Benefits of Juicing

Start Your Juice Regimen Out Right

Juicing is definitely one of the most popular health trends to have evolved in recent years and people all over the world have been enjoying the benefits of juicing. The main reason people add juicing to their daily regimen is to make juicing for health a priority in their lives and it is certainly a worthy goal. However, as with any new activity, particularly one that is regarded as trendy, a reality check should be taken before starting out. To ensure you are on track, you should consider things like time, space, people, motivation and money.

Money

Initially you will need to be prepared to make a financial investment in your juicing regimen. In addition to the cost of a juicer, which can range from around $100 to upwards of $1,500, you will need to be prepared for a larger than usual grocery bill. You will of course need to purchase fresh produce, much more than you might be accustomed to.

As you become immersed in the culture of juicing, processed and packaged foods will become less of a priority and you will save money by not buying them. In this way, the cost of juicing will become less over time and even out. You will also likely spend less on health remedies as your overall general health improves.

Space

A juicer takes up space, albeit on a counter-top or stored in a cupboard. You need to think about this if you are cramped for kitchen space. It isn’t just the juicer either because you also need space to store your produce. Buying in bulk is the best way to keep produce costs down but you will somewhere suitable to store it until you are ready to juice it. Some produce will require refrigeration so fridge space is also a consideration.

On a practical level, you will also need somewhere to store miscellaneous juicing equipment such as strainers, knives, chopping boards and peelers. Also, you will need to be able to thoroughly wash produce.

Time

Juicing takes time no matter which way you look at it and it is also necessary to consider that juice should be consumed as soon as possible after it is extracted. It you don’t go to work, you can manage the necessary time however, if you go to work, you need to do some planning. While the juicing itself might not take very long, you need to factor in the time necessary for prepping and chopping as well as cleaning up afterwards.

You will need to decide if you are going to get up earlier or prep the night before. If you are doing a juice fast, you will also need time to prepare bottles or containers for storing your lunchtime juice as well as cleaning and storing them.

Motivation

This is an important consideration as you juicing regimen progresses and your commitment is tested. You need to be clear as to why you are juicing because it will help you to remain focused. It will also help you decide which particular juicing regimen you embark upon. For example, if you want to lose weight, you might decide on a juice fast and this can be difficult sometimes in social situations or it might be that you are feeling food deprived at times. Being clear about why you are juicing will help you stay on track.

Negative feedback from friends or family who do not understand the health benefits of juicing can leave you feeling dispirited and it is this type of situation when your motivation for juicing for health will become meaningful and help you to explain why you are on a juicing regimen.

People

When it comes to juicing, the people you live or spend time with will have an opinion about your juicing regimen. It can affect those around you as you fit juicing into family mealtimes. For example, if you are responsible for cooking family meals, will you be able to maintain a cooking regimen as well as a juicing regimen?

Work can be a little tricky too as you juggle bottles of juice and work travel need to be carefully planned for your juicing endeavors to continue uninterrupted. Do you participate in business lunches? Plan how you will manage them so you do not become caught without a lunch juice..

Rather than creating a bleak picture for a juicing regimen, these considerations are useful in that they can provide a blueprint for success. By planning carefully and fully researching some of the issues that can bode for success or failure, you can actually ensure that your juicing regimen will be a rewarding one. It will also allow you to decide what type of juicing regimen will suit you best, that is, a juice fast, a single meal replacement or just breakfast juicing.

Preparing Fruits for Juicing

There’s no denying that juicing is a lot of fun and can add a new dimension to health and wellness. Seasoned juicers will have a stable of favorite juices and be comfortable with preparing produce, but what about if you are a beginner juicer. There is more to juicing than just tossing in your produce into the miracle machine you have just purchased so this article is intended to help turn you into the best beginner juicer on the planet.

It can be a messy business unless you are properly prepared and you will want to move beyond fruits like apples and bananas to take full advantage of your juicer as well as enjoy the nutritional benefits of juicing.

About Juicing

One of the really great things about juicing is that it provides the perfect opportunity to indulge in the taste sensations that come with fresh fruits. One of the side benefits is that as you explore the creative side of juicing fruits, you will likely start to add fruits to other recipes that you make. If you make a point of ensuring that preparation and planning form part of your juicing routine, you’ll soon have some healthy fresh fruit juices to enjoy.

Try some of these easy-to-find fruit selections. A little bit of planning and preparation will make your first juicing adventures fun and healthful. The fruits mentioned below have been included because of the easy availability and taste.

Berries

These include cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. With strawberries, simply rinse, cut off stems and any leaves, but the other berries require rinsing only. Juice them as soon as you can after purchase.

Take the Seeds Out

We are talking about apples here because there can be cyanide in apple seeds. Just take the cores out (including the seeds) and you’re good to go.

Take the Pits Out

The main reason for this is because they could destroy your juicer. It applies to fruits such as cherries, apricots, peaches and plums. Cut these fruits in half to take out the pits. With mangos, you will need to peel the fruit and then slice off the flesh until you reach the pit.

Pith

This is actually very good for you and you should leave as much behind as you can after peeling fruits such as oranges and grapefruits.

Juicing Citrus Peels

It’s best not to juice grapefruit and orange peel because the skins contain indigestible oils. Just peel them and take out the seeds. You can however juice clementine and tangerine peels if you wish, as well as the peels of lemons and limes. Lime and lemon peel is bitter so start out with adding just a little of them until you find the amount that agrees with your taste.

Rhubarb Leaves

These contain toxins and should never be consumed. Just use the long red stalks.

Fruits You Should Peel

Any fruit with a hard, inedible skin or cover with a wax coating should be peeled. These include fruits such as guava, mangoes, cantaloupe, papaya and kiwi fruit.

Other Popular Fruits

You should take off the skin and remove the core from pineapples. With watermelon, you should take the skin off however you can, juice the seeds and rind if you wish. Bananas are a dense fruit that contain little water however you can juice their peels to take advantage of the rich nutrients.

Conclusion

Always remember to carefully wash and scrub if necessary, any fruits that are not organic because of the pesticide factor. In fact you should wash all your produce to ensure you are not consuming unseen bacteria and/or surface dirt and the residue from pesticides. If you still have concerns, simply peel it. Otherwise enjoy your new found status as a beginning juicing enthusiast.

Tips to Save on Juicing

While juicing is definitely a good thing for your health, there are costs involved. Purchasing a juicer can be a costly activity as can buying large quantities of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. We’ve provided some tips for you that will help to keep the costs of juicing down as well as save you some time. 

The Juicer

A juice extractor will be your main expense and in the interest of long term savings, it is best to avoid cheap juicers. These tend to break quickly and often do not operate efficiently which means you will end up spending more on produce and eventually replacing the juicer. However, you can still purchase the best juicer for the money without the massive price tag. Here are some tips:

• Buy a used juicer that has been well looked after (try Craigslist or local classifieds). You can use Google alerts to receive notifications of new posts for juice extractors
• Check department stores for coupons and/or sales
• Always check Amazon.com for your favorite brand because they often have sales
• Ask around your friends and family to see if anyone has a juicer they want to sell, or maybe they received an extra one as a wedding gift and want to sell the duplicate

Fruits and Vegetables

These can also be expensive but again, there are ways to keep costs down.

• Buy locally grown seasonal produce where possible because it tends to be cheaper
• Buy in bulk where possible from warehouses like Sam’s or Costco
• Check your area for a farmers market and befriend a farmer who will be able to keep you up to date with current and upcoming good buys. They may also be prepared to sell ‘end of day produce’ very cheaply
• Check your local newspaper for leads on fresh cheap produce
• Don’t waste money buying large quantities of produce you haven’t tried before – just in case you don’t like it. Collard greens are a good example of this. Purchase a small amount first, even though it will likely be more expensive per pound. It will still be cheaper than buying a large quantity and then throwing it out because you find you don’t like it.

