In the juice vs. smoothie smackdown, the winner…is you. Here’s how.

Some of the awesome managers at The Hive (the Ft. Apache store) gave Team TJS a heads up about a question they’ve fielded a lot lately, and it’s one that Marcella hears a lot, too, and wanted cleared up: 

WHAT’S BETTER: COLD-PRESSED JUICE OR SMOOTHIES?

Truth is, they’re pretty opposite: one has soluble fiber (juice), one has insoluble fiber (smoothies); one’s a known meal replacer; one’s the Flusher of All-Things Nastybad we store in our gut…yet if made right—with more veggies than fruit, more produce than protein-pumping additives—both do your bod a solid and are great for increasing your produce intake. But it does depend on how you want to achieve your #MissionNutrition:

Our ubiquitous Bee WHealthy™. Can’t even tell you how many pounds of produce are packed into this puppy. (Say that 10 times fast.)

JUICING extracts most of the insoluble fiber from produce, leaving the soluble kind behind. Insoluble fiber helps create stool and makes it bulky so it moves food through the system. In the absence of insoluble fiber, and with less need to move that shit on out (literally), drinking juice makes it easy for the bod absorb nutrients into the bloodstream because it doesn’t make the digestive system work so hard. It’s also why juicing may be better for some folks with digestive problems. Think of it as a kinder, gentler way to eat your veggies.

SMOOTHIES contain all the insoluble fiber that juice is missing, so they keep you fuller, longer.

JUICING is perfect for when the goal is to consistently flush your system with nutrients as you rid your bod of what’s left from the “reward foods” we love to enjoy (and, yes: even scratch-made baked goods, homemade ice cream and craft cocktails leave behind a trail of nasties). Thank juice’s soluble fiber for that and for absorbing water in our systems, acting like a pre-biotic to help build up good bacteria in the gut, and helping to regulate blood sugar.

This was the limited-run “Bee Mine” from last February. You can see that smoothies are thicker and make an excellent meal replacement…but watch hidden sugar.

 SMOOTHIES can act as a dependable meal replacement when made with healthy protein powder or low-fat dairy or dairy replacement like nutmilks.

 JUICING lets you to consume the equivalent of POUNDS of produce in one easy-to-sip glass at a time thanks to the removal of the produce’s harder-to-digest cellulose.

SMOOTHIES allow you to effortlessly ingest things you enjoy having in your diet like supplement powders, adaptogens, seeds and ground nuts…most of which wouldn’t typically taste as good going down the hatch if they were mixed with veggie juice.

(See? Different yet beeautifully the same in that they both nourish the body. Just be sure to always opt for veggie-heavy recipes since sugar will never leave you as light and lithe as greens.) 

And since we’re equal-opportunity product promoters here, now’s a great time to remind that, yes, The Juice Standard is a raging cold-pressed juice bar that sources organic produce, nuts, seeds and grains for its recipes…but we also sport four regular-menu smoothies—Green Is Good, the BFF, Protein Power, and Berry Antioxidizing—for when you think that sipping your meal will do your body good. You know. Like this guy taught us.

(All hail Mr. Goodbody. )

Gots some other myths you’d like politely debunked? Email your questions to info@juicestandard.com.