The concept of healthful juicing has been around for some time now. I’m not talking about Treetop Apple Juice, Welch’s Grape Juice or sugary Jamba Juice; this is real, fresh, fibrous and vibrantly colorful fruit and vegetable juice. In this post I’ll discuss what juicing is, selecting a juicing method, how to make your own juices, and some delicious recipes!
So what is juicing, exactly?
Here’s a quick breakdown. There are several types of juicing: namely slow-juicing with a juicer, and fine blending with a high-speed blender.
Let’s talk about slow-juicing. Here’sa video of how a slow-juicer works. Basically, it squeezes the liquid out of the fruit or vegetable and spits out the fiber. What you end up with is a color-dense liquid which is only a fraction of the entire fruit/vegetable mass. This is why pressed juices are so expensive ($7-$12+ per bottle!).
Now let’s talk about what I like to call fine blending. When you fine-blend your produce, you keep the whole fruit/vegetable in the final product. Should you want a more liquid-y drink, you can strain out some of the fiber by hand; otherwise, you might want to use a metal straw.
The pros and cons to remember
- Eat RAW: The huge benefit of juicing (either way) is that it usually introduces more raw fruits and vegetables to the diet. And, it’s quick. You can make yourself one or two servings of fruits and vegetables at breakfast in no time.
- Fiber: A fine blender keeps the fiber. Fiber naturally regulates our sugar intake so that we don’t have sugar highs (and crashes) from eating fruit. This also means the juice is thicker and will often separate if left unconsumed, even for a few minutes (all you have to do is stir). A slow-juicer throws out the fiber, rendering a smoother juice. But without fiber, you’re risking a lot of sugar intake without this natural regulator.
- Keepability: Due to the fine chopping, blended juice needs to be consumed ASAP. Slow-juicer juices can be kept refrigerated for several days.
Why I use a fine blender
Let me be honest. I love the taste of a slow-pressed juice. But here’s the thing. Not only are slow juicers expensive, but they also throw out a lot of the produce. To me, it feels a bit wasteful.
Using a fine blender means that when I juice an apple or some kale leaves, I’m actually eating the whole food, not just extracting liquid.
I also enjoy the healthy dose of fiber with an otherwise sweet beverage! In order to keep our juice from separating, we use these dishwasher-safe Epica Steel Drinking Straws
What juicer should you use?
We were lucky enough to receive a Vitamix Professional Series 300
I know, the Vitamix is expensive. BUT! You don’t have to use a Vitamix in order to get in on the juicing goodness. Almost any blender will chop and blend fruits and veggies– it’s just important to work with it carefully.
Tips for Juicing with a Blender
- Make sure there’s plenty of liquid before you start, or your blender will struggle. I can’t stress this enough! I usually add water to blends and it works beautifully.
- Chop up the hard stuff beforehand. Carrots, beets, and other tougher vegetables are difficult for weaker blenders to chop. Make sure the pieces you put in your blender are no larger than 1 cubic-inch. (You can prep these and store in the fridge for the week.)
- Add ice cubes later; use frozen fruit. We all like our juices to be cold. But ice cubes can really slow down the blending process. I recommend either adding ice to the completed juice or putting frozen fruit (which is softer) in the blender. By the way, frozen fruit is usually cheaper than fresh fruit!
- Buy organic when possible. Organic foods are becoming more readily available at grocery stores, which is great! And when in doubt, avoid the “dirty dozen“.
- Apples are AMAZING. They add wonderful flavor, volume and fiber to any juice.
What should you juice?
- GREENS: kale, chard, collards, spinach, lettuce, dandelion greens, beet greens, celery, basil, mint
- ROOTS: beets, carrots, ginger
- FRESH WHOLE FRUIT: apples, pears, bananas, oranges (peeled), lemons, limes, cucumbers, grapes, kiwis, peaches, plums
- FROZEN FRUIT: berries, mangoes, pineapples, bananas
A few of my juicing recipes
Kale + Apple + Lemon + Frozen Mango
- 3 leaves kale (center stem removed)
- 1 apple
- 1 lemon slice (including rind!)
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
Carrot + Ginger + Apple + Lemon
- 2 carrots
- 1 slice of ginger
- 1 apple
- 1 lemon slice
Beet + Berry + Chard + Apple
- 2 beets
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 leaf chard
- 1 apple
Do you consider yourself a juicer? Will you give this a try?
