A few years ago, I totally bought into the concept of juicing. So when hubby went to Germany on a business trip I placed my order for a  high-powered, German engineered juicer.  He hauled it back to South Africa for me and we got experimenting with our new toy. I was convinced this was the healthy way to go and the best option for getting maximum nutrients into a fussy 3 year old. I mean, there was no way she was going to notice the spinach and carrots mixed in with her apple and pear juice  – right?

Well, it actually DID go down very well with the little one.  But knowing what I know now I totally understand why. It was very sweet and there were no lumps and bits in it.

The reality is that the end product of juicing is flavoured sugar water. All the pulp and fibre have been removed.  Yes you will get some vitamins and minerals from the fruit and vegetables that you are juicing but unfortunately you get all the sugar too (in a concentrated form). You would very rarely sit down  and in one sitting eat 2 oranges, 1 apple, half a pineapple and a few carrots. But that could very easily go into your juicer to get a nice tall glass of fresh juice.

“You’re literally stripping the fruit of all it’s fiber and drinking just the sugar… Basically, the juice is a higher sugar, lower nutrient version of the fruit. This is not balanced, and only spikes your blood sugar levels, setting you up for a nice big crash later on” – Cassie Bjork (Dietician Cassie)

So here are the reasons our juicer was eventually put away into the back of a cupboard:

• Juicing creates a highly explosive sugar bomb which will detonate inside your veins and send your blood sugar sky-rocketing (especially if only fruit is used).
• It is just too expensive to keep a family in fresh juice as it uses a LOT of fruit and veggies.
• The frequent shopping trips to restock the fridge got exhausting.
• Throwing away all the pulp and fibre just seemed wasteful.
• Juice doesn’t fill you up for very long – definitely not an effective meal replacement
• I hated the clean up afterwards!

Is there a better and healthier alternative to juicing ?

Yes. A well-balanced smoothie is the way to go. A  smoothie can be a highly nutritious snack or meal for the whole family. Because you are blending instead of juicing – all the fibre, pulp, vitamins and minerals end up in your smoothie instead of being tossed in the bin.

It can be a quick and convenient breakfast on the go and would go down a treat with little people. Look sweetheart, mommy has made you a delicious double-thick milkshake.

A smoothie becomes a well-balanced meal or snack when it contains fat, carbs and protein.

Get creative with the ingredients listed below:

You can also enhance the nutritional value of your smoothie by adding in Omega 3 fish oil, green smoothie powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, probiotics and multivitamins in either liquid or powdered format. This is perfect for kids and adults like me who can’t stand swallowing pills.

There are so many combinations and variations to try that it would take a long time for anyone to get bored. If you are on a high fat/ low carb eating plan, then a smoothie is a brilliant way to get a good amount of fats in . Your morning  smoothie could potentially keep you going all day. Check out this Breakfast of Champions smoothie recipe by Dr. Chris Kresser.

All you need is some imagination and a good blender.

Reference: An article by Dietician Cassie