of cancer-fighting vegetables
doesn’t have to be hard –
just fire-up your juicer or blender
(or visit your neighborhood smoothie bar).
Apparently, each of us is supposed to be eating 3 to 9 (depending on who you ask) servings of vegetables a day. That’s a lot of veggies, especially for someone who is busy throughout the day (like me, and probably like you, too).
The truth is, if you’re really serious about improving your overall health, then you’re going to need to fit more fresh, raw vegetables into your daily diet.
I finally found a solution for getting all of my required servings of produce each day: juices and smoothies!
But which is better for your body — green juice or a green smoothie?
The juicer regarded @danenow with a threatening glare. ‘You shall not pass,’ it said. Dane simply showed him the carrot. ‘Yes, I shall’. #FF
— Juan Pablo Hurtado (@righteousgeek) January 13, 2012
Green smoothies contain whole food and are a complete meal — with protein, fat, and energy-sustaining carbs. However, occasionally I just want a hit of hydration and antioxidants (the way some people have an afternoon cup of coffee), then, I will go for green juice.
So the answer to the question “which is better, green juice or green smoothies” is: green smoothies, because they have the whole fiber.
However, juice can also have a healthy place in your diet on busy days!
Achieving Your Daily Requirement of Vegetables
green juices and smoothies can help you meet your daily vegetable requirements
Juicing can really be a smart solution for busy folks. I do have a couple of juicers at home, but often I’m running around — and it’s just as easy for me to swing by my neighborhood juice bar for a quick green juice.
“…I freakin’ love green juice now.”
Green juice clears my head. It’s energizing. It’s alkalinizing. And it helps me to feel fit and fantastic!
At first, when you try adding greens to your juice, you’ll find that you like a little green, but mostly fruit — such as apple.
Over time, however, you’ll soon discover that you not only get used to the juice of dark, leafy green vegetables, but that you actually crave it, and then you’ll start to have less fruit in your juices, and more greens!
I discovered a trick, for making green juices delicious to drink: add a little lemon — for the tartness — and a little celery — for the saltiness.
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Best Green Juice Recipe
My favorite juice — as I’ve mentioned in previous posts; but, hey, it bears repeating — is:
(The reason I don’t add spinach to my green juice is simply because I already have a ton of spinach in my green smoothie each morning, so for the rest of the day, I like to try other green vegetables.)
I double-dog-dare-ya to try a freshly made green smoothie or a green juice and see if it doesn’t help you to feel significantly better after you drink it!
Keep in mind, however, that green smoothies contain the whole food, and are probably even better for you than green juice. When I have the time, I make green smoothies fresh at home (they don’t take long to make, and the clean up is easy). Green smoothies are more filling — like a milkshake — and are amazingly delicious.
Remember, green smoothies and green juices can help you to more easily meet your daily requirement for servings of vegetables!
What’s the difference between a juice and a smoothie? I know smoothies have the whole veggie so why wouldn’t you want that?
Good question, Sean! I often do prefer a smoothie over a juice.
Smoothies usually have protein, fat, fiber, fruit, nuts or seeds, etc., … they provide more calories and can be thought of as a filling meal.
Juices, on the other hand, are more of a between-meal snack. A beverage. Sometimes I just want a light drink — the vegetables without all of the accessories.
{ twitter = @danenow }
Palms Greens Cafe has delicious juices and a great selection of vegan and veggie dishes. I can’t wait to go back! I like the green juice a lot, but I think I’d love it a little bit more with some green apples for a sweeter taste.
Hi Tanaz! I believe their signature green smoothie, “the Palm Greens,” has apple, a bit of banana, and a touch of mint — along with all of the greens. We’ll try it together next time you’re in Palm Springs!