For mornings, some people prefer a fresh juice to accompany their breakfast, while others religiously prepare a smoothie in the blender to start the day off right. But does one technique provide more benefits than the other?The truth is that increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables is good for you. According to information from the
National Survey on Health and Nutrition 2016, less than 50% of the studied population consumed vegetables daily, so here we will tell you a bit about the benefits of doing so, whether in the form of juice or as a smoothie.Benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables through juices and smoothiesFirst, let's talk about juices. To make juices, a process is carried out where the liquid part of the fruit or vegetable is separated from the pulp or fiber. In this way, a concentrated, watery liquid product is obtained, which contains vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients, which are bioactive compounds derived from plants associated with positive health effects. On the other hand, to make a smoothie, the whole fruit or vegetable is used, meaning that what you put in the blender is what you consume. The volume of the drink, which is now also known as a
smoothie, will be greater than that of a juice made with the same amount of fruits or vegetables. As with everything, both techniques for making fruit and vegetable-based drinks have advantages and disadvantages. For example, juices provide a nutrient-rich drink in a smaller amount of liquid, and for those who need a low-fiber diet, juices may be a better option. However, the serving size of juice should be smaller than that of a blended drink, otherwise, you would be consuming a lot of sugar calories in that cup of juice. With
smoothies, you retain the fiber from the fruit or vegetable, which can help you feel fuller and improve your digestive health. Additionally, you can add other types of foods to smoothies, such as nuts, seeds, cereals, or yogurts to increase the intake of healthy proteins and fats. Either process can help you increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables and generate less waste in the kitchen, as we often buy fruits that spoil in the fruit bowl or vegetables that get left behind in the fridge drawer because we didn’t have time to cook a meal or prepare the salad we were planning.Whether you choose juices or smoothies, here are several options for you to start trying:
Classic green juiceFlu-fighting juiceStrawberry, banana, and amaranth smoothieChocolate, amaranth, and banana smoothie