Green smoothie vs green juice: Know the difference, health benefits

Green smoothies or green juices, which one should you pick? This is one of the most commonly asked questions as more and more people are opting for healthy eating habits.

To help make the correct choices, nutrition Farzanah Nasser took to Instagram to explain what to pick based on one’s individual needs and preferences. “I like both smoothie and juices and will have them for different reasons,” said Nasser.

Smoothies
According to the expert, smoothies are the whole fruit/vegetables blended together with a liquid. They are full of fibre and hence, support blood sugar balancing and act as a meal replacement as the fibres slow down the release of sugars into the blood stream and keep one feeling fuller for longer.
“It also helps you meet your daily fibre requirement that most of us fall short of, and also feeds the microbes in the gut – which are responsible for immune and overall good health,” she explained.

Juices
Juicing is extracting the fibre and drinking just the juice. “A study had showed that you get 30-40 per cent more of the nutrients when its not buffered fibre. However it can cause blood sugar issues if you are having mainly fruit, and it’s also not a meal replacement. You do lose a lot of the fibre but you can save that and make overnight oats or crackers, or add them to pancakes. Juicing is also great when you want to give your digestive system a break or feel you need the hit of nutrients. Just make sure you use more veggies/greens than fruits to avoid spiking your blood sugar,” she mentioned.
What should you pick?
“When I am sick and need a pick me up, I will always opt for juice. I will also have a juice when I need some nutrients; I will have it 30 minutes before a meal. That way it can get absorbed before I have the meal,” said Nasser.

However, Nasser mentioned that she would opt for smoothies as a “meal replacement or substantial snack”. “I also use them as a way to get more vegetables into me and something I can carry with me if I know I’m going to have a long day,” she noted.
Last word: They are both great and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet, she expressed.
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