Juicing vs. Blending: What's the Difference?

With so many pressed juices and smoothie beverages on the market these days, it can be a bit confusing as to how they are different and when you would want to drink each. Juice are made by juicing and smoothies are made by blending. So which one is better and what should you do? Both! Here’s why…

What Exactly is Juicing?

Juices are made by extracting the juice from the produce used, and leaving the pulp, or fiber, behind. The juice contains the nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes contained in the produce while the fiber (often referred to as “pulp”) is the structural part of the plant that contains the cellulose and indigestible roughage of the plant. (1)

What Exactly is Blending?

Smoothies are made by blending different fruits and veggies together, along with some liquid to help break it up. Many people like to add superfood powders, probiotics, or oils as well. Unlike juicing, nothing is extracted from the produce and the entire piece of produce, including the fiber (or pulp) is contained in the finished product. (2)

Benefits of Juicing:

Nutrient Absorption: Fiber is beneficial for digestive health because the body cannot digest it, so it helps clean out the intestines and keep things “moving”. Juices contain no fiber, so that’s bad right? Wrong! The fact that juices contain no fiber is actually one of the biggest benefits. Since we cannot break down and digest fiber, we excrete it. This means we also excrete some of the nutrients in the produce consumed because they are bound up in the fiber. Juicing extracts the nutrients from the fiber, so they are readily available for the body to absorb without the roadblock of fiber in the way. This also makes them very easy to digest. (2) Volume: Juicing makes it possible to consume a much higher volume of fruits and vegetables than you would be able to consume eating them whole. If you were to sit down and eat 2 heads of kale, that would be a lot of food. You wouldn’t enjoy chewing through it and you would probably get a tummy ache from all of that fiber and volume. However, you can run two heads of kale through your juicer with an apple or two and a lemon and have an extremely easy to consume and much more delicious way to consume all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals in that 2 heads of kale. (2)

Benefits of Blending:

Fiber: As I noted above, fiber is beneficial for digestive health. While too much fiber can hinder nutrient absorption and also be difficult to digest, some fiber is great and we need to get some everyday. Fiber promotes elimination of waste and healthy gut bacteria. Smoothies contain the whole fruit/vegetable, so they include all of the plant’s fiber, but the blender makes them easier to consume by breaking them down for you. (2) Variety + Substance: Blending provides more options for what can be included in the finished product. Juicing is primarily done with fruits and veggies only because those yield liquid. Smoothies may include lots of other super nutritious, non-liquid yielding items like cacao, coconut oil, dates, protein powders, avocados, bananas and more. It’s much easier to make a full substantial meal with a healthy balance protein, fats, and carbs out of smoothie than a juice for that reason. As you can see, juicing vs. blending are both wonderful ways to get a great amount of nutrition into your diet in a delicious and easy to consume way! Both methods complement each other, have wonderful benefits, and should each be included regularly has part of a healthy diet. A fun thing you can try is juicing first, and using the juice as the liquid base for your smoothie by adding lots of other great ingredients like frozen banana, almond butter, and coconut oil to the mix! (2) Enjoy! Annie Lawless & Suja Juice