Juice vs Smoothies? What’s the difference, and is one better?

Juice or Smoothie? What’s the difference between the two, and which one is better for you? Here at Plenish HQ, we’re incredibly fond of juice, and we love smoothies for their health benefits too. Here’s the lowdown on the differences between the two and some of the benefits of each.

What’s the Difference Between a Juice and a Smoothie?

The differences between juices and smoothies are primarily in the preparation method – you can use a juicer to make juices at home and use a blender for smoothies. So should you blend, or should you juice?

The juicing process extracts the nutrients from the vegetables and fruits you use in your recipe. The method removes fibre, making juices of a thin, easy to digest consistency. When you use a juicer, you’ll notice that you leave the pulp of the fruit and vegetables behind. Plenish juices are made using nutrient-rich organic vegetables and fruits. They are mainly vegetable-based and are cold-pressed. The cold-pressing process uses pressure to help extract the maximum amount of juice from fruit and vegetables and release natural goodness. You can use a blender to make juice, but you need to strain all of the ingredients through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth after blending to remove the pulp.

If you are using a blender to make a smoothie – the whole fruit or vegetable is pulverised, and the vitamin-packed fibrous pulp goes into the smoothie too, which is a real benefit. Fibre is good for you, and research has shown that fibre can benefit your health in several ways. 

What should go in your Juice or Smoothie?

The ingredients you use in each juice or smoothie really matter. The whole food ingredients you use will ultimately deliver health benefits. Juices with primarily vegetable content will have way less sugar than fruit-based juices. It’s preferable to use predominantly vegetables with a small amount of fruit added for taste. 

Getting your 5 a Day from a Juice or a Smoothie

You might want to know if a smoothie or a juice is healthier. The truth is that drinking a juice or a smoothie or eating fresh produce can help you reach the 5 a day fruit and vegetable target recommended by the World Health Organisation back in 2003. Imperial College London analysed 95 studies on fruit and vegetable intake and suggested that actually 10 fruits or vegetables a day may be more beneficial and will significantly reduce the chance of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and early death. Despite this, manley people in the UK do not get enough fruit and vegetables from their diet alone. While eating whole foods may be better for you, the Health Survey for England discovered that only 28% of adults were eating the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Only 18% of children aged between 5 and 15 ate enough vegetables per day. 

The good news is that both juices and smoothies are beneficial because they offer a quick and convenient way to help us hit our 5 a day fruit and vegetable targets or more. Juices and smoothies can provide a concentrated amount of vitamins and nutrients, and smoothies contain lots of fibre. Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant compounds that may protect against disease. For people with health conditions that recommend low fibre diets, juicing is probably more appropriate. 

Ingredients like Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Beetroot, Chard, and Cucumber can be added to a juice or a smoothie to pack in nutrients. Here’s a list of our Top 10 Superfoods that can be added to a Juice or a Smoothie. Want to give juicing or smoothies a try? 

Take a look at 3 of our Favourite Smoothie Bowl Recipes or try one of our Plenish Juices. Have a smoothie or juice recipe that you’d love to share? Share your ideas with us on Instagram using #Plenish.