Juicing vs. Blending

Many people are put off to the idea of juicing for several reasons - too expensive, big change in diet, don't like vegetables, and so on. As a result, these people decide to stick with their blenders because they are a cheap alternative to get plenty of functionality. Let's look to see a few differences and decide for ourselves.

Juicing is a great way to quickly integrate a raw food diet.  By juicing your produce, you get most of the nutrients without having to go through the trouble of preparing them properly or chewing them. Also, by avoiding cooking, you will preserve the most nutritional value. Your body absorbs those nutrients very easily because the juice is already extraced from the pulp for you. Juicing is quick and easy, as you can make a fresh glass of juice in less than a minute with very little effort.

However, a high end juicer will be expensive. And even though you are getting a lot of nutrients, you will still miss out on fiber and nutrients still left in the pulp (though you can definitely eat the pulp afterwards).

Advantages:
- Easy to consume
- Easy to make
- VERY quick to make and consume
- Absorb a lot more nutrients into your body faster

Disadvantages:
- Expensive
- Miss out on fiber

A blender is not as narrow minded. You can make milkshakes, smoothies, soups, salsas, pasta sauces, salad dressings, baby food and more. They're not expensive at all - you can get a decent one for as little as $20. You can puree your produce as opposed to juicing, and in doing this, you get all the nutrients, including the fiber.

Blending can be problematic when blending produce that is tougher or has little juice to extract. At best, you will have to add a liquid of some sort (water is the norm) to actually blend it, which will dilute a lot of juicer recipes, which will result in a pulpy puree that might not be enjoyable. Some produce, such as spinach, won't blend well - instead of mixing into the drink, you end up with shredded bits all in your drink. The rigorous action of blending also traps more air and promotes oxidation, killing off some of nutrients in the juice.

Advantages:
- Very affordable
- Versatility
- Get ALL the nutrients

Disadvantages:
- Nowhere near as easy as a glass of juice to consume
- Not good with tougher produce
- Promotes more oxidation

Overall, while blending is perfect for menial, everyday diets, juicing will really take it to the next level. Learn more about juicing at easyjuicerrecipes.com!