Juicing is one of the best things you can do for you health. In liquid form, it’s possible to intake larger quantities of fruits and vegetables than would normally be eaten at a single meal. That’s a great way to boost your daily intake! When you juice primarily fresh, organic produce, you are delivering high level, quality nutrients directly into the bloodstream. As you learn more about what fruits and vegetables contain which nutrients and properties, you can tailor your juices for specific needs. Juicing will benefit the cardiovascular system, aid in detoxification, strengthen the immune system, improve your skin, and help to slow the aging process–and those are just a few of the benefits. If you have a juicer, but have been intimidated or otherwise uninspired to use it on a regular basis, or if you have yet to buy one, I strongly encourage you to make the decision to start juicing as often as possible (even if that’s just once a week at the weekend) and reap the benefits of this rewarding practice! Here are six tips to get you started:
1. Choose a Juicer
There are various different kinds of juicers available, and they range in price from about $70 to $400. Any juicer is better than no juicer, and you can certainly reap the benefits of juicing with a moderately priced machine. You should not feel the need to spend a lot of money on a juicer until the time you know you will be using it consistently, or have very specific needs. Do a little research, and then take the plunge!
- Masticating juicers such as the Champion juicer in my video, really break up the cells, allowing for better extraction of fiber, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. It expels the pulp while it’s juicing, which allows for continuous use.
- Centrifugal juicers grind the fruit first, and then spin it very fast, pushing the juice out through a strainer, and typically yield more juice than the masticating juicers. The centrifugal juicer is the most common type of juicer on the market, and you can certainly buy a fairly decent one at a very reasonable price.
- Triturating juicers first crush, and then press the juice. These juicers are also good at extracting the fibers, vitamins and trace minerals. They also have magnetic and bio-ceramic technology which slows down the oxidation process of the juice (good if you intend to store the juice). Triturating juicers are great for juicing leafy greens and dense, non-pulpy fruit.
2. Give Your Juicer a Prominent Home in Your Kitchen
Don’t let your juicer fall to the same fate as your ice-cream maker or quadruple waffle-making machine, that sits gathering dust on the bottom shelf at the back of the highest cupboard in the kitchen. Your juicer should be somewhere you can see it, and where can use it on the spot (if possible) without having to move it into place each time you want to juice.
3. Buy Organic Produce Whenever Possible
Buy local, organic fruits and vegetables wherever possible. If this isn’t possible, wash them with an organic vegetable cleaner such as Environne Fruit & Vegetable Wash. The wash will strip off any pesticides which you want to avoid including in your delicious, healthy juice.
4. Do the Dirty Work Ahead of Time
Wash and prepare your vegetables as soon as you can after bringing them home. Clean them, dry them well, and seal them in a plastic container, or in Debbie’s Green Bags, which absorb ethylene gas, preventing the vegetables from going bad too quickly. Do not cut the vegetables or fruits up too small, or they will spoil or go brown in any case. Simply wash them and prepare them so they are easier to use when you need them. This way, the most daunting aspect of juicing will be the minimal cleaning at the end.
5. Clean Your Juicer Immediately After Using it
Immediately after juicing, the parts are the easiest to clean. Resist the temptation to leave them until a little later in the day (or worse, the next morning when you want to juice again), or you will have to deal with dried-on pulp that is hard to get off without lots of soaking, and will only deter you from using the juicer again because you will associate it with being a drag to maintain. The good news is that juicers are much easier to clean these days. A quick wash with soapy water and a rinse will do the trick.
6. Have Dedicated Juice Days
It would be great if you had a freshly squeezed juice every day, but that may not be realistic for everyone, or maybe not at this point in time. If that’s the case, start with one or two days a week that you will dedicate to making yourself a fresh juice. Look forward to them, prepare for them, and then go for it! Enjoy your fresh juice knowing that your giving your body an amazingly delicious blast of nutrients, trace minerals and enzymes!
If you have any questions, or would like to share your own juicing tips, please do so in the comments section below! If you have a favorite juice recipe that sounds strange but tastes amazing, tell us that too!