This week I would like to take a look at juicing vs. blending. Both approaches are a very popular practice among the Uber health-conscious and extreme fitness folks. Both juicing and blending are a great way to maximize your nutritional resources from fruits and veggies.

Juicing and blending delivers a ton of vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes that help boost your immune system. These fresh nutrients can help with improving hormonal imbalances and prevent digestive issues.

Both juicing and blending can give you huge boosts in energy and even help mood and brain function.

Let's start with juicing, which is the process where people use juicers to extract water and nutrients from fruits and veggies. Once juicing is completed you toss out the pulp or fiber from the fruit or vegetables. Since juicing removes most of the pulp and fiber, your digestive system can absorb the nutrients very quickly. Juicing provides a higher concentration of nutrients for your body to use than if you were to consume the fruits and vegetables whole. This approach can be very helpful for people who do not do well with lots of fiber in their diets due to digestive issues.

There is a downside to removing the fiber from the fruits and veggies.

Without fiber the sugars from the juices are absorbed into your blood stream quickly. This quick absorption can cause a huge spike in blood sugar so some people can experience the same nasty sugar crash you get with other sugary foods. Since fiber is so filling it leaves you less hungry so the other downside is without fiber some people can get hungry again fairly quickly.

The other options are blending your fruits and veggies into smoothies. This approach, unlike juicing, can be quicker with less waste since the blending uses the entire fruit or vegetable. Blended smoothies break down the fiber, making digestion easier and creating a more even release of nutrients. Dense green smoothies tend to be more filling and generally do not spike your blood sugar. One other advantage to blended drinks is they do not oxidize quickly, so you do not have to drink them right away. Blended smoothies can be iced and consumed at a later time.

The downside to blending comes in the form of overdoing it with the contents. Many people blend protein powders, yogurt and other non-fruit or vegetable items into their smoothies. This can lead to high sugar content, high calorie intake and generally making your healthy smoothie not so healthy.

When it comes to juicing or blending there are many common mistakes that people make. The most common is using too much fruit. Fresh fruits are a great source of antioxidants and vitamins but they are loaded with sugar. It is much better to have balance in the amounts of leafy greens and other vegetables along with your fruits.

As I have mentioned earlier, adding sugary ingredients to your juicing or smoothie is another common mistake and one that can lead to weight gain and pushing your blood sugar through the roof. Some people also make the mistake of using juicing or green smoothies as a weight-loss program. This approach can result in some weight loss but replacing healthy protein rich foods with just juice is not wise. Your body will start to use lean muscle to get the protein your other body systems need. This will result in a weakened immune system, fatigue and lean muscle loss, which is needed to burn fat.

The last thing to consider when it comes to juicing and/or blending those leafy greens is the concern over goitrogens and oxalic acid in raw vegetables like kale, collard greens and spinach. These antinutrients found in leafy green plants are phytochemicals and can cause health problems if consumed in large volumes. So it is important to remember all things in moderation. Overdoing your consumption of raw leafy green juices or green smoothies can be a problem for people with pre-existing health conditions such a thyroid condition or people with a susceptibility to kidney stones, so approach juices and smoothies carefully.

Green Smoothie

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 lemon, without the skin

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley

2 pieces kale

1 thumb-size piece of crushed fresh ginger

8 to 12 ounces coconut water

1/2 cup ice

Fruit Smoothie

1/2 cup of blueberries

1/2 lemon, without the skin

1 small banana

1 mango

1 thumb-size piece of crushed fresh ginger

8 to 12 ounces coconut water

Judd Jones is a director for the Hagadone Corporation.