Is juicing permitted?

First, let’s define juicing.  Juicing is the process of extracting juice from plant tissues such as fruits or vegetables.  There are many methods of juicing, from squeezing fruit by hand to industrial extraction equipment.  For the purposes of this question, we can say that juicing is the method of consuming large amounts of produce quickly and is often completed by using a household appliance called a “juicer.”

Juicing is different than buying juice in the supermarket because it focuses on fresh pressed fruits and vegetables.  Most individuals who “juice” on a whole food plant based diet are doing so as a form of alternative medicine.

There are several variations of the Whole Food Plant Based diet; some are more restrictive than others. Most of them have the same fundamental philosophies regarding a vegan diet with some additional restrictions which we will cover later.

It gets a little controversial once you start talking about juicing.  I have seen numerous Facebook Group threads literally explode with hundreds and hundreds of comments all about juicing.  Some folks really get fired up when discussing whether juicing is permitted or not.  It just boils down to which WFPB philosophy you wish to follow.  It almost carries a religious fervor on whether juicing is permitted or not.

Listed below are 5 generalizations including some world renown medical doctors (names removed) who author, practice, and diagnose patients using a Whole Food Plant Based diet as well as documentary positions.  Please note that the comments listed below are paraphrases and not meant to be seen or used as anything other than a quick reference guide.

• Branch A:

  This branch is a nutritional program which is prescribed to possibly prevent and potentially reverse heart disease.  Generally, juicing is not advised. But, also note that this branch of WFPB is very restrictive as most of the individuals following this branch are individual who have had “life events.”

• Branch B:

  This branch is a nutritional program where the author did extensive medical research on a whole food plant based diet on a large scale.  Generally juicing is not advised.

• Branch C:

  If you are following a nutritional program from any of the health documentaries, generally, juicing is permitted.

• Branch D:

  If you are following a starch-based nutritional program, generally juicing is not advised.

• Branch E:

  If you are following a nutrient-dense, plant rich eating program to reverse chronic illnesses, then juicing is included and encouraged.

Are smoothies permitted?

In order to answer your question about smoothies, let’s take a moment to define a “smoothie” in order to answer the question appropriately.

A smoothie is a thick beverage made from blended raw fruit and/or vegetables with other ingredients.  In addition to blended (fresh or frozen) fruits/vegetables, smoothies may include crushed ice, fruit juices, sweeteners, plant milk, nuts, nut butter, seeds, tea, chocolate, herbal supplements, and/or nutritional supplements.

The health of the smoothie is largely dependent upon its ingredients.  Most individuals who use smoothies on a whole food plant based diet are doing so as a form of alternative medicine.

There are several versions of the Whole Food Plant Based diets out there; some are more restrictive than others. Most of them have the same fundamental philosophies regarding a vegan diet with some additional restrictions.   It just boils down to which WFPB philosophy you wish to follow. Like juicing, smoothies almost carry a religious fervor on whether they are permitted or not.

Listed below are 5 generalizations including some world renown medical doctors (names removed) who author, practice and diagnose patients using a Whole Food Plant Based diet as well as documentary positions.  Please note that the comments listed below are paraphrases and not meant to be seen or used as anything other than a quick reference guide.

• Branch A:

  This branch is a nutritional program which is prescribed to possibly prevent and potentially reverse heart disease.  Generally, smoothies are not advised. But, also note that this branch of WFPB is very restrictive as most of the individuals following this branch are individual who have had “life events”

• Branch B:

  This branch is a nutritional program where the author did extensive medical research on a whole food plant based diet on a large scale.  Smoothies are not necessarily completely restricted, but should be considered a treat.

• Branch C:

  If you are following a nutritional program from any of the health documentaries, generally smoothies are permitted; however, smoothies tend to fall into the “dessert” section of their recipes.

• Branch D:

  If you are following a starch-based nutritional program, generally smoothies are not advised.

• Branch E:

  If you are following a nutrient-dense, plant rich eating program to reverse chronic illnesses, then smoothies are included and encouraged.

After reviewing the information above, you can easily see why there is so much passion around the topics of juicing and smoothies.  The Whole Food Plant Based tree has many beautiful branches.  Each branch offers various views and opinions.

In the end, we feel you should pick whichever whole food plant based branch that works best for you and your family.