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
The benefits of juicing are much more plausible for the simple fact that I can “eat” in 1 glass :
4 carrots
5 stems of celery
Bunch of broccoli
Grapes
Strawberries
Kale
3 apples
Eating this the traditional way would be virtually impossible, but breaking it down into juice form makes it a very real and delicious possibility.
Thoughts?
Danny
I hear you, Danny. I happily eat the equivalent of your recipe throughout the day, if not more. To each his own. No rules, just my thoughts, brother.
You’re not actually eating all of that, much of it is wasted in the pulp as stated above.
Kap,
Do you have a list of veggies you just eat raw? Have you found them to be an acquired taste? I’m really picky but I know I need to eat them.
Yes, Matt. Acquired over time, for sure. I eat nearly every veggie raw and have trained myself to do that over the years. Now I love the flavors.
Not Kap…but my go-to’s are: carrots, broccoli, radishes, bell peppers. DW also goes for grape or cherry tomatoes. I hated veggies as a kid but grew into them over time (and still am!). I’ll admit that I’m a dipper, but try to stick to peanut butter (for carrots) or balsamic vinegar over ranch dressing (which is still an occasional indulgence).
Try the sauerkraut/tahini combo (I mention it a few lines below) for a great dip. It’ll tame any vegetable needing a compliment while adding to the nutrient count…
i can eat like a monster, except in the morning. But i find if I blend
1 banana
1 cup strawberries
1 cup oatmeal
2 scoops of whey protein
1 cup water
It gets the engines burning.
If i eat solid food, I can barely eat 2 boiled eggs when i first get up.
More than one way to skin a cat, Jason. Thanks.
Great post, Kap. Also, by removing the fiber in juicing, your body has much greater insulin fluctuations which is certainly detrimental.
Appreciate it, Aaron.
I know natural sugars are preferred over added sugars but there are many that claim sugar is sugar is sugar. If that is indeed the case, that your body can’t tell the difference between sugars, than I think that is another reason that smoothies would be preferable over juicing since you keep the fibers of the fruit or vegetable, which help blunt the effects of the sugar present. What do you think Kap, am I off base on this?
Here’s my take on this, Ben. Have a look. https://kaplifestyle.com/2014/02/eat-sugar-fruit
I own that juicer and it’s a good product, but completely agree with your premise. There are many flaws with the juicing process, the first of which is vegetable nutrient are supposed to be chewed and mixed with saliva to start the digestion process. Very little saliva is added or churned in while gulping.
I bought the juicer years ago as I began learning about better nutrition (while I was also mis-learning). I now use it primarily to process cabbage for sauerkraut. I juice it, add the pulp to a mason jar (or two), add the juice, churn the two with my juicer’s plunger, cap, then let sit for a week. No salt needed to draw out the juices and no weight needed to hold the pulp beneath the juice.
I mix sauerkraut with tahini. The two bitters seem to neutralize each other leaving a savory elixir which I slather on my kale/spinach greens.
Ed you are a dang wizard, thanks for this idea.
….been called many names in the past but don’t think wizard is one of them 🙂 🙂 . Thanks for the compliment.
I second Mark’s comment. Exceptional sauerkraut move. I’ll have to think that through. Always appreciated.
A coworker of mine did a demo on juicing. I came to the realization that it is more supplemental as opposed to replacement of a meal; the more natural alternative to a multivitamin.
That’s an interesting take, Bryan. I appreciate you.
Finally! A man after my own heart when it comes to eating whole fruits and veggies vs juicing.
I’ve been telling my fit friends this for years!
You tell em’ Kap!
Thanks, Brittany. Much appreciated.
I use an infomercial machine that ‘liquifies’ everything u put in so no waste. I disregard their wacky health claims about molecular breakdown leading to better absorption but it will turn baby spinach/kale, carrots, brocc, mango. Bberries, chia/flax, almond milk into a form close in texture, taste to a store bought smoothie. Happy medium Kap?
No rules, Matt. Sounds just right for you and I can flat out dig it.
Great read Kap! I’ve commented previously on my smoothie ritual but also agree that the raw whole veggies are the way to go. Always have organic berries, carrots and celery for snacks and the kids love ’em! Juice is great but it’s like having a party with no guests. What’s the point?
Always good stuff, Stan. Thanks.
To me there’s something to eating a veggie or fruit in its raw form without utensils. Just my hands. There’s something about holding a piece of food in your hands and tearing into it with your teeth and going to town on it, meat included.
Sounds dumb, I know.
Doesn’t sound dumb to me. We each have unique values.
Doesn’t sound strange to me either, John. I can totally relate to everything you just said.
Instead of juicing, use the blender and make it a veggie smoothie, then add some vodka.
Or just drink the vodka out of a bell pepper.
I’ve heard that fruit and veggies begin to break down, losing nutritional values as soon as they are removed from the plant. The longer produce is stored on the shelf the more it has lost. Highest nutritional values will be found at the farmer’s market or frozen food aisle, if not from your own garden. Juicing very nicely speeds up the process by hyper exposing oxygen to whatever you are processing.
Thoughts?
My reading has revealed the exact same conclusions…
I formerly was receiving my vege intake from blending them in a “vitamix” blender. I was able to hammer a multitude of veges at one time ( kale, spinach, carrot were my go-to’s) while killing the taste by adding some organic apple juice, a banana or a handful of frozen berries. Someone suggested to me that by blending the veges, I was changing the nutritional value. I did not quite understand this and have not gained clarity. Would be curious to hear your take.
Hey Gabe. I’ve been getting a large 24 oz juice, veggies and fruit only, from Jamba Juice over the last couple weeks. Really enjoy it, but concerned by the sugar content (56 g). Should I be, or not necessary to worry because the sugar is from fruit? Thanks — love your website