Juicing/Blending

Is Juicing More Valuable than Blending? (After 65 years of teaching here's my verdict!)

October 3, 2013 at 5:55am

IS JUICING more Valuable than BLENDING?

"In 24 ounces of vegetable juices, you will absorb more nutrients than if you had eaten three meals in one day."

This statement, made by me in 1952 has not made me very popular in the juicing world today, but I am not interested in being popular. I am interested dispelling the truth from fiction, helping others sift through the confusion and manipulation that the internet can deliver, or from others who may or may not have your best interests in mind.

Dr. Norman Walker, one of my mentors in the 1960s was 100% an advocate of only juicing, as his research concluded that it's only the juice from the fiber that feeds our bodies, and he also stated that no matter how long you blend foods, or how fast you blend foods you can never eliminate or force fiber to disappear in the juice. Once it gets into the stomach the process will remain the same, whereby the juices must be separated from the fibers.

Granted, he wrote about the powers of juicing more than 60 years ago, and I know that even my own teachings will end up only going so far, and those teachers who have better access to the internet, and as more and more research is being uncovered, the knowledge deepens. This is very important as we evolve as a race and as the powers of juicing evolves and expands to help more and more people's health. With that being said, it's my belief there are some principles we teach that will not change through time.

Digestive Power Starts in the Mouth!

My teachers also taught me that when we eat foods, our mouths have digestive enzymes that are released called Ptyalin and Amylase. These important enzymes are immediately released upon putting foods into your mouth once the foods become warm as you are chewing the foods. Many experts claim that the best way to increase our digestive power is to chew our foods 20 to 40 times before swallowing, so that the Ptyalin and Amylase are fully active, and now the foods are ready to go to the digestive tract for proper assimilation.

When considering 'blending' foods, we must first think to ourselves, since the food has already been blended, the release of the enzymes Ptyalin and Amylae are not present, as this will burden the stomach, asking it to digest the blended foods without these important enzymes, and furthering the process, we now have to allow the stomach to separate the fibers from the juice, so that it can finish its digestion.

You see, the way our bodies work, is that once we swallow foods, the body now has to separate the juices from the fibers of foods, or separate the juices from the flesh foods (or any foods for that matter) so it can process it fully, then eliminate it through our large colon and out through our anus.

This is why, when we are swallowing blended foods, it takes longer to assimilate and digest these foods, even if they are blended. When you are juicing the same kinds of foods (omitting all of the fiber) these juices are predigested and 100% absorbable.

This is why I like to say, if you are interested in FIBER (which we all should be) eat your salads, your nuts, your fruits and bran and herbs, etc.,. Then when you want to accelerate your absorption power, and get into the more refined ways of feeding our bodies the most efficient way, then we juice the power nutrients such as supergreens, beets, carrots, herbs, etc.,.

For example, have you ever consumed coffee or tea or alcohol? When you drink these tonics or drinks, do you drink them with fiber in them? No. Alcohol is completely void of fiber as well as coffee and tea.

When you drink your coffee, the coffee grounds (FIBERS) are thrown away without any worry or concern, as we consume the coffee. Imagine drinking a cup of blended coffee in the morning when you wake up? It would certainly taste different, as the coffee grounds are truly enriched with fibers, yet we don't even consider drinking coffee this way. And part of the reasons we don't is because if we were drinking coffee with the grounds, it would taste horrible, but did you know it will also take more than 20 to 30 minutes to feel the buzz that coffee so famously delivers to us? That's because of the digestive factor. We must wait to feel that buzz.

However, since we drink the coffee without its fibers, rendering it 'fiber free' we feel its effects within just a few minutes. The same rule of thumb can be used with juicing. Jucing is fiber free, therefore delivering 100% of the nutrients into our bloodstream within minutes.

As we Age, we Lose our Digestive Power

First, let me say that as we age, our ability to digest the nutrients from foods can wane dramatically. And as they wane, we become more and more susceptible to becoming overweight as we are forced to eat more but we are absorbing less. Interestingly, the same applies for being underweight as well, as both kinds of people are susceptible to intestinal and large colon diseases due to so many other metabolic factors as well as constipation being one of the most important reasons.

How much less do we absorb in foods as we age? I don't have any hard evidence except for observation in people we have worked with, in the last six decades. I've seen elderly people suffer from constipation and anemia in at least 80% of everyone I have worked with. My assumptions are that their digestive distresses, constipation became a result of malabsorption of nutrients that they were trying to assimilate by eating foods.

