Have you ever wondered if it would be better to get a juicer and drink juices or rather a proper blender and make smoothies? You will definitely not be alone in this. If you’re still undecided, this article is for you.
Juices and juicing
When you juice a fruit or vegetable, you get a pure juice rich in nutrients, minerals and enzymes.You simply separate the indigestible fibre from the liquid, which is a big plus for your digestive system, which then doesn’t have to struggle as much to absorb the nutrients. You also give your body a greater dose of beneficial substances than you would with whole fruit. Juicing also allows you to eat fruits and vegetables if you suffer from diseases that prevent the processing of fibre. But if you are healthy, you probably won’t be too happy to know that:
- Juices contain much more fructose than in whole fruit
- You will be deprived of nutrients from the pulp
- Pure fruit juices can be very calorie dense because of the sugar
Smoothie and Blending
Will the smoothie do any better? Not by much, it’s very similar, with the only difference that smoothies don’t contain as much sugar, but instead more fiber, which isn’t always beneficial either. Too much fibre causes poor absorption of some minerals and vitamins, which can cause stomach upset. It is therefore a good idea to stick to the rule that an adult should take in a maximum of 30 g of fibre per day and not exceed this amount.
So is it worth blending and juicing?
Although it may seem that juices and smoothies are not that beneficial, they can still benefit our bodies from time to time. Especially vegetable juices. They may not be that tasty, but they don’t contain too much fructose and they can cleanse our body of toxins. In principle, however, too much of everything is bad for you, be it fiber or fructose. In short, there’s nothing like a whole carrot or apple without all the mixing and juicing.