The true is smoothies and juices are both very good for you. However you will only enjoy the full benefits of each drink, if you understand the nutritional differences between one and the other.
Although both drinks use raw ingredients, like fruits and vegetables, and because of that are filled with healthy nutrients, their preparation method is distinct and that changes their nutritional value.
When you make a juice using a juicer, you eliminate the pulp, which contains all the fiber. The same does not happen when you prepare a smoothie using a blender. In this case the pulp is broken down into a thick liquid. Yet, if you drink the juice your body will absorb the vitamins and minerals in it much faster than if you were having a smoothie. This happens because your body will take longer to digest the fiber so the nutrients would be released slowly into your organism.
In the September 2014 article of the Australian “Women’s Weekly” magazine written by Fern Green called “Go green for health”, the author explains the difference of drinking juices and smoothies for your health, “If you put some fruit and Vegetables in your juicer, a great drink full of vitamins and minerals will pour out – one that you can drink in one go and will no doubt give you a energy boost because all the nutrients will enter your bloodstream in a matter of minutes. Juicing is the quickest way of getting healthy greens into your body. The pulp that is left in the juicer is where the fiber is. Fiber slows down the absorption of nutrients, which would then release slowly into your system. In the order hand, the author highlights the importance of consuming fiber: “Smoothies contain fiber from fruits and vegetables, which is important to help the body to eliminate waste because it cleans your digestive tract and colon.”
This way, indulging in smoothies and juices on a daily basis will ensure that we are getting the vitamins and minerals our body needs to function properly and stay healthy. Maybe having a juice when you need a fast energy or vitamins recovery, and drinking a smoothie when you need to eat something so you feel fuller for a longer period of time is the best solution to optimize the benefits of consuming these elixirs of health.
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