According to health experts, some say it can be up to almost 70% in less absorption by the time we reach 80 years old. This is specifically why Juicing is more important for us as we age, because as you probably have read by now, when we juice, we are absorbing 100% of the foods. In all of the people we worked with who were over 65 years of age, we saw amazing results as they incorporated juicing into their daily regime. For people over 65, blending also helped them absorb nutrients, dramatically along with juicing because chewing and masticating and digesting these foods become more and more difficult to do effectively as we age. One of the reasons is because so many people lose their teeth as they age, so they cannot chew their foods properly.

Benefits of Fresh Juicing:

Fresh-raw juice is a veritable liquid powerhouse-rich with vitamins, minerals, living enzymes, and phytochemicals....all of which have an extraordinarily healthful and beneficial effect on your body.

The beauty of juicing is that it instantly releases these life-giving nutrients, as they become bio-available, bio-active and renders them, instantly absorbable as they become pre-digested as pure nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals that go into our bloodstream within minutes of ingesting.

On the contrary, it takes over six and one half hours to digest a typical American meal of steak, potatoes, and salad, and during that process, many of the nutrients are lost not just through digestive disorders so many of us are challenged with as we age, but also, because of hard-to-digest sinewy meat (which can actually remain in your system for even three days or more), can prevent all of the natural goodness from being extracted, so precious nutritional value is literally wasted, as we eventually evacuate it a few day later in the toilet.

Combine the above scenario with heavy soda drinking, yeast infested breads....and foods laden with sugar, along with too much red meat eating (which is fiberless) mixed in with the fried foods and white breads millions of us are eating, it further pushes us into a deeper abyss of facing the negative ramifications of constipation, toxcicity and intestinal distress.

What Foods are Better Juiced than Blended?

We have found that the following fruits are vegetables are better juiced than blended, purely for taste and function. Some fruits are almost 100% water, so it's better to blend them, and some fruits like berries are better blended because their seeds are valuable and when you juice, some of those seeds are better consumed via blending.

1. Carrots

2. Apples

3. Celery

4. Beets

5. Cabbages

6. Cucumbers

7. Lemons and Limes

8. Turnips

9. Ginger

10. String Beans

11. Brussels Sprouts

12. Grapes with stems

13. Broccoli

14. Cauliflower

15. Jicima

16. Potatoes

17. Eggplant

18. Asparagus

(Note: when you DO blend these foods, (above) make sure to SWISH the foods around your mouth before swallowing, allowing for our enzymes in our mouths to become lightly activated)

Fruits and vegetables that blend & juice fairly well either way:

1. Cucumbers

2. Leafy Greens

3. Oranges (peeled)

4. Grapefruits (peeled)

5. Peppers (Bell Peppers/Anaheim Peppers, etc.,.)

6. Tomatoes

7. Zucchini, yellow or green

8. Grapes with seeds

9. Tangerines (peeled)

10. Pears

11. Onions, Garlic, Shallots

12. Peaches, Nectarines (all stone fruit)

13. Kiwi

14. All Greens

15. All Lettuces

16. Leafy Herbs

17. All Squashes (Kombucha/Pumpkin)

18. Persimmons

19. Pomegranates

20. Radishes

21. Onions

22. Peas

When we juice, we absorb one hundred percent of the food's value, instantly, as they are concentrated in dense, nutrient-rich, absorbable liquid form. Because they're fiber free, these juices instantly penetrate into the intestinal wall, into our bloodstreams, distributing them into every cell of our human body bringing each one of our cells the oxygen we need to keep our bodies disease free. Juicing in this manner gives you the highest density of nutrients per calorie, more so than any other food. Eating food is simplistic. Juicing goes many steps further, releasing 100% of the food's ability to nourish and feed our bodies in ways unattainable in any other way.

It is precisely because the fiber is left behind that these fresh, raw juices become the best source of instant nutrition for our bodies. What's more, freshly squeezed juices taste amazingly delicious. If you've never had real juice before, you are in for quite a treat. There is absolutely nothing like it. There is no way to compare it against anything you've ever bought or tasted in your life. There simply is ~no superior beverage, or man-made or naturally occurring-to be had taste on Earth that is comparable. However.......

Benefits of Blending

First and foremost, let me say that blending can and does have its place. For those people who suffer from diabetes, this is a very important process to incorporate into your daily diets. Why? Well, it's a simple answer, quite frankly. For those people who have compromised pancreases, the slowness of the release of the nutrients benefits them. Slowing down the process of the release of sugars is quite important, and this is what the fiber does. I would suggest that those of you who are diabetic, or even pre-diabetic, that you blend what you wish and then juice a few times a week, those superior greens and low glycemic foods for powerful absorption.

