As more people have discovered the healing properties of celery juice and other superfoods, they have also raised questions around the benefits of juicing fruits and veggies vs. blending them into a smoothie.
There are whole-body benefits to both juicing and blending. But lately, the trend of blending fruit or vegetable pulp has taken center stage. Let’s set this trend aside for a moment to review why juicing can be a more effective wellness practice, especially for people managing chronic illness.
What’s the difference?
Juicing has been hotly debated since its inception (in the 1930s with the raw food movement, or much earlier depending on who you ask) but has continued to gain popularity among health and wellness advocates. The difference between juicing and blending comes down to two important benefits for the body: nutrient absorption vs. fiber intake.
Juicing extracts the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables. This allows for more concentrated amounts of vitamins and easier absorption of nutrients, giving the body a break from digesting the more filling, fibrous parts of fruits and veggies.
Blending blends the entire fruit, fiber and all. Blending tends to be more filling and higher in antioxidants due to including all components of the fruit or vegetable.
What about just eating more fruits and veggies?
The reason to juice something rather than eat it is simple: You want to unlock as many nutrients as possible and help your body absorb them easily. Nutrients from fresh-juiced raw plants include vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in higher, more concentrated amounts than you’d get from eating and digesting them whole. All that fiber and pulp that is thrown away that’s supposedly the healthiest part is not the whole story.
Juicing gives you whole-body benefits
Take celery, for example. Eating celery is healthy, but it’s impossible to eat enough celery throughout the day to get the healing benefits you get from juicing it, including:
- Supporting your stomach’s hydrochloric acid production to help break down proteins.
- Strengthening your bile to help digest fats and drive out harmful pathogens.
- Restoring your central nervous system by cleansing your body of lingering toxins in the liver.
- Plus: A welcome boost to your immune system, your energy levels, and even your skin tone.
Beyond the benefits listed above, juicing is a form of gentle, non-irritating hydration. Looking for the best way to incorporate juicing into your daily or weekly routine? My go-to is always a restorative medicine breakfast starting, you guessed it, with celery juice! Check out my last post about all the ways celery juice can help you heal better to feel better. And if you are interested in digging deeper into the whole debate on Juicing vs Blending debate I encourage you to check out Cleanse to Heal by Anthony William as a great resource to help understand this big topic and decide for yourself.
