The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › Smoothies vs Juicing
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I’m trying to sort through the mis-information between juicing and smoothing. Gabrielle has a “smoothie” book (for which I presume that you need a blender) but I’ve heard that “juicing” (for which you would need a juicer machine- cold press or other) is the healthier (?) alternative. Any thoughts about the two processes ? Hopefully the “good HOT” doctor will join in the thread but I’m wanting to hear from other yoginis & yogis as well.
Hi Paul
Yes, you’re right! I do have a book about Green Smoothies! It’s called Green Smoothie Magic!
Firstly, when I talk of juices and smoothies I really do make sure that I am talking about drinks that have a significant GREEN component in them. Otherwise they are sweet dessert-like drinks. However nice that is, it’s probably a sugar-overload… So for the sake of this post I am confining myself to green stuff plus other ingredients!
Briefly to answer your questions:
Juices:
Super nutrient rich
Use LOTS of vegetables and fruit to yield a smaller output (compared to smoothies)
Lots of waste that you can use in cooking or compost (output dependent!)
Removes the insoluble fibre
Can’t juice everything. Eg bananas are best in smoothies. Soft fleshy fruits are difficult through most juicers
Easy to drink
Feels very cleansing (subjective!)
Appears to be great when recovery is your aim (say from illness)
Excellent to complement your smoothie habit
Can add different powders and supplements to them and stir them through (particularly if they dissolve)
Takes a long time to make if you have a slow juicer (recommended and the nutrients are preserved longer, can drink them over hours+) but if you use a fast one, drink it straight away finish it within 20 minutes
Longer clean up timeSmoothies:
Also very nutrient rich
You can put ANYTHING in a smoothie, even if those things don’t dissolve. A good powerful blender will pulverise just about anything
Unlike juices you can pop in seeds, nuts, bananas, flesh and soft fruit and vegetables
Retains the fibre
Makes a thick very filling drink (can be as thin as you like with water or ice added)
Pulverizes whole foods (dependent on source can include pips, skin, maybe bits you wouldn’t eat normally that have nutrients)
Uses less ingredients to create a meal or snack
Takes a lot less long to make a good amount
Easy to make large amounts (EXCELLENT for a family: I could be at the juicer for 40 minutes for a couple of litres of juice for the family. I can make DIFFERENT smoothies for us in minutes)
Easy clean upI am sure I didn’t get everything
If you haven’t started then just try something! Juice or smoothie. Know that you will benefit from the best ingredients you can manage to put in them. That’s a no-brainer. Just do what you can.
Some people can tolerate one type better than the other. I can tolerate both. When I am very busy I have to make green smoothies. Quick. Easy. Easy clean up. I can say I am hungry and be having a smoothie in minutes. If I want to have a juice it needs more forward planning.
I love them both. I go through phases. Juices can tend to go WITH other foods. Smoothies tend to be drunk on their own. Again that’s going to be dependent on your preferences of how thick and time of intake.
Did that help? 😆
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Juicing is like fasting. It allows you to pump your body full of nutrition while still allowing your body to take a break from
digesting (because fiber is removed) and therefore allocate all its energy towards bodily housecleaning. Deep, hyper-house cleaning.
If you are don’t desire the deep, cellular level of detoxification that comes from juice cleansing, then most definitely–drink
lots of green smoothies. For many people coming off a very poor diet, drinking smoothies still has a certain level of a
cleansing effect and that’s why many programs with fiber/pulp are still named “cleanses.” They are. Just not nearly as deep
of ones as one experiences when on just juice.Thanks so much Wendy
I guess I would add to the ‘pot’ that each can be successfully incorporated into your eating habits.
What I think should be added to the ‘conversation’ that has been mind-read by us all is that we know what’s behind the question. In other words, what’s your outcome for considering juicing or smoothies or both?
Weight loss, general health maintenance, regaining of health, a ‘cleanse’. I think (and maybe you agree Wendy or hey, disagree 😉 ) that the reasons why may determine how you incorporate them.
Bottom line for me is either and or both are great ways of jamming in wonderful nutrients. Preferences, outcomes, lifestyle, habits, work schedule, family, budget, convenience and maybe more things all come into play as to what you choose.
So Paul do share! :cheese: Is it all as clear as mud now? What are your druthers?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I will typically have a smoothie right after my practice (spinach, blueberries, strawberries, apple, banana, ginger, hemp powder, agave syrup, almond milk and/or coconut water, himalayan salt.) I can whip it out fairly quickly. The juicing as noted is a much more involved process (especially the clean-up)and I’ll use more carrots, cucumbers etc.. I guess I read that both are good in their own right.
Agreed Paul!
That smoothie recipe sounds great, btw
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Me and my wife have been juicing for many years now and it’s usually always carrots, beets, celery, apple, ginger andother veg parts such as broccoli stalks. More recently we got a blender (magic bullet) so add this juice to it and add yogurt, peanut butter, almonds, grapes with seeds and flax seeds. Fruit we eat as is, banana, pear, orange and apple.
We make a batch of juice to last a couple of morning smoothies.
Sounds very nourishing and satisfying!
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