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This is one of the most common questions I get.
The answer…BOTH!
Both juicing AND blending play an equally important role in helping you alkalize your body and should try to include both be into your diet every day.
With that said, they are not the same thing and it’s important for you to know the differences.
When you juice you are extracting all of the water and the nutrients from the produce, but you are removing the indigestible insoluble fiber – the pulp.
With no insoluble fiber in the juice the concentrated nutrients pass quickly more easily into the bloodstream, easing digestion. Without the fiber, your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food and drive the nutrition into your cells.
Drinking fresh, fiber-free juice (especially on an empty stomach) eliminates stress and strain on your digestive tract because the juicer has already done most of the digestion work for you, extracting all of the nutrients from the produce and separating the fiber from the juice.
Without fiber to digest, the juice can be efficiently shuttled into your bloodstream within minutes.
Now don’t get me wrong – we all need fiber in our diets.
It is important for the health of your digestive system, and it slows down the metabolization of sugars in your body, helping to prevent your insulin levels from spiking in your blood.
But it also slows down the absorption of nutrients and some nutrients stay in the fiber.
When you juice, you are extracting up to 70% (and more depending on which juicer you are using) of the nutrition from the produce, and without the insoluble fiber your body will absorb close to 100% of these nutrients.
Why is this important?
Not only will this give you quick energy, but if you tend to have a sensitive digestive system that as any problems processing fiber, juicing becomes a fantastic way to deliver nutrient-dense, alkaline nutrition quickly into your body.
One caveat – while this quick absorption is great for SO many reasons, you must be careful in regards to which ingredients you choose to use.
Avoid juicing moderate to high glycemic fruits like pineapple for example, as they will cause a spike in insulin levels in your blood which is bad.
Low sugar alkaline fruits that I recommend for juicing are lemons, limes, grapefruit, and even tomatoes.
Here is a list of my top 10 veggies I love to juice with:
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Carrots
- Beets
- Ginger
- Herbs (Parsley, Mint, Cilantro)
- Kale or Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Leaf Lettuce (i.e Romaine)
- Cabbage
For anyone transitioning to an alkaline diet, I want you to SUCCEED, and having a green juice strictly using veggies may be a little hard at first, and the last thing I want is for this to discourage you from this MOST important form of nutrition.
If you are starting out, I recommend adding a green apple or a pear to your juice to make it more palatable (recipe included at end of article).
Unlike juicing, blending includes everything in the produce (skin and all the fiber) – nothing is separated or removed.
Both the insoluble (pulp) and soluble fiber remain in the blended smoothie, which slows down digestion, giving you a more sustained release of the nutrients, and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
A good blender (I use the Vitamix or the Nutribullet) will pulverize the fiber, helping to extract all of the nutrients, making the digestive process easier and more effective.
Having a blended smoothie can be a great way to start your morning, as is a good breakfast replacement meal that can be loaded with all of your favorite superfoods and healthy fats (i.e. chia, flax, hemp, coconut oil, raw almond butter, etc.)
One is not better than the other, and I recommend you try and find ways to incorporate both into your daily plan.
Both juicing and blending are simple and effective ways of increasing your daily intake of vegetables and low sugar fruits.
You can sneak 5 to 9 servings of organic greens into a juice or smoothie! Think about how long that would take for you to consume otherwise.
Note – it is important to drink your juice and smoothie right away. The longer you wait, the elements such as light, heat, and oxygen (oxidation) will begin to DEGRADATE the nutrition in your smoothie.
But with that said, your juice can last up to 24 hours in your fridge, while your smoothie can go a little longer, lasting up to 48 hours (as long as they are in an airtight container)
So today, I’m sharing two recipes – one blended and one juiced – that are both super healthy. They are two delicious ways to GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Green Juice is like the old adage about the apple. One a day will keep the doctor away. It’s got ginger and apple for natural sweetness and lemon and lime for bold tartness.
If you like that, you’ll love the Green and Gorgeous Breakfast Smoothie, which adds peaches and strawberries as well as coconut water. It’s velvety and sweet without losing all of the green goodness.
Let me know in the comments what you think when you try them.
DR. GREEN JUICE
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
1 handful spinach
½ bunch kale
¼ cucumber
1 stalk celery
1 handful parsley
1 inch piece of ginger
¼ lemon
¼ lime
2 slices of green apple
DIRECTIONS
Run the ingredients through your juicer and enjoy!
GREEN & GORGEOUS BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
½ bunch kale
1 handful spinach
½ cucumber
½ cup strawberries
½ cup peaches
½ cup coconut water
1 tbsp. chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
Blend and enjoy!
I share tons of delicious smoothie and juice recipes in my Get Off Your Acid 7-Day Cleanse, and I’m excited to let you know that the fall cleanse is now available! Included are 100+ new recipes, plus shopping lists, meal plans and more tips than I can count.
Get started now!
As a Certified Raw Food Chef, every season I change the recipes so that you can take advantage of what’s in season. Even if you don’t do the full on cleanse, there are so many ideas and tips in the digital cleanse materials that you receive that you can start using on a day-to-day basis that will make a difference in your life and your health.
