Get Your Juices Flowing by Dena Harris  Item Number: article12

Why Juicers?

Juicers are different from blenders or food processors, which don’t separate a fruit from its fiber. By removing the fiber, juicing eliminates a separate digestive process your body would normally have to go through, and allows for the almost immediate assimilation (20-30 minutes) of nutrients directly into your bloodstream. These nutrients are missing from commercial juices, which have been pasteurized. Juicing at home is the most efficient way to obtain large quantities of vitamins and minerals in a form most readily available for your body to use.

History of Juicing

It’s to Dr. Norman Walker, PhD. that we attribute the modern juicing craze. Living in London as a young man before the turn of the twentieth century, Dr. Walker was overworked and filled with stress. As a result, he became seriously ill. Determined to overcome his illness, Dr. Walker embarked on a life-long healthy eating program where he ate only raw (uncooked) foods, which he called “Living Foods.” After recovering from his illness, Dr. Walker went on to become a leading nutritionist, writing numerous books on healthy living and living to the ripe old age of 118.

Types of Juicers

Dr. Walker is also known for inventing, in 1930, the Norwalk Press Juicer, still available today. The world’s first masticating juicer—The Champion Juicer—was invented in 1954. Centrifugal, low speed/high speed masticating, and hydrolic presses all offer different juice quality for those interested in juicing.
• Centrifugal Juicers are one of the oldest juicer designs, and juice at a high rate of speed, introducing a lot of oxygen into the juice. If using a centrifugal juicer, you must drink your juice immediately upon making it.
• Masticating Juicers introduce lower amounts of oxygen so juice retains its nutrients over a longer period of time.
• Juice Presses introduce very little oxygen and therefore produce the highest quality juice.

There is no one “right” juicer. Select a juicer based on your family’s needs and lifestyle. However, do look for ease of use and clean-up, which will make you more likely to use your juicer on a daily basis.

I’m Not Eating That

Try feeding your kids a plate of beets and see how far you get. Juicing is a fun way to get your family—especially kids—to eat produce they may otherwise turn their noses up at – beets, celery, cabbage, grapefruit, kale, and wheat grass, just to name a few.

Of course, there are also the much loved fruits – apple, orange, kiwi, pineapple. The beauty of juicing is that you can experiment with flavors and find combinations your family loves. Just don’t go overboard. It may be fun to play with your juicer and throw in ten fruits all at once, but you’ll get your best tasting juices when you limit combinations to 2-3 fruits and vegetables, using one ingredient as the main flavor and letting the others act as enhancers.

If you’re new to juicing, go slow at first to avoid digestive upsets. If you’re not juicing with your own food, try to buy organic produce, which will cut back on the amount of chemicals residues that may find their way into your juice.

You can begin by experimenting with these tasty recipes:

Sparkling Fruit Juice

1/2 mango, peeled and sliced
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 kiwi, peeled
sparkling mineral water

Process fruit in a juicer and pour into a large glass.  Fill to top with sparkling water.

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Carrot Juice

2 1/2 lbs. carrots
beet with greens
1 stalk celery
1 large handful spinach
1 large handful parsley
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1 slice ginger

Scrub organic carrots; peel inorganic carrots. Clean and slice beet into thin wedges. Wash and dry spinach leaves and parsley. Juice half of the carrots and beet. Add remaining ingredients using the remaining carrots to push them through. Complete by juicing carrots. Makes 1 Quart

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Monkey Shake

½ orange, peeled (leave white pithy part on)
½ papaya peeled
1 banana
Orange twist for garnish

Juice orange and papaya in a juicer. Combine juice and banana in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Garnish with orange twist.

 

Easy Does It

Juicing is a convenient way to make sure you and your family take in the nutrients needed to strengthen your heart and bones, cleanse your system, and contribute to the reduction of various cancers. With the fiber removed, the nutrients in juicing pack more of a wallop than if you’d eaten the fruit or vegetable whole. However, juicing is not meant to be a total replacement for eating fruits and vegetables. Use it in combination for best results.