What should I do, Juice or Smoothie? Juices and Smoothies are both loaded with nutrients, give you an energy boost, and taste fabulous. But they’re not the same thing. The difference lies in the machines used to make them.
Juicing is the process of extracting the juice (liquid content) from fruits, vegetables and herbs. This process requires a juicer. The best quality machine is one which slowly extracts by pressing, preserving in this way the greatest amount of nutrients, while removing all fibre. Juices are vitamin and mineral infusions which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream with maximum efficiency and minimum effort. They are particularly good for people who have damaged digestive systems, who have difficulty digesting vegetables, or are ill in any other way. Drinking nothing but juices deprives your body of essential dietary fibre. It also delivers a massive dose of rapidly absorbed sugars into your bloodstream. You can drink a freshly made mostly vegetable juice daily, but you can’t live on juices alone. They do not provide all of the essential components the body needs for health.
A Smoothie is a drink made from combining whole fruits and vegetables in a blender – preferably high speed for best nutrient dense results. Contrary to juices, smoothies retain all of their fibres. Blending predigests plant fibres to ease their digestion. Insoluble dietary fibre is essential for proper digestive function. Fibre cleanses the colon, binds to toxins in the intestinal tract and “sweeps” them away through the process of elimination. Soluble fibre slows the absorption of sugar and allows the body to better regulate blood sugar levels vital in the prevention and onset of Diabetes Type 2. Smoothies are versatile and a great way to START introducing more raw foods into your diets.You can do greens, other veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and superfoods, protein supplements, herbs, spices … anything you can dream up, you can add to a smoothie! Keeping your smoothies on the simpler side (2-6 ingredients) will be much better for your digestion. Smoothies make you feel fuller and more satiated than juices. They can replace a meal.
Our body needs the vitamins, minerals and enzymes that raw food contains. If we don’t get enough of these in our diet, our reserve becomes low leaving us more susceptible to illness, disease and premature aging. Both juices and smoothies have their place and purpose. We all need plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit in our diet, whether we eat, juice, or blend them. Neither is better than the other. They are nutrient dense powerhouses. It’s all good however we choose to take them in.
So go ahead juice and blend – but don’t overdo the fruit! Too much sugar equals weight gain. Fruits are good for cleansing and veggies, especially greens, are good for building. When you make your own you at least know what’s going into them; no refined sugars, no colourings and no additives. Just pure wholesome fruit and veggies making you healthy and clean from the inside out!
Smoothie Recipe
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1/2 cucumber (leave peel on if organic)
- 1 Granny Smith green apple (pared)
- 2 handfuls of Kale
- 1/2 peeled lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 150 ml water (filtered if possible)
Blend in blender until smooth.
This smoothie is wonderful after a training session because it replaces electrolytes and rehydrates the body with minerals. This Smoothie helps relieve stress, enriches your blood and is full of vitamins.
There is something to be said for doing “food resets.” That is, going back to the basic tenets of healthful eating (mainly eating whole, minimally processed, largely plant-based foods) to re-accustom the taste buds to more subtle flavors. That, however, should not be confused with a cleanse.
This sacroiliac exercise helps to relieve pain and just plain feels good.
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