I recently received an email from a client wanting clarification: Is using a juicer better than using a blender to consume their veggies and fruits, or are they the same process to the food in their effects for the body?

I encourage people to look at food as a “spectrum” with refined/processed food on the left side, and raw and/or minimally processed food on the right side. The definition of refined/processed means that the food has been mechanically or chemically altered, removing the fiber, nutrients and/or water. This alteration makes it finer in texture as well as gives it a longer shelf life. We at The Ranch encourage people to select food as close to the raw, minimally processed side, as much as possible. Ideally we also want to make sure that those raw, minimally processed foods are coming from clean sources, with no chemical inputs, coming as close to the original identity of the plant as possible. Usually this means “Certified Organic” or better.

So based on this premise, blending will be less of a refining process to food because although the blending process mechanically mashes and pulverizes the food, at least all the components of that fruit or vegetable are still included. Understand that when we use a juicer, we are separating the food into two components: the liquid juice and the pulp. Both juicing and blending serve their purposes however, and it all depends on what one’s goals are.

Blending
– Closer to the effect of “chewing” whole fruits and vegetables.
– Because the breaking down of the cellulose/pulp/fiber is done mechanically, contents of the plant are more available than chewing alone.
– Uses the whole fruit/vegetable, so the fiber in the fruit slows the absorption of the sugar into the bloodstream.
– Better for fruits and nuts

Juicing
– Separates fibrous material (cellulose/fiber/pulp) from the juice.
– If getting nutrients (and sugars) quickly absorbed into the body are the goal, juicing will facilitate that.
– Better for vegetables, as it removes the majority of the cellulose/fiber that is the main challenge to absorption
– Use mainly for vegetables that are personally harder for you to digest

I think both juicing and blending are great ways to conveniently get healthy nutrients from plant based foods by drinking them.

In juicing, the fiber content is significantly reduced, which means that the absorption of the sugars into the bloodstream will be faster, but the absorption of other nutrients is faster as well. This is often why some nutrient based therapies for individuals who have been diagnosed with lifestyle related illnesses tend to focus on juicing, rather than blending. Often these ill individuals have been consuming plenty of calories (from refined, processed foods like oil, bread/pasta, etc), but not getting enough micronutrients that whole fruits and whole vegetables provide. When these vegetables are freshly juiced, the nutrients are in liquid form and the body does not have to expend energy (by chewing or by chemically breaking food down) to break down the structure (cellulose/fiber) to release these nutrients. These nutrients in liquid form are also more able to contact more surface area of the digestive tract, thereby boosting their absorption into the body!

As a guideline, I recommend that juicing be used more for the vegetables that are harder to eat and/or digest (some people have a hard time digesting lots of green, leafy vegetables like kale, collards, chard or spinach). This way they can gain the benefits of the nutrients these vegetables provide, without the discomfort associated with eating the whole vegetable. Fiber is one nutrient that most people do not get enough of, but if it prevents people from consuming any vegetables, better to get the vegetable’s fresh juice than no vegetables at all!

Personally, I prefer to blend as much as possible (using a Vita Mix) so that the whole vegetables and/or whole fruit (fiber and nutrients from the entire plant food–including the skin and seeds!!) can be consumed. In your smoothies, if the majority of your ingredients are fruit, use the whole fruit and use a blender.