Juicing vs. Smoothies

On the previous juicing post, questions were raised about removing the fiber when juicing. We all know that fiber is a good thing and stripping it all away seems to negate some of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. I am no expert . . I only know what I read and if researching the topic, you will find everything from A – Z and you just have to decide what’s right for you. One seemingly reliable source that I read indicated that some soluble fiber is left in when juicing, while insoluble fiber is removed. I don’t know that I believe it but I do know that when we juice, and I know all juicers are different, but there’s plenty of “substance” in the glass. It isn’t just clear liquid .. there is some amount of pulp getting through. 

Healthy eating, whatever path you take, is all about balance. We’re cutting out dinner and substituting juice. We’re still eating a healthy breakfast and lunch. Would I ever recommend giving up three meals a day and juicing only? NO! For dinner . . it seems to make since since we’re not eating a heavy meal at the end of the day.

This was my breakfast:

An apple bran muffin and a smoothie made with homemade kefir, a banana, freshly rolled oats, chia seeds, 5 strawberries and a bit of almond milk. For lunch, we’re having a big salad, along with leftover Cincinnati Chili.

A woman needs about 25 grams of fiber per day. And yes, I do keep up with it. There are plenty of charts available online. One of the my go to sites is Mayo Clinic. If you’ve not paid attention to how much fiber you’re consuming (or how much anything for that matter), it might be interesting to track it for a day or so.

Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, as well as other vitamins and  minerals. My morning smoothie has 15 grams of chia seeds and 1/3 cup of raw rolled oats. Between those two, I’m getting about 15 grams of fiber, or half of my daily needed amount. Add in 2 grams for the strawberries, 3 grams for the banana and the smoothie alone had 20 grams of fiber. The muffin had 3 grams of fiber so my breakfast alone provided almost the full recommended daily requirement for fiber. We’re having a salad for lunch so that will add more. The chili has pinto beans and one cup of cooked pinto beans has 15 grams of dietary fiber. I’ll probably eat 1/2 cup or let’s just say .. 7 grams. Along with breakfast, just adding the pinto beans and no salad and zero fiber from the juice and I’ve had the 30 grams of fiber I try to consume each day. 

I am not the least bit concerned about not getting enough fiber because I know that with the other foods I’m eating, I’m getting plenty. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the residue from the fruit/veggies that are juiced either goes back into something I’m cooking, goes to the worms or goes to the chickens. No part of it is wasted.

It’s all about balance and finding what’s right for you. We may not do this forever . . we may do it for a few weeks or months and then stop. But, I do not feel that we’re missing out on anything nutritionally speaking by juicing.

The main drawback for me is that I don’t go out very often. My preference is to go to the grocery store every 2 – 3 weeks but when juicing, I have to go about every 5 days because fruits and veggies just don’t keep that long. Once the garden is producing, I’ll have plenty of veggies for juicing and hopefully we’ll have a bit more fruit this year from the orchard.

The best part for me is that the juicer is easy to clean. Most nights, I just dip the parts in hot soapy water and rinse. There’s one little part that I can usually clean with the spray from the faucet but if it needs a bit of scrubbing, there’s a brush that came with it and that brushes away any debris. 

I can’t stress enough that it’s all about balance.