by Dan |
Last Updated: January 11, 2021 While it’s true that healthy foodies have come together on a variety of nutrition topics, there’s one that still seems to be up for debate: Are juices or smoothies better?
The truth is that there are pros and cons to each one- so it all boils down to your personal needs and goals. In order to determine the best one for you, take a look at the pros and cons of both smoothies and juices.
Pros for Smoothies
Typically, a smoothie is a blend of whole foods, meaning that you keep all of the nutrients from the fruits and veggies intact. Another major benefit is that you can add ingredients that are super-nutritious to your smoothie.
For example, to increase the protein, you can add a protein powder, a pulse, or Greek yogurt. In addition, you can add some healthy fats by adding avocado, almond butter, or chia seeds.
In addition, when it comes to smoothies, you can add other superfoods such as grated ginger, cacao powder, matcha powder, cinnamon, fresh mint, and so much more. The nutritional balance provided by a smoothie is what makes it a legitimate replacement for a meal or a recovery drink after your workout.
Cons for Smoothies
When you make your smoothie with a lot of produce, chances are that you’ll end up consuming more than you would normally eat with one meal.
While this might sound like it could be a good thing, the truth is that it means you could actually be consuming more calories than you’re able to burn.
This means that you could end up being unable to lose weight- and you may even end up gaining some.
This can also happen when you drink a smoothie with your meal instead of as a replacement. This is because you are unknowingly consuming 2 meals at one time- it’s just that one of them is a beverage.
Pros for Juicing
Many people love veggies overall and have very little trouble fitting them into their daily diet. However, there are others out there who will go days on end without eating anything green- and there are those who are always on the go with little to no time to stop and eat a meal. For people like this, juicing is a great way to fill in the gaps in nutrition.
Also, since natural juices are concentrated, a small amount is able to provide the nutrients that would be found in several servings of fruits and veggies. This makes it much easier to get all of the vitamins and minerals that your body requires to function properly.
Cons for Juicing
Properly juicing fruits and veggies does extract the nutrients- but unfortunately, the fiber is left behind. Therefore, juice is not going to be nearly as filling as a smoothie or a serving of whole fruit would be. When you leave the fiber out of your diet, you’re also missing out on some of the critical nutrients and benefits for your gut health.
If you have juices that are made from fruit or veggies that are high in sugar, such as carrots or beets, you could end up having a blood sugar spike, especially if you don’t eat something at the same time. If you have a juice that has more fruits than veggies, it can have more carbs than you would expect- that is up to 40 grams in one 16 ounce serving.
The bottom line is this: if you are drinking the juice to get fruits and veggies in your diet that you would normally skip, that’s fine- just be aware of what is in the juice and how much of it you are drinking.
However, if your meals/snacks are already full of fruits and veggies, you’re most likely eating enough to get what you need.
The point is, you have to decide for yourself whether you think smoothies or juices are better. It all depends on your diet- what you eat and how much- and your goals- do you want to lose weight, maintain, or bulk up?
