I love vegetable juice! It’s something I could drink every day, but going out and buying one of those $10 cold-press juices is the epitome of luxury for me and doesn’t happen very often. So, I make juice at home instead.
I own both a Vitamix A3500 and a juicer Omega J8008. Both appliances are capable of making juice but the way they do so is different.
In this review, I dive into the differences between a high-speed blender and a juicer, what type of juice they are capable of making, and which appliance is better for you.
There is an everlasting debate in the health food community about the benefits of blending vs juicing. They may seem like the same process, but there are a lot of differences between the two.
Blending and juicing both have their advantages and disadvantages and one is not necessarily better than the other. What’s great about Vitamix is that it can do both.
If you’re looking for one device that can do it all, Vitamix is the best blender for both juicing and smoothies. Superior blending power means that your smoothies come out incredibly smooth, without ice chunks or chewy bits of fiber, even if you’re using hearty greens like kale.
Differences Between a Blender vs Juicer
Both blenders and juicers process fruits and vegetables into drinks. However, the way they do so, and the end result, is not quite the same.
There are three types of blenders – regular (counter-top) blenders, high-speed (counter-top) blenders, and immersion (hand) blenders. The only blenders that are capable of making juice are high-speed blenders, such as the Vitamix.
Similar to centrifugal juicers, Vitamix blenders have a very powerful motor (my Vitamix A3500 has a 2.2-HP motor), which allows the blades to spin at a very fast speed (28,500 RPM). This is why high-speed blenders are able to achieve the silky-smooth texture so characteristic of blended foods. Unlike ordinary blenders that have either sharp blades or dull blades, Vitamix blades are precision engineered to provide both actions. First, the sharp edge cuts and breaks down whole foods, then the flat edge works like a hammermill to smash and pulverize the tiniest bits and seeds.
This is why even though Vitamix is primarily a blender (and a food processor, if you have the food processor attachment), it can also act as a juicer.
There are three types of juicers – cold-press (masticating) juicers, triturating juicers, and centrifugal juicers. The main difference between these juicers is how fast they extract juice. Cold-press and triturating juicers operate at a very low speed (40-100 RPM) whereas centrifugal juicer are fast (3,000 – 10,000 RPM).
It takes a considerable amount of power to rip through tough fibers of vegetables, so the motor of juicers is typically quite powerful (the Omega 8008 has a 2-HP motor). Slow juicers don’t have any blades – they extract juice by slow crushing – while fast juicers have very sharp blades – they extract juice by fast chopping.
Using Vitamix as a juicer has been gaining in popularity over the past few years. It makes sense since a juicer is a single-function machine whereas a Vitamix is a multi-functional machine.
While Vitamix is not a traditional juice extractor (meaning, it doesn’t squeeze juice out of the fruits and vegetables), it makes juice by pulverizing and liquifying whole foods – skin, seeds, and pulp included. The entire food is broken down to a cellular level, making all the valuable vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients readily digestible without rapid blood sugar spikes. It’s fast, easy, and healthy.
Juicing purists insist that the whole point of juicing is to remove fiber, and thus make the juice easier to digest – you get all of the vital nutrients without activating the digestive process. True. However, it’s not just nutrients that get rapidly into the bloodstream, but also sugar, causing blood sugar spikes and crashes.
Whole Food Juicing vs Traditional Juicing
So, which one is better – whole food juicing (with a high-speed blender) or traditional juicing (with a juicer)?
It depends on your goals and current state of health. If you have imbalanced blood sugar levels, need to increase volume of nutrients as well as fiber, and want to replace a meal or two for a whole foods drink, a high-speed blender is a better choice. If you have a delicate digestive system, need to maximize volume of nutrient intake, or are undergoing a detox program, you will benefit from a juicer.
Health aside, other factors to consider are time and convenience. If you are looking for something fast and easy, then Vitamix is the answer. A lot of juicers can’t handle whole fruits and vegetables (there is no way I could fit a whole apple into the juicer chute opening without slicing it first), so certain amount of food prep is required. There is also no denying that it is easier to clean a blender than a juicer. My Vitamix practically cleans itself by simply adding warm water and a drop of dish soap into the container and running the cleaning cycle whereas my juicer has up to 10 detachable parts to clean.
How To Juice With A Vitamix
FAQ
Can I use the Vitamix as a juicer?
Can my Vitamix make celery juice?
Can you put whole fruit in a Vitamix?
Can you make juice with a blender instead of a juicer?
Should you Juice with a Vitamix?
There are many reasons why you should juice with a Vitamix. First, the Vitamix is powerful enough to juice even the toughest fruits and vegetables. Second, it’s fast. With Vitamix, you can have fresh juice in seconds. Finally, the Vitamix is easy to use. It’s as simple as adding your ingredients to the container and pressing the button.
Is V-8 juice good or bad for you?
I’ve never taken it, so I don’t know about the taste, but in terms of its nutritional composition, the ingredients seem to be harmless, but the amount of sodium is very high! While at most it should be up to 5% of the daily value, the original 100% vegetable V-8 juice has 28% sodium. So I don’t see it as being one of the best choices.
Can a Vitamix juicer be used as a juicer?
For a healthier juice with less sugar in it, try to use more vegetables and less fruit. You might not think of your Vitamix blender as a juicer, but it can do the job. Juicers are usually used for making juice, but you don’t need to buy an expensive juicer when your Vitamix can make delicious juice instead.
Why should you use a Vitamix for fruit & vegetable juice?
Vitamix fruit and vegetable juices have an extra sparkle and flavor. That’s because the unique Vitamix blending process releases the juice and retains all the nutritious, whole-food fiber that traditional juice extractors leave behind. Besides being more nutritious, the Vitamix juices utilize every part of your produce, so there’s less waste.