Understanding the differences between juicing and blending our foods is complex in many ways. Let's start first with the fact that anytime you blend foods, the friction that the blender creates more friction than it does with juicing, although it also depends on what kinds of juicers we are using. If you are using a typical slow juicer, like the Greenstar or the Champion or Angel or the Omegas, then you are saving a lot of nutrients, although the process does take quite a bit longer than had you been juicing with a juicer such as the Breville or Pulp ejector type juicers. These juicers spin at an average of 16,000 rpms.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that it's important to know that oxidation is an issue, as well as friction from the blades spinning at almost 100,000 rpms when you are blending (25,000 rpms times 4 because of the 4 blades). Since no real heavy evidence is out there yet as to what's the big issue here, I am saying it's none of these. What's really the issue is what I have said in the article about digestion. The enzymes in our mouths need to be released to truly digest these foods that are blended together (juice and fiber). When you are juicing, we don't have to worry about Ptyalin and Amylase because juices are pre-digested. The same goes for most high water content fruits. Fruits, when consumed are pre-digested, not needing any enzymes in our mouths to help. (see below as I go into a bit deeper explanation)

Here's our List of the best fruits and vegetables for Blending!

There are certain fruits and vegetables that really shouldn't be 'juiced' because it's not practical since some fruits are almost 100% water and are already pre-digested anyways. Other fruits such as Avocados and Bananas can't be juiced. Here's a list of the fruits we recommend to Blend only:

1. Mango

2. Papaya

3. Passion Fruit

4. Avocados

5. Bananas

6. Melons (watermelons, cantaloupe, etc.,.)

7. Figs

8. Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Blackberries, Raspberries)

9. Pineapple

10. Coconuts

11. Cherries (pitted)

12. Jack Fruit

13. Guava

14. Lychee

15.

A Bit about the Mechanics of Blenders & Juicers

Most popular juicers spin around 16,000 rpms (which is quite high) and the average juicer spins at around 12,000 rps yet most all blenders run around 25,000 rpms, but because they have four blades, you need to multiply the spinning times four. Now we are looking at 100,000 rpms.

So what does this mean to you? Since we don't have any reliable scientific studies, or any real independent verification that one method is better over another, I would suggest you try both and whatever works best for you may be your best solution.

I only know, that when people are very ill, and they go to healing clinics to get well, the organizations only prepare freshly made juices. The reasons are quite simple. Blended foods take 'longer' to digest than freshly made juices without the fiber. Juicing means separating the fiber from the juice, and blending blends all the foods together. Some of the newest blenders (smaller blenders) are blending the foods so fast that it looks like there's no fiber in them whatsoever. However, don't ever let it fool you. Fiber is fiber and it will never disappear no matter how fast you are blending. Dr. Walker and Dr. Gerson both believe in these principles and since 1948, I have been a student of their teachings, including, as well Dr. H.E. Kirschner who wrote Live Food Juices, a book I read when I was in my 30's over 100 times.

Since Dr. Walker was my mentor, as well as these other doctors I tend to support his opinions because to me, he was my teacher and my inspiration. He not only was a Master Teacher of juicing, he was also a philosopher and someone who spent decades studying and meditating on this beautiful way of life. Please consider reading some of his books to further your juicing education so you too can help teach others.

New Research

New scientific research shows up to ninety percent of fruit and vegetable food value lies not in the flesh, but in the peelings and just below the surface. And that is the real juicing advantage. Juicing is Nature's key, unlocking and releasing nutrients that are normally unavailable because of our inability to eat things that are indigestible, like the rind of a watermelon or the outer plate of a pineapple. In this manner, juicing supersedes anything our bodies-our digestive processes-could possibly hope to accomplish. There is one caveat we need to ask you to consider before you start juicing peels of fruits and vegetables. Make sure ALL your produce is organic and always, even if they are organic, make sure you soak your fruits and vegetables in a wash that can remove waxes (some of these waxes are animal fat based) fungus and dirt.

Here's a great recipe to remove even pesticides, fungus, dirt and waxes:

2 tbsps. Baking Soda‎

2 tbsps. fresh Lemon Juice

Fill your sink up with cold water and soak these for 5 minutes, then rinse.

‎I hope this information is helpful to you as a way to see, with better vision and perspective how I see the differences between blending and juicing and how our digestion works as it relates to both of them. Knowledge, based on many years of teaching, as well as using knowledge given to me by the late great Master Teachers belongs to you, the reader.

Jay Kordich

Juice or Blend? A short synopsis from Jay Kordich