Juicing vs. Smoothies: What's the Verdict?

Juicing and smoothies are as popular as ever, but the information on their benefits might not always be clear. Juicing and smoothies both add dietary vitamins and minerals we might not get in supplements, but both can be high in sugar and promote increases in caloric intake. Smoothies contain the fiber most juices lack, making them more nutritionally complete, and either is better than having no fruit or veggies at all. Get the full verdict on juicing vs. smoothies before choosing which is right.

Juicing

Have a hard time choosing an apple over a handful of chips? Juicing is a great solution for people who want more nutrients in their diet but can’t find the will or motivation to add in more produce. Harvard Medical School suggests getting vitamins and minerals from their sources whenever possible because fruits and vegetables contain additional antioxidants and nutrients unavailable in pill form.

Juicing can have its drawbacks, though. Juices generally have a higher glycemic load than the whole fruits they’re made from, meaning juice drinkers are consuming more sugar per portion. The reduced fiber content also speeds sugar absorption, which can pose a problem for diabetics.

Reduced fiber intake has also been connected to poor gut health, according to Scientific American. The beneficial microbes that live in the digestive tract rely on fiber as their main food source, so we can suffer digestive and inflammatory disorders if we starve them off. The FDA recommends aiming for about 25 grams of fiber each day.

Smoothies

Smoothies solve the fiber problem because they include all the roughage juices filter out. They can be a great way to get all those nutrients we might not be getting with juice or supplements alone. Smoothies can also make it easier to take in a greater variety and volume of produce. One study showed the number of adolescents who consumed a full serving of fruit increased from 4.3% to 45.1% when offered fruit smoothies during breakfast.

But it's not all sunshine and roses. One might think a higher concentration of fruits and veggies would be better for the waistline, but drinking too much of a caloric load can do just the opposite. And smoothies can pack in the calories. According to one study, smoothies are less filling than fruit salads containing the same amount of fruit. This means we may consume more overall calories when we drink rather than eat our fruit.

The Verdict

Juicing and smoothies are both better than eating few or no fruits and veggies, but if we had to choose one over the other, smoothies reign supreme. Both can increase sugar and caloric intake, but the added fiber and nutrients in smoothies can make them more worth the effort. But we should all watch out for store-bought smoothies that may contain extra sugar or other ingredients.

It’s important to eat a wide variety of nutrients, which means getting as many different fruits and vegetables into our diets as possible. Juicing and drinking smoothies can be helpful in supplementing what we might not be eating, but neither will satisfy hunger as well as an actual piece of fruit. We choose the smoothie over the juice whenever possible, but a juice is a great pick-me-up, too.

Copyright 2019, Wellness.com