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green smoothies v green juice debate

i'm newish to raw ('transitioning' for about 2 months . . . eating a mixture of raw and cooked still) but have been geekishly doing loads of reading and research.

i think i understand the whole juicing theory--pure nutrients, so drinking them on an empty stomach means your digestive system gets a bit of a rest--and the smoothie theory--we need fibre to flush out the colon and keep everything moving. both make perfect sense to me. everyone seems to strongly advocate one or the other, but nothing that i've come across yet really discusses which is better or how to combine the two into a raw lifestyle most effectively.

i LOVE greens. I love them more than i could possibly chew, so the idea of turning a whole load of greens into a juice or a smoothie is brilliant to me. i love green juice (don't even mind the 'green taste'!) and smoothies. but i want to do it right. should i have juice or smoothies or both as part of a regular diet? what about during a cleanse? should it be a juice fast? a smoothie fast? can i combine the two during a fast? if so, what's the smartest, most efficient way?

i'm after all the information i can get, so please be controversial if you need to be to get your 2 cents in! thanks!

Comments

  • just to add one more question--is green smoothie fasting really fasting? is their any point or should fasting be a juice/water only thing?

  • I think it depends on your goals, whether you should juice or smooth :). Both are great for the body, but juicing concentrates more on easier digestion and packing in more nutrients, and smoothies are excellent for fiber and not losing nutrients. It just depends on your goals. I personally don't feel a need to juice regularly, but I mainly do it when the seasons change to prevent colds/flu; and when I want juice instead of water; organic juice especially for my little one (she loves carrot-orange juice...My favorite!). My lunch is sometimes a green juice with fruit or salad. I think of juices as nutrient packers and smoothies as regulators.

    What are you goals?

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    technically, if you are consuming anything but water it is a diet. juice diet, smoothie diet. not juice fast smoothie fast. that's a technicality.

    is there something else in your diet that is very acidic? perhaps you are craving so many greens to balance any acidity in your diet. perhaps there is something you need to remove. normally when i eat a lot of greens i end up not wanting as many for a day or 2.

    i think in most instances juices are not as optimal, because the fiber is removed. the fiber exists for a reason, to balance the intake of minerals over the time it takes to be digested. but i can see a point in juicing if one is attracted to it.

    yumyum greens

  • hannahmariehannahmarie Raw Newbie

    i think smoothies are better. how could you argue with whole foods?

    i'm not convinced that all of the nutrients are still in the juice, plus the fiber helps regulate blood sugar.

  • Personally, I opt for smoothies. To me, it is all in there for a reason and I don't see why anything should be left behind! Just my opinion though. :)

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    I am huge fans of both, but for me its the smoothies.

    I was on a huge juicing kick for a while, and now it seems i have switched over.

    This being said both are really beneficial to your health and are packed with nutrients.

     

  • I am also a huge fan of both, I have done week long juice fast's and they have been great I felt great and lost weight. These days I have a smoothie in the morning and a juice lunch time and another in the evening before my meal. I find it much easier to get more greens into me when I juice. I like to have a smoothie in the morning to keep me fuller until lunchtime juice.

    Do whatever suits you the best I don't think there are any hard and fast rules that you need to follow.

    Blissings

    K x

  • do any of you find that when you make green smoothies, the pulp floats up to the top of the glass? i end up with 3/4 of my smoothie being a really gritty, chewy mess, and then a liquidy almost-juice at the bottom. to be fair, i cram my blender full of greens without actually measuring or following a recipe, but i find i can freestyle my juicing without creating a disgusting mess. my smoothies, however, often demand some willpower to finish!

  • I am not sure what kind of blender you are using but when I make mine with my Vitamix the texture is always amazingly delicious! :)

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    i'm a smoothie addict!!! i waste too much of the fruit when i juice so i rarely do it. i can't afford it and i like making meals out of my smoothies. juice does not satiate me.

  • ktkt Raw Newbie

    i had the same ? when i commenced my (partly) raw diet so i experiemented. i tried juice a few mornings and then smoothies another few mornings and attempted to gauge how my body felt throughout the day. i tried to keep everything equal and juiced/blended the same vegs/fruit. my body told me juicing was better even thou smoothies made more sense to me. so now i juice lots more than i blend.

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    I love both and have a hard time trying to decide which I feel best from.

    Although I feel physically fuller after a green smoothie, they don't actually keep my hunger at bay any longer than a juice does. In fact, it's only since I started juicing that I seem to be able to go longer without eating.

    After buying my juicer a couple of months ago, I really got into them so barely made smoothies but I did miss them and have recently switched back. I think both are great and have different benefits so reckon I'll alternate between them depending on what I fancy at the time.

  • Hey, bluegreenherbivore- you very eloquently described my average smoothie to a T !!!!!! I chalk it up to the fact that my blender, while nice enough for me and my budget, is not a vitamix or one of the fancier really high powered brands. Since I haven't been able to afford a juicer, I endure these and like the flavor, but the texture is deadly!!

  • juicefastfanjuicefastfan Raw Newbie

    It really does depend on what you're using each one for. I juice solely for the health benefit...not too replace a meal, or for the fiber, just the added nutrition I can get from a single glass of juice. Green smoothies are very much a meal for me, more often that not, they do leave me full and satisfied. I juice 2-3 times a day, and I drink at least one if not two green smoothies in a day.

  • I've been having green smoothie between breakfast and dinner (as an extended lunch), and it's been fantastic for my energy levels. I've been able to concentrate and focus at work, get stuff done on the weekends at home (instead of crashing out the minute my baby goes to sleep), and I don't get hungry. Also, it's delicious and refreshing. I never would have thought I'd get into this, but I love it.

  • I have been a smoothie girl for the past 2 yrs, but I had an issue. I have incredibly dry, scaly skin ( really bad ). I tried all kinds of essential fatty acids, green smoothies, 100% raw, no nuts, candida cleanses, liver cleanses, coconut oil, colon cleanses and though these all helped they didn't resolve this issue. As soon as I started having 1 quart of green juice a day my skin was as smooth as a baby's bottom within 3 days and has been ever since. I still love and believe in smoothies and ususually have one in the am before going to work because it holds my hunger off, but I make sure to always have my green juice daily. I noticed that my fingernails are much stronger and that I don't really lose any hair in the shower drain anymore ( neither was a big issue ). My boss stated that I'm looker younger ( and he's a man :) ). Just my experiences. Many blessings on your green journey!

  • rawlizardrawlizard Raw Newbie

    Spirit, I am curious to know what type of green juice you drink, and what type of juicer you have. Mine is not good for greens at all, so I prefer to smooth...

  • luxdivonluxdivon Raw Newbie

    yes, spirit tell all! I am also interested. I have some patches on my skin that just won't go away either, and i'd be interested what you did. Did you have any fruit with your green juice? Or can you add sweet vegetables at least? I still have a juicer, and although it's a big pain, i'll try anything once :)

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