There is a reason children around the world are told “eat your veggies” instead of “drink them.”

I’m frequently asked about juicing, cleanses and liquid diets. My reply is generally the same:

“I’m thrilled that you want to eat more fruits and veggies. I’m also pleased that you’re making an attempt to become more nutritionally efficient. But why not just eat the damn carrot and greens and skip the juicer?”

In doling out this advice, I’m well aware of the inevitable arguments.

Here’s a predictable one that I refuse to listen to: juicing is more convenient than eating all those veggies. Sorry, it’s impossible to claim that throwing veggies in a juicer, pouring the contents into a cup, drinking it down, then cleaning the cup and juicer is more efficient than grabbing and eating the same product.

Quite simply, I think that eating the vegetables in their original form is more nutritionally advantageous than juicing. You could make the case that I’m off base; I’ll still fight the good fight. Turns out, I have plenty of company in my thought process. From whfoods.com:

You’ll get a far greater variety of nutrients in the whole greens than in the juice.

That’s because juicers usually separate the juice from the solids in the leaves, stems, or stalks (which some people call the pulp), all of which are then discarded. Unfortunately, these portions of the greens often contain a majority of the total nutrients, including fiber and many phytonutrients including certain carotenoids and flavonoids.

Don’t like the taste of the vegetables alone? Need some fruit to wash it down? I grab a handful of arugula (or, as our British and French friends call it, “rocket greens”) and blueberries and stuff them both in my mouth. Boom. Juice. Every combo works with your personal, portable juicer.

If you want all that fiber and you don’t want to eat the veggies, go for smoothies instead. From SFGate:

You’ll retain the fiber in fruits and vegetables when you make a smoothie, and you can add more beneficial fiber and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids by tossing in a few tablespoons of flaxseed or chia seeds. The fiber and protein in a smoothie add up to a satisfying meal or snack.

Let me hit your next argument before you blow me up on twitter. Juicing allows for better absorption of the nutrients, right? From the same article:

…no scientific evidence exists to confirm whether this is healthier than eating fresh fruit, says the Mayo Clinic.

The clinching reason to eat your veggies may be financial. I know I’d rather buy 130 bunches of organic carrots (2 bucks a bunch) for the same price as this monster, Amazon’s “best seller.”

Think you can convince me to make veggie juice in a fancy machine instead of the one evolution presented me with?

Fire away.

Kap