you suffer from constipation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or any other digestive issue, perhaps you should try drinking more blended beverages.

Juicing

On the other side of the fence we have juicing. Some people may assume juicing and blending are the same, but there are notable differences that shouldn’t be ignored. For starters, juicers work on the principle of extracting juice from fruits and vegetables. Once the juice is extracted, the leftover pulp, skin and remains are discarded.

Juicing doesn’t provide the same fiber benefits as blending simply because the pulp and skin is removed. However, juicing certain vegetables certainly makes them more palatable than blending. Let’s face it, no one wants to chug down a glass of blended kale and spinach leaves. Blending these ingredients, though, will create a liquid that’s far easier and more enjoyable to drink.

Juicing is typically recommended for vegetables rather than fruits. Blending small amounts of fruit is perfectly fine, but you must use caution due to the high sugar content found in fruit. Without the additional fiber to aid in digestion, juiced fruit can send a sugar overload throughout the body. A good rule of thumb is to stick with fresh vegetables for a juicer and fruit from a blender.