Smoothies and Juices

Smoothies and Juices, both have found a home here at the HQ and we love them equally.  Is there a difference between the two? Yes and it’s a pretty big difference but it has nothing to do with nutrition or if one is healthier than the other.

Smoothies:

Are made in a blender typically with a liquid, greens, and some frozen fruit.  Smoothies generally have a thicker consistency, think frozen daiquiri style but obviously without the alcohol.

The benefit to smoothies is that you are getting in fruit and veggie servings while also benefiting from the fiber of the ingredients.  By putting everything in the blender, the fiber gets broken up making it unnoticeable yet still highly beneficial.

The upside to the fiber is that you are getting in your fiber servings for the day, it helps to keep your digestive tract squeaky clean, and it helps you feel full.

You need fiber in your diet.  Even if you don’t think that you need much, YOU DO.  Fiber is highly important for colon health and for overall health.  Fiber comes in many forms and fruits and veggies have a high amount of it.

Since smoothies are made in a blender, clean-up is easy going.  Smoothies can be made with whatever combos of fruits and veggies you like!

Juices:

Are made by using a juicer with any combo of fruit and veggies you like.  Usually there is a greens base and then you build off of that.  They are a juice so they are a thin beverage, just like a regular drink.  The difference between juice and smoothie is that in a juice, there is no fiber from the fruits or veggies.  All the fiber has been removed leaving you with only the juice of the fruit or veggie.

The fiber is pushed out another end and can be used for whatever you like.  Some people throw it away and some people save it for other purposes.

While you are not getting fiber from juicing, you are still getting in nutrients from the fruits and veggies along with a serving of fruits and veggies for the day.  The upside to juicing is that since it’s liquid, your body can utilize the nutrition a little faster since it isn’t processing fiber at the same time.

Unlike smoothies, juicing is not a quick task.  It takes a long time to juice the items and clean-up is not a fun chore.  I’m very thankful that Scott helps and will clean the juicer because we might be juicing a lot less otherwise! I love juices but cleaning one is not fun.

Is one better than the other?

Everybody has a difference of opinion on this.  Mine is that each version has its place in life.  For me personally, some days I feel like a smoothie and some days I feel like a juice.  There are days when I want a cold thick drink full of fiber and there are days when my body wants to take it a little easier and a juice is perfect.  Today as I’m feeling a tad under the weather, a juice is perfect whereas a smoothie would be a little too much.

There is no right or wrong, each has it’s benefits.  It’s up to you to decide what you like and what suits your lifestyle the best.  If you have not had a juice before, I highly suggest trying out a juice from a juice bar a few times first before investing in a juicer.  If you do decide to purchase a juicer, research and find one that fits your needs and lifestyle.  We like items that can multitask, so the Omega is our juicer of choice.

The same goes with blenders.  Don’t buy a Vitamix just because everyone else seems to be in love with them.  Research and find one that fits your needs AND your budget.

Do you do either of these at home? Have you had a smoothie or a juice before?

5 thoughts on “Smoothies and Juices

  1. Heidi says:

    I make smoothies a lot at home and my family loves them. I used to have a juicer (and use it) but eventually I got rid of it because I had to use a lot of fruit or veggies to make a glass and it didn’t feel like it was cost-effective. So I generally consume fruits and veggies in smoothies or in more traditional ways. :)

  2. I’m a big smoothie person due to the fact I do not own a juicer. I hope to someday. My question for you is this… do you find that a smoothie fills you as much as a juice? Or are you still hungry after drinking a juice?
    (I drink my smoothies as my breakfast).

  3. I recently contemplated buying a Vitamix (my current regular blender kind of dies when I try making smoothies) but it was too expensive so I opted for a juicer instead. And I love it!!! :)

    Occasionally, I’ll even make juicer pulp muffins. Waste not, want not.

  4. I go through phases with smoothies. Sometimes they sound so good and others I don’t want anything to do with them. I’m not sure why. I’m the same way with bananas and yogurt. However, I was just thinking on my run today that a smoothie sounds so good so they must be back on!

  5. Megan says:

    I recently stumbled across this website when I stumbled across a recipe for kale & shrimp (which was tasty BTW!).

    I actually just yesterday bought an Oster 6889 12-speed blender with a food processor attachment, and it blew my old bullet blender out of the water for crushing ice for smoothies. Now I’ll be sure to fix smoothies more often, that I have a good blender and don’t have to worry about chipping my tooth on a chip of ice. :-)

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