juices vs smoothies

[King Evil]

i'm thinking of replacing my breakfast and lunch with either a green juice or smoothie drink. i'm new to the 'green' lifestyle, and right now, i'm only looking to replace those two meals (and consume green drinks throughout the day). for dinner, i will continue to eat solid foods. i will need a drink that can be stored in the refrigerator during the day while i'm at work.

so, would juice be better for storing during the day? i'm sure there are pros and cons of both, but what are they? while i'm learning a lot as i search the archives, i haven't quit come across this issue in my searches. also, can you use a smoothie recipe for a juice drink and vice versa? any help/suggestions would be appreciated. thanks!

[lafsalot]

If you plan on storing them for any length of time, then smoothies are definitely the way to go. Wishing you much success on your raw journey ~ Cathy

[petaltothemetal]

With smoothies you get the fiber of the fruit or veggie, too. And you can incorporate seeds or milks if you want. So smoothies can easily be a full meal in liquid form. Also you can make smoothies with softer fruits that will make a real mess of your juicer, like pears, plums and watermelon.

That said, you can juice a lot of things you can't blend very well, and you can save the fiber/pulp to use in crackers and breads. A lot of people sneak food they don't like so much into a juice made of sweet fruits, like celery into carrot or apple juice. It's kind of fun to experiment with this.

I bought canning jars at a thrift store and plastic screw on lids at a discount store and take both smoothies and juices to work all the time. It's a very convenient way to keep myself both hydrated and nourished and no one ever says anything about how I shouldn't be eating at my desk in public.

[King Evil]

thanks for all the great advice. what is the recommended intake amount of juice/smoothie? i'm guessing too much can be a bad thing as there are calories in fruit and veggies, although i have no idea how many. is there a limit?

[petaltothemetal]

Juices are concentrated and have more calories and sugar in them generally than smoothies do. But you can always water them down some, and this is recommended especially with carrot juice.

Carrot/celery and celery/apple are very cleansing and full of vitamins and minerals if you use organics - or at least organic celery, since celery is one of the most contaminated crops. If you drink a juice made with more than 5 medium sized carrots, you are bound to feel a sugar rush.

A lot of people here make a big blender full of smoothie (36-48 ounces if you have a commercial blender) and split it up into two servings, one for breakfast and one for later. I do this, also. Some people water their smoothies down to save money and calories and some don't. Some add seeds or nut milks for protein and calories and some don't. It depends on where you are currently with your health and what you are trying to achieve.

I don't add seeds or milks and I add about a cup of water to my smoothies. I am, however, often hungry 2-3 hours later.

[King Evil]

i'm hoping to cleanse my body and gain back my energy, and maybe lose 15 lbs. i am type 2, so i have to be careful about my sugar intake. luckily, it's controlled with 2 pills a day. i would like to make a large batch and drink half for breakfast and half for lunch, but i'm also looking for something to drink throughout the day - instead of plain water.

it sounds like i should go the smoothie route, but will it still be a smoothie by lunchtime, if kept in the refrigerator? or will it do something weird like break down into a juice?

[King Evil]

i'm also wondering what the average cost of a 'blender full' of smoothie is? of course it can vary greatly due to what ingredients are used, and what are you live in. i'm just looking for a base figure.

[petaltothemetal]

It depends on what you put in the smoothie! I'm drinking a lot of pear smoothies right now because I've got a lot of pears. They are delicious, but the top 1/4" turns brown by lunchtime. I usually just drink it anyway. Some of the smoothies separate a little, with the water going to the bottom if I make them the night before and drink them for lunch the next day. But I just shake them up. That's why I bought the good plastic screw on lids.

It's better nutritionally to drink them soon, or at least within the first 12 hours according to many raw diet gurus.

[petaltothemetal]

A lot of people here make smoothies with spinach, bananas and one other piece of fruit to keep the costs down since you can buy a huge box of spinach for $5 and bananas are 29-69 cents a pound just about everywhere.

If you're worried about costs, I'd probably avoid mangos, papayas and pineapples for smoothie ingredients. Pineapples are a very high glycemic load fruit and bad for diabetics unless seriously diluted anyway. Save them for when you start feeling better and don't need the medication anymore. (It will happen!)

I'd RUN to the nearest farmers market NOW and talk to the vendors and ask if they would give you discounts to buy boxes of apples and pears.

[King Evil]

sounds like a lot of great advice. can't wait to get started. thanks!

[petaltothemetal]

Ok, I had to get out my calculator.

Smoothies I made this week:

1/2 pineapple at 2.99 per pineapple = 1.50
2 bananas - about 3/4 pound at .59/lb = .44
a nub of ginger (an ounce?) at 5.99/lb = .37
1 cup of water = 0.
so that was two meals for 2.31, although I ate a snack in between

If I didn't have pears from my own garden, this would be the cost of another smoothie:
1 1/2 lbs of pears @1.99/lb = 2.98
1 banana about .22
a nub of ginger .37
1/2 cup water free

= 3.57 for two big smoothies

About 1/4 of a big tub of spinach for 5.39/tub = 1.35
1 apple about 1/2 lb at .89/lb (farmers market) = .45
2 bananas about .44
1 cup water free

= 2.24 for two smoothies

2 mangos at 2.35 each 4.70
1/2 pineapple 1.50
1 banana .22
a nub of ginger .37
1 cup of water free

= 6.79 for two smoothies

I have plums from my garden, too, but here's an approximate cost of purchased:
1 lb plums 1.99
2 bananas .44
1 pear 1.00
1 cup water free
a nub of ginger .37

= 3.80 for two smoothies

Measurements and costs, of course, are approximate! If you add superfoods, nuts, seeds, etc the cost will go up a lot but it may keep you from eating a snack between meals, which is why a lot of people do it.

[King Evil]

wow, thanks a lot. do you substitute smoothies for meals? if so, what do you drink/eat in between?