Juicing VS Smoothies

27/11/2019 | Caitlin Moralee, Nutrition Student
The truth behind juicing and blending (smoothies) 
Juicing and smoothies are virtually the same thing right? The simple answer is no, juices and smoothies both contain very different nutrient contents that can possess different health benefits.
 
Juices contain many vitamins and minerals which can have multiple health benefits. Down below is a list of a few benefits that come with incorporating juices into your diet:
 
Benefits of juicing (1)
  • Juicing is an easy and convenient way to get multiple serves of vegetables into your diet 
  • Vegetable based juices increase your intake of minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients 
  • Juices are rich in anti-inflammatory compounds hat ay boost the immune system or ones energy levels 
  • They have the ability to flush toxins from the body 
  • Juices also can aid in digestion with the presents of enzymes within the juice
  • Certain vegetables and fruits can be paired together to be used for medicinal purposes 
 
The main nutrient difference amongst juices and smoothies is that smoothies usually contain more fibre. Blending fruits and vegetables does remove some fibre however as you  are not discarding any part of the fruit or vegetable majority of the fibre remains within the smoothie. When juicing vegetables and fruit the process filters out almost all of the fibre, leaving you with the liquid juice and the fibrous pulp, which is usually discarded.
 
Why is fibre so important?
Fibre slows digestion and helps keep you fuller for a longer period of time. The incorporation of fibre into the diet can aid in stabilising blood sugar levels and also help grow/maintain a healthy gut microbiome. There are two forms of fibre found within different types of fruit and vegetables. Insoluble fibre helps you keep regular, this form of fibre attracts water to the intestines and aids in moving everything through your system. This type of fibre is found within cucumbers, celery, carrots, nuts and seeds. Soluble fibre has multiple health benefits including lowering blood cholesterol, slowing the absorption of carbohydrates from foods, and feeding the beneficial bacteria within your gut. Foods containing this form of fibre include plums, pears, oats, apples, berries, nuts and seeds (2).
 
Due to aspects such as low fibre content juices do have some negative aspects such as (1):
  • Fruit based juices can contain large amounts of sugar, with little fibre content to aid slowing down digestion (2). 
  • The lack of fibre creates low satiety (does not keep you full for a long period of time)
  • Using juice as a meal replacement can be dangerous due to the low calorific content
 
Now lets talk about smoothies! As with anything there are pros and cons to consuming smoothies. Below are some points on the benefits and negatives:
 
Benefits of smoothies (3)
  • High amounts of fibre creates high satiety levels. 
  • Smoothies are versatile and can be created to fit into many areas of the everyday diet (breakfast, snack, dessert) 
  • It is easy to ‘hide’ vegetables within smoothies. Green leafy vegetables, cucumber and avocado are great to put into any form of smoothie without altering the taste too much
  • Quick and convenient way to have a healthy breakfast whilst on the go
  • Boost your fruit and vegetable consumption 
  • An easy way to add vegetables to breakfast (which is really hard to do for some of us)
  • They can taste AMAZING
 
Negative aspects of smoothies: 
  • Smoothies can contain a lot of calories as it’s easy to add a lot of high energy foods, plus it’s tempting to overindulge
  • Premade options are often full of sugar 
  • Smoothies demand less of our digestive system which in turn can make us hungrier sooner
 
Both juicing and smoothies are great ways to incorporate vegetables and fruits into your everyday diet. Both forms have both negative and positive aspects which need to be considered when consuming. I advise checking nutritional content before purchasing smoothies or juices, look out for those hidden nasties (such as high amounts of added sugar). Creating your own blends of smoothies and juices are a great cost-effective way to add important nutrients into your diet whilst keeping your concoction clean and tasty.
 
  1. Mayo Clinic. (2019, October 1). What to know before you juice. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/juicing/faq-20058020
  2.  Nutrition Australia. (2014, October). Fibre. Retrieved from https://www.nutritionaustralia.org/sites/default/files/Fibre-2014.pdf​
  3. Diet and nutrition; everydayhealthgirl.com promotes benefits of green smoothies. (2012). Energy Weekly News, 175, 175-175.
 
 
 
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