Overview

The juice and smoothie industry has taken the United States by storm. According to market research, juice and smoothie bars bring in a total of $2 billion annually. But whether you’re forking over a healthy amount of cash in a trendy juice bar or making your fruity beverages at home, it’s important to understand the health benefits and implications of what you’re drinking.

Fruits and vegetables are good for you — no one would argue with that. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for AmericansTrusted Source suggest that we eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day. When consumed at these levels, fresh produce may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer, while also helping to manage your weight.

But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, Americans just aren’t getting enough of either. That’s part of the draw of juicing and blending: Both make it easier to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet.

What’s the difference between juicing and blending?

The difference between juicing and blending is what’s left out of the process.

With juicing, you’re essentially removing all fibrous materials, leaving only the liquid of the fruits and vegetables. With blending, you get it all — the pulp and fiber that bulks up the produce. This is where we begin to separate the benefits of the two options.

Juicing 101

• more concentrated amounts of vitamins and nutrients
• easier absorption of nutrients
• some juices contain more sugar than sodas
• lack of fiber, which is essential for healthy digestion, controlling blood sugar, and lowering risk of heart disease

Blending 101

• blended fruits and vegetables retain all their fiber for healthy digestion
• the fibrous parts of fruits and vegetables fill you up and also contain antioxidants

Nutrient concentration

When you juice your fruits and vegetables, you may get more concentrated, more easily-absorbed nutrients. This is because the bulk of the vitamins and minerals found within a fruit are typically in the juice — not the pulp and fibrous material that you’d also get in a smoothie. But that isn’t the whole story.