To smooth or to juice?
October 1, 2011 11:39 AM Subscribe
I just watched a documentary and some youtube videos on juicers, and I'm wondering if there is a significant advantage over using a juicer as opposed to making vegetable smoothies with fruit?
I have juicer fever and am trying to slow down. We have a Bosch mixer with a blender attachment that is powerful enough to blend whole wheat kernels into fresh pancakes. My goal is to eat a lot more vegetables. We are a family of six.
I have juicer fever and am trying to slow down. We have a Bosch mixer with a blender attachment that is powerful enough to blend whole wheat kernels into fresh pancakes. My goal is to eat a lot more vegetables. We are a family of six.
Response by poster: That is helpful. I was wondering if I could make smoothies but throw in some vegetables and get the same benefits as a juicer. It sounds like the answer is to get both. By blender is not quite at the level of a blendtec, but it will definitely pulverize apples, kale and limes.
posted by mecran01 at 12:12 PM on October 1, 2011
posted by mecran01 at 12:12 PM on October 1, 2011
Advantages would also be... if you're talking nutritionally--
some juicers are built around degrading the vitamins as little as possible when converting into juice. There are a few different types of juicers that offer this benefit.
Also, juicing will break down all the yums and make for assimilating and digesting the vitamins and minerals more easy.
posted by Cerulean at 12:15 PM on October 1, 2011
some juicers are built around degrading the vitamins as little as possible when converting into juice. There are a few different types of juicers that offer this benefit.
Also, juicing will break down all the yums and make for assimilating and digesting the vitamins and minerals more easy.
posted by Cerulean at 12:15 PM on October 1, 2011
Response by poster: So a masticating juicer will make a significant nutritional difference, probably? Or will it make it more likely for me to get veggies into my body?
posted by mecran01 at 12:23 PM on October 1, 2011
posted by mecran01 at 12:23 PM on October 1, 2011
Best answer: You really should read these specific comments about juicers which mostly pertain to fruit, but can also be applied to vegetable before you embark on this. Here, here, here, here.
There is no "easy" way out to being healthy. And as a human you can fairly easily adjust to cooking and eating "real food and vegetables" since we are so good at adapting.
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 12:28 PM on October 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
There is no "easy" way out to being healthy. And as a human you can fairly easily adjust to cooking and eating "real food and vegetables" since we are so good at adapting.
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 12:28 PM on October 1, 2011 [3 favorites]
It will boost the nutrition. Also, you'll be able to use wheatgrass with a masticating type.
Or will it make it more likely for me to get veggies into my body?
What do you mean?
There is no "easy" way out to being healthy. And as a human you can fairly easily adjust to cooking and eating "real food and vegetables" since we are so good at adapting.
What do you mean? Are you suggesting cooked food is at all on par with the health provided by raw?
posted by Cerulean at 12:35 PM on October 1, 2011
Or will it make it more likely for me to get veggies into my body?
What do you mean?
There is no "easy" way out to being healthy. And as a human you can fairly easily adjust to cooking and eating "real food and vegetables" since we are so good at adapting.
What do you mean? Are you suggesting cooked food is at all on par with the health provided by raw?
posted by Cerulean at 12:35 PM on October 1, 2011
Well, part of the point of "juicing" is that your body has to expend the bare minimum amount of energy to digest your juice, so keeping all the fiber and stuff in there defeats that purpose. They're just different things.
posted by cmoj at 12:47 PM on October 1, 2011
posted by cmoj at 12:47 PM on October 1, 2011
Response by poster: Or will it make it more likely for me to get veggies into my body?
What do you mean?
Let's say a pound of spinach, run through a juicer and combined with something tasty will produce X amount of micronutrients. Now raise your hand if you've eaten a pound of spinach at one sitting. Similarly, I may only be able to throw 1/5 lb. of spinach into a smoothy before it loses all palatibility. The [insert vegetables here] juice might concentrate those micronutrients and I would be more likely to drink a glass of vegetable/fruit juice.
Also, as I understand it, some fiber is transferred to the juice in the process. I don't want to discount the importance of glycemic load, but am hoping that increasing the ratio of vegetables to fruit juices would help.
I am hoping that this initial resetting of my taste buds will be a precursor to a largely-vegetarian diet.
