Why do you juice?

[lizzyrose]

I'm so excited. I finally got my juicer. but this morning I had this big dilemma... juice or GS?
Just wondering why those of you who juice... choose to juice over making smoothies?
Do you feel benefits of one over the other?

[Eva]

I don't exactly have a juicer now. I just have this juicer attachment on my blender that I don't think will work well.

I would do green smoothies each day for maintenance, then if I felt really "heavy" (bloated? and a general feeling, don't know how to describe it better) and needed an extra emotional and body cleansing, I would juice just for a day. And sometimes, I would throw some carrot juice into a fruit smoothie to make it feel lighter going down. I could really use some juice now actually!

[smoothiegirl]

I do both. I usually have a green smoothie in the morning and then I'll juice later. I like my juice chilled and it's soooo good. Tons of nutrients and enzymes.:) I'll also juice things I don't normally eat-beets, tomatoes, celery

[Coconutcutie]

Green smoothies feel too heavy for me and I have a lot of trouble digesting the fiber. I have turned to juicing to ensure that I am actually digesting and utilizing all of that green goodness...I also add beets, celery and cucumbers to the greens.....just goes down easier that way

[JennaBoBenna]

I've been doing green smoothies every day, but the other day I just wanted something lighter, so I made green juice. It just depends on how you're feeling :)

[annavon]

What I have read about juicing is that if you drink the juice on an empty stomach, say first thing in the morning, then the nutrients are absorbed more quickly by the body because it doesn't have to digest the fiber as well. This approach is often used by people who have some serious health issues. I sometimes do juice in the morning and GS later. I like GS better because it is easier than juicing.

[MiahTay]

In my perfect world I would juice first thing in the morning and drink that, then go for my walk, and later in the morning or early lunch start my GS and sip on that over the course of lunchtime (they're pretty big). I just love the amazing energy a glass of juice first thing in the morning gives me without feeling like I've got something sitting in my stomach.

Blessings,
Heather

[RawKnitster]

Both have their own benefits. I have a green smoothie with superfoods and fats when I need power to last for many hours. Green juice is a great pick-me-up to have on an empty stomach. I like to have it an hour or two before a meal, keeps me from nibbling while I fix the meal. I never do anything green in the morning...just doesn't agree with me.

Jay Kordich, The Juice Man, says: "Eat your fruits, juice your veges".

Have fun with it!

[lori ann]

Hello there,

I do both as well. I juice first thing in the morning. You are to do it on an empty stomach and wait about 30 min before eating anything else. Yes, like someone said-your digestive system does not have to break down the fiber and the nutrients go straight to your system. I also juice like beets that I would not normally eat (yek) A side note on juicing beets down not go crazy on adding a lot to your juice and then drink slowly. I have learned that the hard way because I drank it down fast and ended up vomiting, but if you drink it slow it is just fine.

As for green smoothies I try to drink one each day as well. If you ever have the chance read "Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko-wonderful book. It explains everything about green smoothies and their benefits. It is one of my favorite books in my collection. Also for me it is a way to get into my day the benefits of greens because they are full of nutrients and it is easier for me to drink them then eat them. Also I have read that you asborb more nutrients by blending your foods. So I hope this helps and good luck to you. Also there are many recipes for green smoothies on this board if needed.

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh man i love both. juice is good if you want something light. gs is good if you want something more filling.

[Ilse W.]

You use juice to GET healthy and smoothies to STAY healthy. You can heal your body from just about any disease by using the right juice combination, mainly vegetable juices. I first got into juicing after a recurring cancer scare. I own a Norwalk juicer, which is an amazing machine that grinds the vegetables first, and then squeezes every bit of juice out with a hydraulic press. The resulting juice is out of this world.
Cheers,
Ilse

[Aleesha Sattva]

i don't know about that... yes green smoothies will keep you healthy but they will also assist you to GET healthy.

my hubby could not get his numbers down (diabetes) no matter how hard he tried. i got him to add green smoothies to his diet and then do nothing but green smoothies for 20 days... his numbers have never been so low! he's thrilled as is our doctor.

he swears by green smoothies now.

(but yes... juice fasting/feasting brings great health faster than green smoothie feasting for sure... just as water fasting brings detox faster than juice)

[RawPaw]

Being an already skinny guy, I stopped juicing and doing smoothies just so that I would still feel full when eating.

[rawererin]

I just got a new juicer too! It's a Breville iKon, it's so cool, I love it.
I started juicing because I couldn't ignore all the info about how easily your body absorbs the nutrients when you drink green juices, plus after doing green smoothies for a long time I found they would make me full too soon, and I didn't think I was getting all the goodness out of them as I was before... oh and watermelon juice is just delicious, it was worth buying a juicer just for that!

[petaltothemetal]

I have a totally different reason for juicing... I juice to process whatever I have a whole lot of. Apples, carrots... sometimes it's what's exploding on the farm, sometimes it's what's on sale. You can save the juice in the refrigerator or freezer for later and the pulp in the freezer to make crackers with. I get very excited when I see a sale like three pineapples for $5! or 25 lbs of organic juice carrots for $12. Juicing lets me get great nutrition at a great bargain. I have read about people making pretzels and ice cream with their fancy juicers. I have two very cheap juicers, but my mom and I can sit down, slice up and process a huge amount of fruit and veggies in one day when she visits. And then you only have to clean the juicer once! :D It's great! And no canning!