Smoothies and juices—the only difference is the thickness of the drink, right? Wrong! Even though smoothies and juices are generally made from the same ingredients, they are made in completely different ways.  Smoothies and juices are different because a smoothie is created by blending whole fruits and vegetables together, without leaving anything behind. Juices are created by extracting liquid from the fruits and vegetables, which leaves behind some of the fruit and also some of the nutrients.

Blending a smoothie is a great option for those that want all the nutrients of whole fruit in a drink. The problem with juicing comes down to fiber: when you juice, all the fiber is removed.

Since fruits are so high is sugar, consuming fruit juice without its fiber could cause blood sugar spikes and be problematic for those with chronic health issues. Fiber from fruit helps to slow down the process of sugar absorption.

Fiber in smoothies are a lot more filling and are better to replace a meal with if needed, unlike juicing. The process of juicing your own drinks are much more time consuming that blending a smoothie since each piece has to be cut up small and fed through the machine, and the machine itself takes a bit more work to clean.
I’m not saying that juices are terrible for your health, but I do believe that continuously consuming too much juice may do more harm than good. A smoothie is the most nutrient dense drink—don’t settle for anything less. One of my favorite smoothie combination is banana and strawberries, be sure to give it a blend!