I have been getting these two questions quite often lately: What is the difference between a smoothie and a juice*? Which one is better for you?

So I decided to dedicate a post to reply to those questions and get you to love both – smoothies and juices, because they are both really good for you!

There are a few main differences between a juice and a smoothie:

1. Different machines. You need a blender to make a smoothie. You would add some water or almond milk for example to blend your whole fruits and vegetables – you need that extra liquid to create a smooth consistency, and voilà – you have your blended smoothie. On the other hand if you want to make a juice, you will need a juicer. There are plenty of different juicers out there, but all of them do one thing – they have a liquid extractor that separates the juice and pulp into different containers, so you end up having only the liquid from the fruits and veggies you put in.

2. Fiber. The fiber from the whole fruits and vegetables that you put in the blender remains in the smoothie. Fiber is important to improve digestive health, and increase the filling of fullness but the body needs to spend energy digesting when fiber is present. Juices on the other hand contain no fiber but are denser in nutrition property than smoothies per ml as they require more fruits and vegetables. Think about this: if you put 1 apple, 1 banana, and a handful of spinach in your blender together with 300ml water, you will get about 400ml of smoothie. If you put the same amount of apple, banana and spinach in your juicer, you might get just about 100ml, so you will have to put more veggies and fruit to get the same quantity of juice as for your smoothie. 😉 The nutrients in the juice are also readily available to the body, as it does not have to work hard to digest (no fiber).

3. Health benefits: Both smoothies and juices have a lot of health benefits as they allow you to consume a higher quantities of fresh fruits and veggies. Smoothies are basically blended whole food. They can help you improve digestion and elimination, as they are high in fiber. They can also help with weight-loss as they can act as an nutrition-rich meal replacement. Because juices are so dense in nutrition, they can help you build a strong immune system and give you energy and vitality. They are a great addition to make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals. Fresh juices have cleansing and detoxifying properties as well.

I personally love both and drink them regularly. I have a smoothie in the morning as it is a great way for me to start my day, and it is really filling. The great thing about smoothies is that you can put anything in it, so I take the opportunity to add some seeds or nuts whenever I need an additional calorie boost. Juices are my go-to drink  pretty much any time during the day. I love their refreshing flavour and the energy they provide me with.

Which one do you prefer? Smoothies or juices?

*I only refer to freshly pressed juices and blended smoothies