Vitamix vs. juicer

[jilli]

I don't post much, but read the posts everyday to learn as I am new to raw.

My juicer just broke tonight as I was just getting ready to use it. :( I am so sad........ I was ready to order the Vitamix, which I thought was a juicer. Just before ordering I read that it doesn't extract the juice, but blends the produce to a creamy drink that includes fiber and all. That sounds great, but what I am wondering is if those of you who own a Vitamix don't see a need for a juice extractor. I like drinking "juice". What is the concensus?

Thanks!

[Revvell]

Only juice I drink by itself is oj and that, rarely. Usually I drink smoothies which is why my juicers have gone the way of the white clouds ~ except my citri-star.

Revvell

[Secret Heart]

It's funny that I saw this post, as I was just going to peruse or see if could find anyone's opinion on juicers versus vitamix! I'm seriously contemplating starting to juice/juice fast....I'm curious to know the comparison of the two machines....can you use a vitamix for the process just as easily as a bona fide juicer? Pros and cons of each?

Also, wouldn't juicing shoot up blood sugar if the fibre is extracted from the veggies/fruit? I have mild hypoglycemia and would worry that my blood sugar would spike with the juice.

Thanks!

Heather

[Revvell]

The Vita-Mix is a blender, not a juicer. IF you want to use the V-M as a juicer, then you'll have to take the time to strain the juicer to separate from the fiber.

This seems to be an on-going discussion here.

Revvell

[theresaann]

They definitely do different things. I love fresh juices AND I love smoothies-green smoothies especially. I need both. Victoria Boutenko says that you can "fast" on green smoothies because the fiber actually helps the body detox better than just juice fasting, which removes the fiber, but gives you concentrated nutrients-so I see a benefit to having both. If money is an issue, you could try buying a used juicer on ebay, or get a relatively cheap one, just know that the blades might wear down sooner, but you can still use it. I bought the Jack Lalane juicer, I think it was $100 or so, but it's REALLY good-I really like it.

[pdx kris]

I use both regularly, but if i had to pick one, i'd pick the juicer.

i do love the vitamix for making smoothies, but honestly the reason i juice so much is to get a lot of greens and despite the name "green" smoothie, a green smoothie is mostly fruit with a handful or two of greens.

if you juice more than make smoothies, get a juicer. if you don't juice that often, i'd say get a vitamix!

[firefaery]

I love my vita-mix! It isn't a juicer though. For sugar issues you just need to avoid fruit juices-you can drink all the veggie juice you want. Fiber is beneficial in regulating blood sugar. Not an issue with veggie juice.

[Shivananda]

Juicers are designed to separate liquids (juice) from solids (pulp).

Mixers are designed to blend liquids and solids together.

Confused? That's because the manufacturers each want you to think their machine does both.

None of them really do.

[*SunChild*]

I think being raw its soo important to have a blender AND a juicer...just for variety and different tastes. Especially if your a type that loves variety.

Sometimes you need somethin heavy, fibrerous (sp) and energizing...Or sometimes you'll feel like something light, refreshing and cleansing...
Or though, both can be that...it's just the way I describe it :D

A juicer has it's place ~ for harder veggies perhaps, or to make bases for cold soups, and to use a replacement for water in smoothies. A nice carrot and celery juice is good to mix with greens to make a veg smoothie. Or a cool drink on a warm day. Good for fasts and detox programs. Also good to get nutrients without too much digestion.

A smoothie is excellent to get more greens ~ and we need 'em! Try eating 200-300g of spinach in one go? You can if you got a blender! Smoothies require minimum digetion and makes the nutrients more assimilable in greens...good to have both!(inmho.)

[Shivananda]

Also, wouldn't juicing shoot up blood sugar if the fibre is extracted from the veggies/fruit?

Welll... Yes/No/Maybe

This is, in fact, the major criticism of juicing from some quarters... that juicing just gives you a sugar jolt and not much else. But that all depends on exactly WHAT you're juicing.

A juicer separates juice from pulp. So whatever the produce contains will be concentrated by the removal of pulp. Juicing a sweet fruit will produce a concentrated sweet juice. Juicing a leafy green will produce a concentrated green juice. Strip away all the hyperbole and that's what's left.

So if you are sensitive to sugar (as I am) then you should juice sweet fruit and sweet veggies like carrot with caution. But I find I can increase my intake of dark green leafy veggies tremendously by juicing them. So why not?

[Lady Green Jeans]

Shivananda,

I agree too much sugar from high-sugar veggies like carrots and beets are not the best choice. In my years of juicing it was recommended to me to use just enough of these sweet veggies to cut the edge off of the greens which were juiced in greater abundance proportionately. I disagree with you regarding your stating juicing is "concentrated" because fiber is removed--not any of the water/liquid is; therefore, it is technically not concentrated--it is simply juice.

Personally, I have recently chosen to consume green smoothies over juicing for both the nutrients and fiber. It is common knowledge that the SAD leaves a lot to be desired in sufficient dietary fiber, so every attempt at getting good balance is always a wise choice imho.

[Shivananda]

I disagree with you regarding your stating juicing is "concentrated" because fiber is removed--not any of the water/liquid is; therefore, it is technically not concentrated--it is simply juice.

What I was getting at... and which I didn't say as clearly as I might have... is that in separating the fibrous pulp (which is primarily cellulose) from fruits and veggies, and consuming only the remaining juice, you effectively concentrate the nutritional content of the food. In some ways this is the raw food analog to making cooked juices (like commercial production of Campbell's tomato juice, for instance), where the fibrous walls are broken down by heat, and then the excess water is cooked off and the excess fiber strained out.

In any case, I just could not/would not eat 2 pounds of carrots in a whole day, but I can easily consume the raw juice from 2 pounds of carrots in minutes. That's what I was talking about.

But that raises an issue that many have not considered... which is that some people may need to restrict their intake of certain juices, depending on their personal body chemistry. In other words, certain foods should be juiced only occasionally, or in smaller quantities, or only for short periods. In my own case, drinking the juice from 2# of carrots in a short time is possible, but definitely not a good idea, because that much sugar all at once overwhelms my system. (And I had a friend once who turned his skin orange from drinking excessive amounts of carrot juice over a long period of time. THAT was BIZARRE!)

Another veg I'm somewhat cautious of juicing much of is spinach. Although this point is debatable, many food scientists hold the view that the naturally occuring oxalates in spinach, when consumed in large quantities, contribute to the formation of kidney stones. (The WholeFoods web site has a pretty good summary of this debate at
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48 )

My point is, simply, that you do need to be informed and stay aware of what is in various juices, and how your own body reacts to them, and don't just assume that if some is good, more is better.