Another point: a decent masticating juicer costs $400, so I am wondering if I can move in the same direction just using my blender.
posted by mecran01 at 3:24 PM on October 1, 2011
What do you mean?
Let's say a pound of spinach, run through a juicer and combined with something tasty will produce X amount of micronutrients. Now raise your hand if you've eaten a pound of spinach at one sitting. Similarly, I may only be able to throw 1/5 lb. of spinach into a smoothy before it loses all palatibility. The [insert vegetables here] juice might concentrate those micronutrients and I would be more likely to drink a glass of vegetable/fruit juice.
Also, as I understand it, some fiber is transferred to the juice in the process. I don't want to discount the importance of glycemic load, but am hoping that increasing the ratio of vegetables to fruit juices would help.
I am hoping that this initial resetting of my taste buds will be a precursor to a largely-vegetarian diet.
Another point: a decent masticating juicer costs $400, so I am wondering if I can move in the same direction just using my blender.
posted by mecran01 at 3:24 PM on October 1, 2011
Getting veggies into your body is easy. Besides eating some greens with your dinner, drink green smoothies. I've been mixing kale, collard greens, spinach, apples/pears, water, and orange juice into a delicious green drink every day. It tastes pretty good (more fruity than vegetable-y), and I get the health benefits of consuming a lot of greens without having to eat them in their non-blended form.
I bought a Blendtec blender, and the thing is amazing. Every time I use it, I am astonished at its power.
posted by santaliqueur at 3:25 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
I bought a Blendtec blender, and the thing is amazing. Every time I use it, I am astonished at its power.
posted by santaliqueur at 3:25 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Let's say a pound of spinach, run through a juicer and combined with something tasty will produce X amount of micronutrients.
X amount minus about 90% of the super healthy, anti-carcinogenic fibre. Apple, carrots and many other juices have as much or more sugar in them than soft drink. They are sugar water and your body is gonna rip through that like piranahas through bucket of chum, and they are much, much more calorie-rich than whole foods. If you're trying to lose weight, in addition to being more healthy, juices are not your friends.
So, in this respect at least, blending is healthier. But, truly, you don't need to go juice crazy to get a wide selection of your vitamin RDI's. Just eat some fruit and vegetables in every meal.
posted by smoke at 4:40 PM on October 1, 2011
X amount minus about 90% of the super healthy, anti-carcinogenic fibre. Apple, carrots and many other juices have as much or more sugar in them than soft drink. They are sugar water and your body is gonna rip through that like piranahas through bucket of chum, and they are much, much more calorie-rich than whole foods. If you're trying to lose weight, in addition to being more healthy, juices are not your friends.
So, in this respect at least, blending is healthier. But, truly, you don't need to go juice crazy to get a wide selection of your vitamin RDI's. Just eat some fruit and vegetables in every meal.
posted by smoke at 4:40 PM on October 1, 2011
I get a bit frustrated by food questions on here because of the lack of basic knowledge. Food along with exercise is one of the major ways we shape our health. We eat 3+ times a day, everyday of our lives, just think about that. Humans are pretty similar to animals, yet most of us eat processed foods that are completely unnatural.
Anyway, I strongly suggest you spend just a bit of time getting educated on food and exercise, as well as following some basic guidelines.
Food Education:
*Sugar the Bitter Truth (or via youtube)
*Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes (or his previous book Good Calories Bad Calories)
*Take a Food Nutrition course from a registered dietitian at a local community college. Bonus points since you can ask them specific questions in office hours. Plus if its a good instructor they will make you do a ~3 day food diary and input the data into a program to track all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Guidelines:
*Get rid of all sugared liquids - drink only water and ~1% milk
*Eat your carbohydrates with fiber (ie: eat real fruit and vegetables and 100% whole grains, and not processed foods)....make sure the package on breads and rice has the legally required phrase "100% whole grain"
*Wait 20 minutes for second portions
*Buy your screen time (computer, tv, etc.) minute for minute with physical activity (ie: exercise more)
*Eat colorful fruits and vegetables to get a variety of phytonutrients and the like.
*If you want a "diet" to follow look into the DASH diet as mentioned by this NPR article and positively mentioned by my food nutrition teacher.
*If you are having trouble forming habits look at my previous comment.
Thus, I leave it to you to determine the answer to your question.
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 6:29 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Anyway, I strongly suggest you spend just a bit of time getting educated on food and exercise, as well as following some basic guidelines.
Food Education:
*Sugar the Bitter Truth (or via youtube)
*Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes (or his previous book Good Calories Bad Calories)
*Take a Food Nutrition course from a registered dietitian at a local community college. Bonus points since you can ask them specific questions in office hours. Plus if its a good instructor they will make you do a ~3 day food diary and input the data into a program to track all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Guidelines:
*Get rid of all sugared liquids - drink only water and ~1% milk
*Eat your carbohydrates with fiber (ie: eat real fruit and vegetables and 100% whole grains, and not processed foods)....make sure the package on breads and rice has the legally required phrase "100% whole grain"
*Wait 20 minutes for second portions
*Buy your screen time (computer, tv, etc.) minute for minute with physical activity (ie: exercise more)
*Eat colorful fruits and vegetables to get a variety of phytonutrients and the like.
*If you want a "diet" to follow look into the DASH diet as mentioned by this NPR article and positively mentioned by my food nutrition teacher.
*If you are having trouble forming habits look at my previous comment.
Thus, I leave it to you to determine the answer to your question.
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 6:29 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
There are pretty easy tasty recipes that incorporate dark leafy greens (chalk full of protein, iron, and nutrients)....Perhaps
Kale and Potato Soup
Saag Paneer
Daal with Spinach
Sarson ka Saag – Punjabi Mustard Greens
Sauted greens with garlic and lemon juice, etc.
There are good healthy cookbooks such as:
The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking
The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health
Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 6:47 PM on October 1, 2011
Kale and Potato Soup
Saag Paneer
Daal with Spinach
Sarson ka Saag – Punjabi Mustard Greens
Sauted greens with garlic and lemon juice, etc.
There are good healthy cookbooks such as:
The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking
The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health
Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
posted by Mr. Papagiorgio at 6:47 PM on October 1, 2011
Just thought I would mention that if you're looking for a juicer, you can often find lightly used ones on Craigslist for much less than retail.
As other folks have said, a blender and a juicer are different, in that a blender blends things together, whereas a juicer separates the juice from the pulp, so you are only getting part of it.
posted by Slinga at 9:05 PM on October 1, 2011
As other folks have said, a blender and a juicer are different, in that a blender blends things together, whereas a juicer separates the juice from the pulp, so you are only getting part of it.
posted by Slinga at 9:05 PM on October 1, 2011
Response by poster: @Mr. Papagiorgio--thanks, I am a disciple of Taubes and have both of his books.
I would like to reiterate that I am primarily interested in vegetable-based juices with just enough fruit juice to make them palatable. Also, I do not plan on conducting a juice fast.
In general, it would seem that nutritional views are more fiercely held than political opinions, and just as contradictory.
posted by mecran01 at 9:26 PM on October 1, 2011
I would like to reiterate that I am primarily interested in vegetable-based juices with just enough fruit juice to make them palatable. Also, I do not plan on conducting a juice fast.
In general, it would seem that nutritional views are more fiercely held than political opinions, and just as contradictory.
posted by mecran01 at 9:26 PM on October 1, 2011
If you're using a juicer and you find you're not getting enough fibre, just blend some of the juicer pulp back into the liquid.
posted by flabdablet at 9:24 AM on October 2, 2011
posted by flabdablet at 9:24 AM on October 2, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
if you want to make carrot juice, you need a juicer.
If you want to make a frozen berry smoothie, you need a blender.
If you want to make a vegetable smoothie, you need at least a blender and possibly a juicer as well, for instance, if you wanted a drink with beet juice (juicer), mango (blender), and spinach (blender or juicer, depending on model).
If you have a kickass blender (for instance a Blendtec, which is what I have and recommend), you can blend things you wouldn't normally think would blend -- for instance apple, kale, and whole key limes, including the skin.
However, you can't make carrot juice with a blender, no matter how powerful it is. A blender will liquify the carrot but it does not separate the pulp from the juice (which is what a juicer does), so you end up with an orange sludge that cannot be drank without combining with water and even if you do combine it with water, it tastes like shit.
posted by dobbs at 12:04 PM on October 1, 2011 [1 favorite]