Hi everyone,
Today I am going to talk about juicing! I know there are many of you who realize you probably don’t eat enough greens, vegetables and other things which affect your health positively. Many of you already have a juicer, and some of you that do actually use it on a regular basis. That’s great!
Juicing is an excellent way to get large nutritional benefits without having to physically eat a volume of foods which might easily be impossible to consume (1/2 dozen carrots, a large beet with tops, ½ bunch of celery – is one of my standard “health” mixes). Juicing allows you to drink most of the nutrients you would get from eating a huge amount of food, in a glass or 2 of the same foods’ extracted juices.
Benefits of juicing
There is a handful of benefits that regular juicers reap:
• Healthy. Making a small investment in a high-quality juicer is one of the best things you can do for your overall well-being. Raw juice is teeming with micro nutrients that most individuals do not receive from their modern diet. Drinking fresh juice is almost like getting an intravenous injection of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Drinking juice first thing in the morning will give you a natural boost of energy without turning to stimulants such as coffee.
• Low calories. Fruits and vegetables have very low-calorie content. Unlike carbs, fats, and proteins you’re really going to have to try hard to overdo it.
• Easy to consume. Let’s be honest. Not all of us enjoy consuming a whole plate stacked full with broccoli and Brussel Sprouts for a quick snack. It is much more manageable (and quicker if you want to gulp it down and power through) large servings of fruits and vegetables. Juicing is the most efficient means of getting your fruits and vegetables.
• Low cost. Juicing is a habit that can be acquired at a relatively low cost. Obviously the biggest investment you’ll need to make is a quality juicer. Other than that, you have to eat already, so why not spend a larger portion of your grocery Bill on vegetables and fruits.
• Easy to digest. Since the juice is already in liquid form, it doesn’t need to be broken down by the stomach. The vitamins and minerals will go straight into your system. Nearly all health authorities recommend 6 to 8 servings of vegetables a day but how many of us actually hit that target. Juicing is a great way to easily hit those daily targets.
I am going to briefly go over the different juicer types, and tell you what I think the best one available for the money is. (I recently had to replace my own juicer) My mother gave it to me in the early 1970s as a move into my first place on my own gift – it finally quit, forcing me find another one, and I did substantial research before I purchased.
There are 4 basic types of juicers:
1. Centrifugal Juice Extractors – High RPM, High Heat
This is the most common type of juicer. These typically utilize a fast-spinning metal blade that spins against a mesh filter, separating juice from flesh via centrifugal force. The juice and pulp are then separated into different containers. The problem with centrifugal juicers is that the fast-spinning metal blade generates heat, which destroys some of the enzymes in the fruits and vegetables you’re juicing. The heat also oxidizes those nutrients, rendering less nutritious juice than a cold-press juicer.
* Will not juice wheat grass
2. Masticating, Auger Juice Extractor – Low RPM, Low Heat
This type of juicer is newer to the juicing scene and provides some advantages over other juicers. It operates by using a single auger that rotates at low revolutions per minute (rpm), typically about 80 rpm. The fruit and vegetables are squeezed and pressed while moving forward as the juice flows into one receptacle, and the pulp into a separate receptacle. Low RPM juicers preserve nutrient value as there is less heat, friction, and oxidation. This type of juicer is easy to clean and will juice wheat grass and leafy greens with excellent efficiency. The single augur juicer is somewhat slower than centrifugal juicers, especially on carrots. Great Versatility: makes nut butters, frozen fruit desserts, baby food and can make pasta shapes like spaghetti and linguine.
3. Twin Gear Juicer – Low RPM, Low Heat
This type of juicer uses inter-meshing stainless steel twin gears to squeeze and press fruits and vegetables. It operates at less than 200 RPM so nutrient value is high and the effective squeezing by twin gears produces highest yield. The twin gear juicer will juice all fruits and vegetables including wheat grass and leafy greens, make pasta shapes, nut butters and frozen fruit desserts. These juicers are larger and heavier than other juicers. There is a longer cleaning time and they are more expensive that other juicers. They are preferred by raw food enthusiasts because of the high nutrient value and high yield.
4. Cold Press Juicer – NO RPM, Low Heat
This is the granddaddy of them all. Press juicers extract the most liquid than any other juicer out there. Experts claim that these types of juicers produce the purest and best tasting juice out there with ZERO pulp and foam! These require a 2-stage process; the material to be pressed needs to be run through another device, such as a blender or food processor first, or in the case of the more expensive units such as a Norwalk, run through it’s built in processor, then the resulting finely broken up material is placed in the press itself, which can be hydraulic, or hand powered, which produces the juice, leaving the material very dry and compressed. These are the most expensive of all juicer types and are preferred by raw food enthusiasts because of the high nutrient value and high yield.
Given the cost of juicers and the quality of the juice produced, my pick was the Omega NC900-HDC. This juicer is fairly easy to clean, produces WAY more juice than my older centrifugal juicer. It is fairly easy to compare by using 3 carrots or something similar with same size, and see how much juice is produced and what the pulp looks like. The centrifugal juicers leave very wet pulp while the masticating types leave almost completely dry pulp. The masticating juicers produce far more juice from the same material than centrifugal juicers, AND don’t produce hardly any heat, with less negative effects on the juice itself.
Add Omega’s 15 year warranty, and you have an outstanding winner!
Please click the link below to see see my Top Pick at Amazon: