Sunday Thoughts (juice or blend?)

Sundays down here often involve a trip to the farmer’s market.

The weather is good. The selection is good. And I know the produce is good for me.

But oftentimes I get excited, pick up a bunch of this or that, and then I’m not sure what to do with it all before it goes bad.

So I work those greens and veggies and fresh fruit into a smoothie, and I get a punch of nutrition that tastes amazing and is super convenient too.

Maybe you do the same. A lot of people have woken up to the power of “drinking” their fruits & veggies. 

But I have to warn you. There’s a difference between juicing and blending. And it can cost you nutrition, and a bunch of waste that’ll hit you in the wallet.  

Let me explain.

You already know that adding fruits & veggies to your diet is key to maintaining vital health. 

But eating enough fruits and vegetables can feel inconvenient. Or impractical.

Which is why many folks turn to juicing or blending.

Both use fruits and vegetables to make some type of drinkable liquid.

But are they truly equal?

In a word… no. Here’s why:

For one, juicing only pulls the liquid from fruits and vegetables.

The pulp gets tossed in the trash or flushed down the disposal… along with a bunch of nutrients. Especially fiber. 

The result? A glass of juice, but not a meal.

Blending, on the other hand, uses the whole fruit and vegetable, so you get the benefit of more nutrition. And, depending on what you put in it, a complete meal.

Also, since you retain the fiber with blending, your smoothie can help fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied.

Juicing can also be a heck of a lot more expensive than blending.

During a recent visit to my local Whole Foods I stumbled across the premade juices in the produce section.

$10 for an 8-ounce bottle of juice! It’s criminal how much they charge.

And if you’re going to juice your own fruits and veggies at home, be prepared to fork out $250 or more for a decent juicer.

Sure, you need a blender to blend. But you can get a good one for far less than the cost of a juicer. 

And since juicing only pulls out the juice of the fruit and vegetables, you’re going to need a lot more produce to fill a single glass.

For example, 2 oranges, 1 stem of kale, ½ red pepper, 1 cup berries, and 1 stalk broccoli will make about one cup of juice… but about 3 cups of smoothie from a blender.

I also find blending to be more versatile than juicing.

Blending allows me to pack even more nutrition into my smoothie with seeds, sprouts, or protein powder.

That’s something you simply can’t do with juicing.

Look, I get that juicing has its fans.

And if you have trouble with fiber, it may be a better choice for you. 

But in terms of nutrition and cost, blending has my vote.

I’ll drink to that!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.