Hey, green smoothie rawkstars! The 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge, starts Monday, April 1, 2013! Have you signed up yet?
Even if you receive our weekly newsletters (or were a part of our January challenge), you have to update your subscription preferences to join the April challenge. It’s the only way you”ll receive our weekly emails with the challenge recipes and shopping lists.
All you need to do is Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this email, and click the grey link that says update your subscription preferences. This will open a new window in your browser. Make sure there is a check mark next to Join the next 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge: April 1-30. Then click the green button that says Update Profile. Now you’re in like Flynn!
Now onto some green smoothie 101 education! One of the most popular questions we receive from our awesome community, is what’s the difference between juicing and blending? We love to blend, and we are 100% green smoothie advocates because it’s an easy and healthy lifestyle to maintain– especially with super busy schedules. But we also know green smoothies are not the only way to live an awesome, healthy life. So we asked one of our favorite holistic nutritionists (and registered dietician) to break it down for you.
Juicing vs Blending…
Written by contributor Angela Stanford, MBA, RD, RYT of Vital Nutrition & Wellness
As a nutritionist people are always asking me, “Angela, which is better, blending smoothies or juicing?” And I answer, “Well that depends on why you want to blend or juice and what you blend or juice.”
Both smoothies and raw, fresh juices are very easy and delicious ways to infuse your body with lots of healthy nutrients, and to ingest those 5 servings of veggies and 3 servings of fruits we’re recommended to eat daily.
Whether you choose to blend or juice, you are gifting your body improved health by using these nutrient packed drinks to get more health giving, healing veggies and fruits into your body. Regularly drinking smoothies or fresh, veggie-based juice will:
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
Cons:
Along with SimpleGreenSmoothies.com, I’m fond of a book called The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker. It is a great resource for to blending and juicing for both newbies and veterans. It offers dozens of recipes for raw, fresh juices, blended drinks and homemade frozen treats made from these nutritious beverages.
So now that you know the pros and cons of blending and juicing, you make the choice….or do you have to? Why not do both!
Angela offers nutrition counseling, teaches workshops combining yoga and mindful eating, and helps people start edible backyard and patio gardens. To learn more about Angela, visit Vital Nutrition & Wellness.
This is the juicer Joe Cross used in the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and it’s ideal for first-time juicers. It’s a centrifugal juicer with an extra-wide 3-inch feeder chute that accommodates large pieces of fruit or vegetables, eliminating the need for chopping vegetables. You can buy it on Amazon here: Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus 850-Watt Juice Extractor
This juicer is easy-to-use and clean, and perfect for leafy greens. The Omega 8006 model is a masticating juicer, known as a low speed juicer, which protects and maintains healthy enzymes, prevents oxidation, and even turns nuts into nut butters. Check out the 4.5 star reviews on Amazon here: Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer
The Blendtec is known for it’s sleek and sexy design. Very easy to clean, and it’s one touch “smoothie” button makes blending green smoothies super easy. If you want the blender Jadah uses, you can buy it with free shipping here: Blendtec. Save even more money with the Reconditioned Blendtec. Both type of blenders offer a 3-payment plan option.
The most affordable way to buy a high-speed blender with an awesome 5-8 year warranty is to buy the company refurbished blenders. Jen bought and uses the Reconditioned Vitamix. You can own it for $329 with free shipping. Buy it here: Reconditioned Vitamix.
Many people are happy with their Ninja Blenders. It’s a little tougher to blend kale to a smooth texture, but with a little pre-blend of just your leafy greens and water, it can be done. The newest Ninja blender now has a single serve blender option. Definitely a great starter blender that you can get on Amazon: Ninja BL660 Professional Blender with Single Serve
The single serve Nutri Bullet blender is great for a single person, or someone who needs a travel blender. My mother-in-law prefers this blender over the fancier blenders because of how easy it is to use. Just make sure when using a single serve blender, you adjust the recipes, since you won’t be able to fit a whole lot inside. Buy it on Amazon here: Nutri Bullet Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System
Peace, love and leafy greens,
Jen Jadah
P.S. If you’re debating between the Vitamix vs Blendtec, check out Jen’s side-by-side comparison by clicking the link here: BATTLE OF THE BLENDERS: BLENDTEC VS VITAMIX
Share in the comments below if you juice, blend, or both. Let us know what machine you use too…
The post Juicing vs Blending : What’s the difference? appeared first on Simple Green Smoothies.