While food trends come and go with the seasons, some have true lasting power. Juicing is one, and making smoothies is another, and we’re often asked, “is it better to juice or to blend?”
The decision can be tough, and there are strong advocates for and against both. Smoothies and juices are typically packed with healthy foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, but when it comes to maximizing nutritional intake and taste, there’s a clear winner: smoothies!
A quick search through our Recipe center will show you that we’re BIG fans of smoothies. Here are our top four reasons why:
Number 1: Taste
Smoothies offer far more flavor choices than juices because of the variety of ingredients that can be added to them. Smoothies typically contain not just fruits and veggies, but also nut butters, whole nuts and seeds, spices, oats, dairy, and much more. For a flavor packed smoothie with some serious staying power, try our Oatmeal Pear Smoothie.
Number 2: Food Safety
Juice can be unpasteurized (pasteurization kills all potentially harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness). The FDA has received reports of serious outbreaks of food-borne illness that have been traced to drinking fruit and vegetable juices that have not been treated to kill harmful bacteria. Smoothies are typically made fresh and, if made with kefir, the probiotics can help support immunity.
Number 3: Nutrients
Fruits and vegetables contain fiber, protein and phytochemicals (and more!), however the process of juicing can remove these beneficial nutrients. Even more, because smoothies can be made with more than just produce, they can be supercharged to deliver even more nutrition. Enjoy our Coconut Lime Smoothie for a healthy dose of protein, fiber, probiotics and omega 3s. Garnishing with chia seeds will add even more omega 3s, and a tasty crunch!
Number 4: Effort
Making juices can be complicated and wasteful. You either need a special juicer, or you have to make a trip to the juice bar. And because only the liquid from the produce is consumed when drinking a juice, you’re left with large collections of pulp that is often wasted or discarded. Smoothies can easily be made at home with your own blender and don’t produce the waste of juices (especially if you have a high-powered blender).
All bias aside (we are “the Kefir Company,” after all), smoothies are the clear and simple choice (especially smoothies with kefir!). Check out our recipe page for tasty kefir smoothie inspiration and be sure to share with us your favorite smoothies on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat!