If I got a dollar for everytime someone asks me “what’s the difference between a juicer and a blender?” or “what’s the difference between a slow juicer and fast juicer?” and sometimes even “Can you juice with a blender?”, I’d need a substantial piggy bank!
Questions such as these are common, and now your calls of distress shall be answered. In this article, I am going to talk about both the similarities and the differences between juicer and blender.
The Juicer – The Good and the Bad
Let’s get to know a little more about the juicer, shall we? The juicer aka a slow masticating juicer squeezes out the “juice” of the fruit or vegetable. It then leaves behind a dehydrated pulp. The juice contains almost all the nutrients from the fruit except most of the fiber which is left behind in the pulp. Not just fiber too, what’s in the pulp, let’s say you are juicing an apple, the skin and seeds get left behind. Now many of you may think that it’s no big deal, but most of the precious nutrients such as phytochemicals are simply thrown away. These phytochemicals in the skin are just as important as the “juice” itself. It acts as an antioxidant to the body and improves overall health. What’s in the juice contains just a portion of the vital nutrition, and what’s left in the pulp is phytochemicals and insoluble fiber which is without a doubt, great for you. Only a small percentage of soluble fiber gets left in the juice which has its advantages.
Number one, it speeds up digestion; you won’t feel stuffed after drinking a cup full of juice as there is no insoluble fiber to slow down absorption and secondly, nutrients get absorbed more efficiently and more fully as nutrients often get stuck to insoluble fibers. For this reason, it makes drinking only the “juice” the perfect snack as you don’t feel full!
Freshly squeezed juices also help in detoxification because of how rich in nutrients these juices are and how readily they are to digest.
The High Speed Blender or Centrifugal Juicer – The Good and the Bad
Now for the blender otherwise known as the centrifugal juicer. Yep, you guessed it, no pulp. That is, if you opt for a high performance blender greater than 3hp. The high speed blender utterly pulverizes whatever you put in there. So it naturally turns your solid food into a thick liquid. As such, it is easier for you to eat or drink compared to eating a whole fruit or vegetable. The beautiful thing about this is that everything in the fruit is in the juice or a more common name would be a smoothie. It contains all the phytochemicals and fiber that aren’t contained in the juice portion of the fruit or vegetable from the juicer. So that means that you got the whole thing and no wastage of the precious pulp. But the downside to this is that because there is insoluble fiber, it slows down digestion and keeps you feeling full for a longer time. If you drink a lot, you can consider it a meal. In addition, up to one-quarter of the nutrition that is available in the juice will be stuck to the fibers and come out as…you know what.
Juicer vs Blender - A Quick Comparison
| Juicer | Blender |
|---|---|
| Squeeze the juice from the fruits or vegetables while separating the skin, seeds and pulp. | Combines all the ingredients placed in them by high speed chopping and mixing of all ingredients |
| Main purpose is to extract juice from any fruit or vegetable. | Main purpose is to blend, puree, and produce thick smoothie-like outcomes. |
| Slowly crushes fruits and vegetables to extract the juice and filters out the pulp, skin and seeds. | Sharp blade spins, chops and mixes all ingredients placed in it. |
| Limited only by the container chosen to collect the juice. | Limited by the capacity of the blending container which is usually 4-8 cups. |
| Clean up more time consuming due to the parts that need to be washed. | Cleaning is simple as you only need to wash the container, cover, and tamper used to push down ingredients (if used). |
So, What Does the Extra Fiber Do for You?
Don’t keep worrying about those lost nutrients; fiber is incredibly good for you as well. If you ingest the right amount, you can be sitting on the toilet up to four times a day! And it’s all natural, you don’t have to force anything out. Four is the actual number of times you are supposed to go, and this keeps your colon clean and healthy. Most people only go once a day, and that’s because they aren’t consuming enough vegetables or fruits that are rich in fiber.
The Million Dollar Question: Which One Should You Pick?
So when it comes to deciding between a juicer or a blender, I would say both are excellent and have their merits. In fact, I have both at home. They each have their pros and cons, and I would recommend you do both if you can; otherwise one of them would be great, even for weight loss. It all depends on you. Whether you want to juice for just a quick snack or a big ol’ smoothie to satisfy those hunger pangs, juicing and blending are a fantastic way to have a healthy snack.
Here’s a great summary interview of the benefits of juicing vs blending:
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