Juicing vs. Blending

What’s the difference between juicing and blending? Juicing removes the fiber and blending leaves the fiber. That’s it. That’s the only difference. Without the fiber, the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from the plant instantly flood your body with powerful, healing voodoo. But, your gut and microbiome love fiber and fiber also helps you feel full. 

Both give your digestive system a little rest. In macrobiotics, it’s very important to chew your food well in order to make digestion easier for your body. One of the reasons I love smoothies so much is because I don’t have to think about how many times I’ve chewed my food. Everything is completely blended and I have lots of fresh fruit and greens in my cup. I definitely blend more than I juice because blending is blissfully easier than juicing. I don’t have to take apart and clean my blender like I do my juicer. It’s such a hassle and it takes up a lot of counter space in my kitchen when it’s drying. But, with that said, I love green juice.

Blending is a faster process than juicing. It takes about 5 minutes for me to prep and blend whereas it takes closer to 15-20 minutes when I make a juice. You can always prep your ingredients ahead of time,  but I like to prep mine right before I start juicing so my produce is the freshest. The process of juicing takes longer as well. There are also several different kinds of juicers on the market. I use a centrifugal juicer because it is easier to clean. There are also masticating juicers and twin gear juicers. The latter two take longer to produce juice, but the juice usually lasts longer and you get more juice squeezed from the pulp. Some people will even run the  pulp through the juicer again to get the most out of their produce. I found this a messy  process and didn’t get much more juice from the pulp in the end, but that’s always an option. I recommend using a canning funnel if you decide to pursue this adventure. 

When you juice your produce, try adding something with a high water content, such as a cucumber or apple, after something like kale that has a lot of fiber. This will help keep your machine from jamming. You should also try to avoid feeding the produce in too quickly. Try adding the produce slowly, just one piece at a time. If you feed too much into your juicer too quickly it will jam as well. If your juice tastes too green, try adding another cucumber to help water the taste down or an apple to add some sweetness.I like to add coconut water to mine if I’m trying to make it last longer. Coconut water is amazing because it’s antimicrobial and it’s full of electrolytes. Think of it as nature’s Gatorade.

How you pack your blender is the difference between having to  stop and scrape down the sides or letting it blend for 32 seconds while you pop the waffles in the toaster for the boys. I like to add my greens, usually baby spinach, on the bottom, followed by frozen fruit, plant milk, and an add in, like spirulina or almond butter. The frozen fruit will help get all the leaves from the greens down to the blade with no effort on your part. I used to have to stop the blender and scrape the sides down with a spoon before I learned this trick. But, if you have a Vitamix, you have the magical tamper that allows you to stir things around while the blender is running. I’ve had my eye on a Vitamix for a while. My heart says yes, but my wallet says no. I use a Ninja and, so far, it hasn’t let me down, so I can’t really complain. 

I have so much fun coming up with different smoothie and juice recipes. I love looking at produce and trying to imagine what it would taste like in my mouth with other flavors. My favorite surprising combination so far is mango and cucumber. Yum! I also love the flood of energy that I get with just a sip of green juice. It also thrills me that I feel full after a smoothie and can keep up with my kids. Both juicing and blending have incredible health benefits. Try swapping your afternoon coffee for a green pick me up. What about a smoothie instead of a muffin for breakfast? Give it a try! You might find it’s something you really enjoy.