Common Issues I See

Ninja. Breville. Omega. Vitamix. Cuisinart. Oster. NutriBullet. The coveted real estate on your counter deserves only the best appliances. Chances are, you own a blender or juicer; and, if not, then one of them is probably on your birthday wish list. A hot topic, and sometimes the cause of debate, is: Which is better? Juicing or blending? The main difference between the two is FIBER. Most Americans get 11g of fiber daily; and, only eat about 10-20 varieties of fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis. This is about 1/3 of the recommended intake. As a point of comparison, your ancestors typically consumed over 100+ grams of fiber from over 60 varieties of plants. No one can deny the incredible benefit of increasing your dietary intake of both soluble and insoluble fiber. And there are tons of dietary fiber – so many that they are not even all identified, but the benefits are clear: • Fiber feeds the microbes in our gut with prebiotics which in turn creates a healthy gut biome and boosts immune activity while staving off disease • Fiber lowers the risk of heart disease • Fiber lowers the risk of certain cancers • Fiber lessens cravings and enhances weight loss • Fiber promotes healthier elimination of waste products from your body • Fiber increases usually follows a diversified nutrient profile (e.g. if you are eating more fiber, you are likely eating more veggies, fruits, beans or legumes!) That said, eating the recommended 6-12 cups of veggies can be a challenge for even the most attentive clean eaters. That’s where blending comes into play. BLENDING: Blenders make smoothies, nut butters, nut milks, and soups with ease while keeping all the fibrous content of the ingredients intact. This way, you get 100% of a food’s content, while adding variety to how you consume your meals. And while it is true that chewing your food will enhance satiety, for some, blending becomes the easiest way to bolster the number of nutrient dense foods get consumed while increasing overall fiber intake. In contrast, juicers eliminate the fiber, but pack a different kind of nutritional punch. So yay. You can make a smoothie with frozen berries and get extra spinach or spirulina in there and not even taste it. But how frequently would you blend broccoli stems or zucchini? How about beets, carrots, celery or cucumber? JUICING: One obvious benefit to juicing is that you may expose yourself to an array of fruits or vegetable that may not have made your main plate – or at least not in as high a quantity. Juicing creates a high yield of nutrient-packed deliciousness in a way that doesn’t provide so much filling bulk as fibrous smoothies. In addition, juicing breaks down the cell walls of the vegetables, fruits, and herbs to make the nutrients within them highly bioavailable for your cells to ingest. That means you get a power-packed beverage that can aid in alkalizing and healing your body on a cellular level. Then, there are certain juice combinations used for therapeutic purposes – like celery juice for increasing hydrochloric acid levels to aid in digestion, or cabbage juices to help with digestive conditions like IBS. Have fruit fear? Don’t. No one has ever gotten diabetes or ended up a hospital's “I ate too many fruits and vegetables” wing. Don’t believe how powerful it can be? Watch the Super Juice Me documentary to see how powerful it can be. Personally, I both juice AND blend. My Ninja gets the most mileage for making daily smoothies and smoothie bowls in its single serving cup; but also has attachments that I frequently I use when I am blending larger quantities, making soups, or mixing vegan muffin ingredients. My Retro masticating juicer is no slouch either. It gets plenty of use for making celery juice and other green juices. For me, juicing is like a fast-track to boosted energy levels, reduced inflammation, improved digestion and more radiant, clear skin. Check out my recipes page for my favorite juice and smoothie recipes; and, check out my best picks for juicers and blenders if your counter has open real estate.