Save Time

If you put a little effort into produce preparation, you can actually save a lot of time when it comes to juicing. Likewise, developing routines and other procedural good habits, can also make a big difference.

• Prepare produce before you start juicing. Try washing and chopping them the previous evening so they are ready to go for the morning.
• Prepare the juicer – if you juice first thing in the morning, you should have prepared your juicer so it is ready to go the previous evening
• If you plan on taking your juice with you in a container, ensure it is cleaned and ready to use.
• If you use jars to take juice with you for the day, make sure the jars are cleaned and set out beside your juicer, all ready to go. Ditto for the lids.
• When collecting pulp, be sure to line the pulp ejection container with a plastic bag as it will save you time having to clean it. Simply drop the bag in the trash or empty the pulp into your compost.
• Before using the juicer, fill your sink with hot soapy water so you can place the relevant pieces of your juicer into the sink for soaking and cleaning. That way, it will be clean and ready to go for when you get home from work.

Conclusion

These tips will save you time and money with the additional benefit of ensuring that your juicing efforts will not be tedious. You can enjoy the health benefits of juicing without it costing you an arm and a leg.

Because juicing is here to stay and is currently one of the most popular health trends on the planet, it stands to reason that there are some aspects of it that either require clarification or indeed, would be better avoided. The practice of healthy juicing is constantly evolving and there are several things that can take the experience from good to great.

So with this in mind, these tips for the best way to juice are designed in terms of specific things to do and not to do so that you can make healthy juicing even better. Also, individuals have a variety of reasons for wanting to add juicing to their lifestyle so be sure to filter these tips to your own requirements.

General Juicing Tips

DO’s

• Make a plan that sets out when and where you will juice
• Be sure to wash all produce before juicing
• If you are using produce that is not organic, peel it
• Have a plan in place to store and transport your juice – assuming you won’t be at home to consume it
• Develop the habit of cleaning up preparation areas immediately after preparing produce for juicing
• After you are done using your juicer, be sure to disassemble and leave it to soak, or try cleaning it right away. Cleaning is way easier if you do this.
• Try to observe the following ratio as a rule of thumb: 4:2, green to pink, with 4 representing vegetables and 2 representing fruits.
• The best way to juice will always involve keeping a record of what you liked the best and also any juices you thought were less than stellar.

DON’TS

Be wary of adding strong or bitter produce to your juice, such as onion and garlic, as well as bitter greens. Go for ‘less’ until you are accustomed to the flavors.

Health Juicing Tips

DO’s

• Read up on all the best practice information that you can find
• Use balance and variety wherever possible
• Find out which vegetables and fruits can help with any of your health issues
• If you are taking medication(s), always check first with your doctor to check if your medication will be affected by concentrated amounts of certain fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli and grapefruit for example
• Diabetics should stick to low low-sugar fruits such as limes, lemons, cranberries and rhubarb.

DON’TS

Discontinue prescribed medications unless your doctor says so

Weight Loss Juicing Tips

DO’s

• If you decide to do a juice fast, find out what is going to be involved before you start
• Decide how you are going to accommodate your juice fast with things like travel, work and family
• Work out how you are going to transition yourself into and out of a juice fast. Cold turkey is not the best way to handle it if you are aiming to be successful.
• After you are done with your juice fast, think about and plan for what you are going to eat so you don’t undo all the good work you have achieved with weight loss
• Enjoy the adventure of experimenting with new tastes and juices

DON’TS

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that when you finish a juice fast, the weight you just lost will stay off if you go back to your old lifestyle

Financial Juicing Tips

DO’s

• You will be purchasing more produce than usual
• Plan for larger grocery bills
• Buy a juicing machine that is in line with your budget
• Have fun planning to shop for smaller clothes as your healthy lifestyle kicks in

Social Juicing Tips

DO’s

• Expect some negative feedback because not everyone agrees that juicing is a good thing, particularly if you are doing a juice fast
• Share your juices with family members for fun
• Stay positive by keeping your original goals for juicing handy

DON’TS

• Don’t preach about juicing but let your new lifestyle do the talking instead
• If you are travelling or attending work functions etc, be prepared so you don’t end up eating something you shouldn’t

Conclusion

The biggest ‘do’ of all involves accepting personal kudos for taking the initiative to improve your health through juicing. You have discovered the best way to juice that meets your individual health requirements while at the same time partaking of a positive addition to your lifestyle.

