juicing or smoothies better?

HI, I recently read Eat More Raw, by Steve Charter.
In the book he mentions that he uses a manual juicer, and it is enough for him.
Now.....for a long time previous I had been thinking of getting some kind of juicer, but was confused what to get, plus the enormous prices of some of them put me off

Anyhow, inspired by Steve Charter's book, I tried to do some research about manual juicers. But I got even more confused. Why?
because I was finding that they were limited to mainly wheatgrass and just a few others veg.

SO...I tried to communicate with Steve, sending him emails asking him what Juicer he had, and about my confusion. he ignores my first two posts, and then I send him a reminder and I receive this reply:

"I used a pockert juicer at the time when I was living at Ecoforest, there are many more available now. Pockerts are tough. I can't answer lots of emails because my main work is as a sustainability consultant and I'm busy with that, and I'm also very busy with my family and hte community where I live.
So, I am sorry but I can't go on answering emails.
You make life easier by buying a relatively cheap centrifugal juicer, which I used when I started, and then went back to after returning from Ecoforest.
I hope that helps, good luck with everything.
If you get stuck on anything, experiment!
Steve"

Does this reply confuse YOU like it did me? If not , care to explain it? I daren't contact him again as he seems not to want to fraternize with the peasants ...who buy his book

Also, I saw this video at Youtube which featured Julian who runs a famous Raw Food retaurant in California. He dismissed Juicers, saying "nature doesn't juice". So they blend. He must mean that the pulp is lost when you juice.

So can I have responses, cause i am confused about this. whether to just use the blender i HAVE got, or go for a Juicer too?..? And IF so, which one do YOU recommend?

I am getting into eating more raw food too.

We used to have a juicer, and I found it a real PAIN to use & clean.  It was probably not top-of-the-line, but I bet they're all tough to clean.  Which makes it not fun to use!

But lately, I've started making smoothies every day with just my blender, and I LOVE IT!  Carrots do great in the blender - I was surprised at how good the consistency gets - and you use lots more quantity when you're blending as opposed to juicing.  The only things I've had problems with in the blender so far are things like blackberries & raspberries, b/c of the seeds.  Oh - and DH doesn't like the texture created when I blend pineapples.

I would totally say go for some fun things with your blender first.

Juice is great but the pulp and peels contain much of the solid nutrients. If you are juicing to lose weight the investment might be worth a juicer and the clean-up effort but if you just want health nothing wrong with a blender. But seems to me even blenders are hard to clean.

I love our juicer, it isn't exactly top of the line and although I don't mind cleaning it, everyone else in my house moans about it so you might find it troublesome.  It's a Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.  It doesn't do wheatgrass, which is a minus, but it does great with most other greens, fruits, and veggies.  Drinking juice is a different experience than a smoothie, though I love smoothies they're more like food, where fresh juice is like a shot of energy for me.  I think if you're planning on going raw or even just want to incorporate more raw food into your diet a juicer would be a solid investment.  Some of my favorite juice combinations are apple+ginger(+carrot, beet, kale...actually pretty much anything), and collards+lemon+pear.

Also, in regards to juicing for weight loss, I think it would be more beneficial for weight loss purposes to eat the whole fruit/veggie or make a smoothie, since the fiber is largely what fills you up and is also what you lose in juicing.  Juicing you get nutrients + sugar, delicious and healthy, but not necessarily low calorie or something that will help you lose weight....just my 2¢.

I too eat a lot of raw.  I bought a vitamix blender, and it is now my favorite thing in the kitchen.  They are the most impressive blender out there (IMO).  They pulverize EVERYTHING, and they are self cleaning (you just put water and soap in them and turn them on, then rinse).  You can make just about anything in the blender (baby food, dressing, peanut butter, mayo, soup, raw food juices, ice cream, sherbert).  The list is endless. 
(I don't sell them btw lol!)

The only drawback, is that they cost a pretty penny  (around 450.00) but omg they are so worth the price

I have been juicing off and on for 35 years, yeh old hippie, anyway my first centrifgal juicer was the first thing i ever bought on credit, it Was a champion, it mad 16 oz of beautiful clear liquid. Carrot was my first love. It was a nuisance to clean, however, at the time it was the only appliance I had and it was worth it. I have since had many, the juiceman juicer, not to be confused with the Jack Lalane juicer(which I returned) was ther best. His book was and is a great reference book and the juicer was a workhorse. My 21 year old has my second one at her home, I have moved on to the Breville. My only complaint it the feed hole is so big and it is so powerful, that proper assembly and cafeful prep is needed or it will take off into outer space, It works quickly and with so many years of juicing, cleaning just comes with the territory and the pulp goes in the compost. no waste.....I also grow wheat grass from time to time, and the hand crank wheat grass juicer is plastic and does the job, I would not use my breville for the delicate process of wheat grass juice, Jay Kordich's book has so many realistic suggestions and facts..... you will be excited to juice.

This is an area that I know very little, but there is one little tidbit that I thought I would toss in:  my understanding is that the GI of almost anything is higher when it is juiced. 

Plus, doesn't the food seem just a little more processed juiced?

YES IT IS MORE PROCESSED, AS WE CANNOT AVOID POLLUTION ENTIRELY, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE A PROCLIVITY  TO CERTAIN PHYSICAL WEAKNESSES, AT TIMES THERAPY IS NEEDEED. The thing about juicing is the therapeutic benefits, I have treated menstrual issues, in the day that was an issue, and have done liver cleanses, beet n' apple,  as I did have my party days. Anyway the juice can be therapeutic, and medicinal. If you are an individual , so clean and wholly organic, this may not be necessary, but as I am trapped between two worlds I am realistic and look to nature to nurture me in many ways. I am still looking for info on generatin my own water kefir chrystals. Or should  I say growing more from my little bit'o stuff.    thanks

Ronda, we went back and forth for no less than two years over whether we ought to spring for the high priced vitamix. We finally did and there's not a week that goes by that we don't use it at least five times. These puppies do everything, and all of it better. We make ice cream in it, hot vegetable soup, I must make salad dressing three times a week anyway, and we also mill fresh flour from grains before we bake (amazing taste).

Yep, I'm pro-vitamix now. Expensive but worth the investment. WAY WAY easier than the centrifugal juice we used to use and nothing gets thrown away. The fiber in the fruit or veggies gets liquified and everything tastes pretty yummy.

warmly,
Jacqueline
www.FriendlyHaven.com