Blending vs Juicing: What’s the Difference?

In recent years, the smoothie and juicing industries have taken the world by storm. Market research indicates that smoothie and juice bars generally bring in around $2 billion each year, and whether you’re forking over cash in a restaurant or making your own beverages at home, it’s important to understand the health benefits that come with what you’re drinking.

Simply put, the basic benefits of juicing and blending are obvious. Fruits and vegetables are great for your health, and official guidelines that we should be eating much more fresh produce each day. After all, the vitamins and nutrients available in fruits and vegetables can help to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke, while also assisting you in managing your weight.

While both juicing and blending will help you get more fresh produce into your system without the hassle of cooking huge plates full of vegetables, it can be difficult to decide which one is the most beneficial solution.

Here, we’re going to look closer at the blending vs juicing dilemma, so that you’ll be prepped to make a more informed decision.

The Difference Between Juicing and Blending

When you are “juicing”, you’re removing all the fibrous materials in your fruits and vegetables and leaving behind only the liquid content of the produce. On the other hand, when you’re blending, you’re using every part of the fruit or vegetable to make a drink – including the fiber and pulp that bulks the produce. That’s why you pretty much chew your way through a smoothie, but you can drink a juice with your meal for an extra vitamin boost.

The pulp content is where we begin to see the difference between juicing and blending. When you juice your vegetables and fruits, you can get a more concentrated number of nutrients, because the bulk of the vitamins and minerals found in fruit are often found in the juice, rather than the fibrous materials found in a smoothie. However, juices contain no insoluble fiber, and this is incredibly important for good health and digestion. With that in mind, however, many proponents of juicing will argue that giving your body a break from the hard work indigestion that comes with sorting through the fibrous material in fruits and vegetables is one of the benefits of missing out on insoluble fiber.

Fiber isn’t the only beneficial substance found in the pulp of fruits and vegetables either. According to studies, the antioxidant compounds known as phytochemicals are more commonly found in pulp than in the juice of fruits and vegetables.

What About Sugar Content

Sugar consumption can be a significant problem with both blending and juicing according to a dietician. Though smoothies can raise blood sugar, juices are often quicker when it comes to boosting glucose levels. With blended vegetables and fruits, you can only drink so much before you begin to feel full. However, with juice, you can consume plenty of fruits and vegetables without feeling satisfied.

The most important element in ensuring that you reduce your sugar consumption when blending and juicing is making sure that you pick the right ingredients for your beverages. Picking items that are low in sugar, or safe for diabetics can help you to reduce your intake, and some fruits are even effective at improving the release of insulin for blood sugar control. Additionally, making your own juices and smoothies at home will help to protect you from the added sugars and substances that can go into store-bought options.

Blending vs Juicing – Which is Better?

It’s fair to say that there are plenty of benefits to juicing. You get a greater nutrient concentration per ounce, increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables, and generally make it easier to stomach the taste of produce that you don’t want to eat. However, on the other hand, you do miss out on important fiber.

With blending, you get everything in the fruit or vegetable, but the pulpy texture can make it harder for you to digest your drink. In both cases, there are positives and negatives – it’s all about finding the option that works best for you.