Juicing for energy or any other reason cannot be pinned down to any type of science or formula for success. People’s likes and dislikes are varied and what one person likes, another might not. Sometimes books about juicing can be overflowing with the theoretical aspects of juicing and others can be filled with recipes. Decide where you fit on the continuum and gather some information. 

Before you start out with creating your own juicing recipes, it’s always a good idea to check out some existing recipes as a base from which to start, take into account the type of juicer you’ll be using and then make a note of any particular likes and dislikes you have with regard to fruits and vegetables.

The reason why juice recipes for energy are popular is because of the high nutrient levels that can be obtained from creating fresh juices and they are also easily digestible so that those nutrients are quickly absorbed into your system, providing you with an energy hit.

Directions

The directions for most recipes are pretty much the same and they are as follows:

Wash and peel depending on personal preference
Take out the seeds if you don’t like them or if they are very hard
Chop and prepare produce
Feed the produce through your juicer
Stir and add ice
Drink immediately where possible

Depending on the type of juicer you use, it’s worth noting that adding a hard fruit or vegetable after soft ones makes it easier to clean the juicer afterwards. So the directions are not difficult and you’ll find that when it comes to creating recipes, you can be as conservative or ‘out there’ as you please depending on individual taste.

Ingredients

If you take a look at some existing juice recipes, the ingredients are usually listed in the order that you would add them to your juicer. Green juice is very popular at the moment for anyone who is seeking to create juicer recipes for energy so we can do a small case study on three green juices, created by three different people to see what the common denominators there are and where you might want to change things up to create your own recipes.

The green juices have been created by Joe Cross, Megan Markey from Whole Family Fare and Torrie Green from MindBodyGreen. They are presented in a chart so you can see similarities, commonalities and differences between them at a glance.

Analysis

When you look at the ingredients that each person has used, the common ones are kale, lemon and ginger. To those common ingredients a variety of fruits and vegetables have been added, depending on personal preference. The kale provides the green element while the lemon and ginger will provide a zingy taste. The other ingredients are provided to ensure volume in the juice and/or taste.

You can see that Torrie has used pears instead of the apples that Joe has included. When it comes to volume, the cantaloupe Torrie has used pretty much makes up for Joe’s 2 extra celery stalks.
Megan has used apples in preference to the cucumber and celery Joe has used.

Elements to Note

Base Juice
In creating these three different green juices, a base flavor has been created from apples and/or pears. Added to this is a bulky piece of produce that doesn’t have a powerful flavor. In this example cucumber, celery and cantaloupe has been used.

Green Goodness
In these examples Kale provided the green factor and 6 – 8 leaves per person would appear to be the norm but you can experiment and develop your own preferences. It’s also handy to bone up on your knowledge of greens because for example 6 – 8 leaves of collard greens will have a far more powerful taste than the kale.

Zing Factor
Lemon and ginger provide the ‘zing’ and you can adjust the amount depending on personal preference. Many people like the ‘zing’ first thing in the morning and if you are looking to create juice recipes for energy, you can have as little or as much as you want.

Conclusion
Creating your own new juice recipes for energy is all about experimenting and you can easily apply the comparison method as shown here by analyzing existing recipes you find in magazines or online. Even if you do develop a recipe template of your own it’s worth remembering that the variable nature or fresh produce means the juice yield and flavor will be a little different, even when you use the same recipe. It’s about experimenting and having fun after all.