Health | Juicing or Blending: Which one is better for you?

Everyone is either juicing or blending these days to get the most out of their foods. But what are the real benefits of these processes, and which one is better?

Eating whole foods almost seems like a rare concept now as more people embrace juicing or blending. As a convenient and quick way to pack in their five-a-day, it appears to be the best solution for those that lead a hectic life with little time to prepare meals.

And as we all aim to eat more superfoods to counteract short and long-term illness, consuming such creations is a no-brainer. Green smoothies, in particular, is a favourite mix as they are full of antioxidants.

So, what is the difference between blending and juicing?

Blending simply combines all of your ingredients in a blender, leaving the pulp and fibre intact. This is good as fibre is a healthy addition to your diet, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The blending process breaks the fibre apart but also helps to create a slow, even release of nutrients into the bloodstream and thus avoiding blood sugar spikes.

Juicing is the act of extracting the pulp of vegetables or fruits, leaving the juice in a liquid, not bulky state. Without all the fibre, your digestive system does not have to work as hard to break down the food and absorb the nutrients. Indeed, the juice makes the nutrients more readily available to the body in much larger quantities than if you were to eat the fruit and vegetables whole.

Many healing and detoxification programmes feature freshly squeezed juices as they are so nutrient rich and nourish and restore the body at a cellular level.

However, a word of warning if you are only juicing fruits. When you remove the fibre from produce, the liquid juice is absorbed into your bloodstream quickly. This can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and unstable blood sugar levels can lead to mood swings and energy loss.

While blending seems to be the better choice on paper, you should try and drink your smoothie straight away as light and air can destroy much the nutrients.

Happy juicing…and blending!