Juicer vs. Blender

[newfie]

Hi,

I am new to this site, and am looking for a few answers. I have done some research over the last few days regarding fasting, and am wondering about the benefits of juicing fruits/veggies vs using a blender. My main concern is that I am a student, and have no money to buy a juicer, and buying a used one is not an option in an area as small as the one I live in. I currently own 2 blenders, and am hoping I could reap some of the benefits of a 'juice fast' by blending instead.

Here is the major point that I have taken away:

When using a blender, the fiber is also in the beverage, and helps in slowing down the bodies absorption of sugars, keeping levels low. However, when juicing, your body does not use as much energy to absorb the minerals/vitamins, and therefore can use the bodies energy to 'clean house'.

So, my question is does anyone find a huge difference in the two? Would blending be an alright fast for a 'beginner', working towards a water fast?

Thanks in advance for any info!!

[lynch]

well i think if you can afford buying juicer and you are not satisfy with the blender the best thing to do is after blending the fruits stir it.....that will solve your concern.... good luck!:)

[Revvell]

I think what Lynch meant was, if you don't want the pulp, after you blend it, strain it.

[newfie]

Thanks! How would I go about straining?

[Frugal Raw]

You can use a hand held metal strainer or a cheesecloth bag like is used for nut mylks.

[bonnie88]

I love using my juicer!
I was told that if I buy a blender, I should buy a vitamix. I'm saving up for one, but I bought a juicer for now.
There are so many yummy juice recipes and I just save the pulp for dehydrated cookies or crackers I found some recipes for. I just use my oven on low right now to dehydrate....have to save up for a dehydrater too...
There are certain foods that I don't enjoy blended but I love the juice!

[Aleesha Sattva]

yup strain your blended drink to make it into juice. that way you get the benefits of your organs and digestion resting and your body doing more healing.

but a green smoothie fast is a good thing as well. it's all about what you want to do - after all... it's your body.

[Dirkg]

I hate the fact that there is no clear 'best juicer'. At least with blenders its clear Blendtec / Vitamix are the best. But with juicers there's no such thing, everyone promotes their own brand or type. I would not worry about a juicer, a blender is good enough for the reasons you gave.

[MysticTree]

I hate the fact that there is no clear 'best juicer'. At least with blenders its clear Blendtec / Vitamix are the best. But with juicers there's no such thing, everyone promotes their own brand or type. I would not worry about a juicer, a blender is good enough for the reasons you gave.

Hate is a very strong word. It's just juicing; reserve hate for something worthy of hate (there are very few things worthy of hate). Use hate sparingly and have better health from doing so :)

[Living Food]

I don't think anything is worthy of hate. Are you thinking of anything in particular?

[MysticTree]

I certainly try not to hate anything but there are people who have raped children I know and that is difficult to evaluate. I deserve the right to hate those specific few; if only briefly.

[Living Food]

I'm certainly not going to tell you to not hate them (that would probably be pointless), but keep in mind that hating people hurts you more then it hurts them. A lot more.

[MysticTree]

I do realise that but if you feel a particular way then you can only work from that point. I don't hate these people anymore. It took me a long time to work through my feelings. My point is that hate is this immensely destructive emotion that certainly isn't to be used on something as trivial as a juicer having no outstanding model.

[Living Food]

My point is that hate is this immensely destructive emotion that certainly isn't to be used on something as trivial as a juicer having no outstanding model.

I agree with you there.

Besides, sometimes you just have to work for things in life - where's the fun if you don't have to put a little effort in every now and then? There's plenty of good juicers out there, it shouldn't be that hard to find one. Sure, there's also plenty of bad ones - but that's true of just about everything; you've got good choices and bad ones, and sometimes you need to do a little research and get informed to make the right decision. It's just a part of life.

[MysticTree]

And sometimes what you learn from a bad choice makes that bad choice not such a bad choice!

[walnutty]

I have gotten addicted to making juice in my blender! So much so that I put my juicer away (cheap thing that it is anyways). I just throw everything in the blender, liquify and pour through a fine mesh nut milk bag!

[Kirstie Jean]

Blending helps to cut and chop vegetables or fruits and doesn’t separate fibre. However a juicer would separate fibre from the fruits or vegetables and produces healthy juice. So I would prefer using juicer.

[Galaxy]

I used to have the same dilemma, my personal opinion is that both have something amazing to offer. Obviously if you cannot afford to buy a juicer it's totally ok and you might actually want to go for a mixer since your budget is limited and a mixer can serve different tasks (smoothies, butters, milks etc) so in a practical point of view mixer is the way to go if you're stuck. However ''juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years'' quoting dr mercola, and that has tremendous benefits. Sure fiber is important, but giving your stomach a break and letting it focus on healing is also great. That's why comparing juicers and mixers doesn't make much sense, each one of them targets something different. Hope I've helped :)