To Juice or Not to Juice…
If you asked me this time last year what I thought about “juicing”, the first thing to pop into my head would have been yet another pro-athlete accused of taking performance enhancing drugs. It most definitely would not have involved vegetables. But, now when I talk to family and friends about my own experience with juicing I want to laugh out loud at myself. What a difference a few months can make.

At first glance the idea of vegetable juicing generally evokes fear and disdain in people. It brings to mind either off-the-grid hippies or the rich celebutantes sitting around sipping wildly colored concoctions fresh from their overpriced “magic” juice machines. Juicing sounds time consuming. It sounds expensive. It sounds like something the average person just couldn’t do on a regular basis. But, in truth it is not that time consuming, doesn’t need to be expensive, and is one of the best things I have done for my health in a very long time! But, at first it does seem extremely daunting. I know I was downright petrified.
Yes, I was petrified. It sounded way too much for even me. However, last October I vowed to myself I would do ANYTHING and everything possible to not spend this winter they way I did last winter: Sick as a DOG for four months straight. Between the bitterly frigid weather, germ infested subway cars, and working my Clarke Kent job as a temp (where I’m generally walking into someone else’s cesspool of germs); I just had one lingering cold after another. The culmination of this awful four month germ filled existence was two months of antibiotics and steroids for a bad case of strep throat. Seriously, after six months being ill, I decided to give juicing a shot! But, where should I start? And why even do it?

I didn’t know the first thing about juicing except for the few late night infomericals I’d seen on some sleepless night over the years. So off to researching I went…and found out some pretty interesting things.

First, juicing has been around since the dawning of time. There is mention of it in the Dead Sea Scrolls (which date from before 150 b.c. to about 70 a.d.) and ancient Ayurvedic practices. Juicing has been touted as a cure all for everything from bad skin to cancers, helps you lose weight, control cholesterol, give you endless energy, etc. It sounded like a magic pill. Sure there are lots of health claims but I needed to know exactly what makes juicing so good for you.

WHAT IS JUICING?
First, you need a JUICER. A Juicer is a machine, which separates the fiber and juice from the fruits and vegetables. Generally speaking the fiber goes out the back of the machine and juice is filtered down into your pitcher for drinking.

SO WHY IS THIS A GOOD THING?
WHY JUICE AT HOME?

By taking away the fiber, what you are left with is a concentrated array of nutrients, making it an easier and convenient way to consume a greater volume of produce than you could ever comfortably consume in raw or cooked form. Plus juicing does not destroy any of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables like cooking does.

Also fresh produce doesn’t contain any of the unhealthy hard to read fillers or ingredients that prepared foods contain. You don’t have to read any labels or do any guesswork to know you’re drinking 100 percent juice. Obviously, the quality of what you put into the juicer effects what you get out of it so it is best to try to get pesticide free/organic fruits and veggies OR do an apple cider rinse to get as much residue off as possible (more on this later)

We talked about fiber in the last blog. Part of fiber’s job is to SLOW down digestion and make you feel full faster and longer. “Feeling fuller faster and longer is a good thing, right?” Yes, in general terms this is excellent. But, because juicing removes the fiber from produce, the result is juice that is almost completely self-digesting. The nutrients are absorbed almost immediately by your body. So in this instance if you want quadruple the amount of nutrients you’re getting daily or have health issues that inhibit full digestion this is a great ADDITION to your diet.

Juicing makes it easy to achieve what’s sometimes called rainbow nutrition, IE consuming the widest possible variety of fruits and vegetables every day. The color of each fruit or vegetable signals its unique vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, antioxidants, anti-carcinogens, detoxifying agents, digestive aids, natural blood purifiers, blood thinners, immune stimulants, and memory enhancers. So the more colors you get the better the rainbow. I personally use juicing as a way to add in those vegetables that I wouldn’t normally eat or am not particularly fond of: beets, cabbage, squash, Brussel sprouts, etc.

Juicing makes it easy to get the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables for health and disease prevention. This doesn’t mean you can juice and forgo eating any other veggies. (more on this later)

There is also the Synergy aspect of juicing. Many nutrients need to work together to enjoy maximum performance and really strut their nutritional stuff. For instance, vitamin E is most effective when it’s combined with vitamin C and the mineral selenium, while beta-carotene boosts the benefits of zinc and many other nutrients. By adding a wide array of vegetables that might not normally go together in a dish, you can more easily get the “rainbow” of nutrients you need.

“Can’t I just talk a multivitamin to get my rainbow/synergy” (several people asked this question). I take supplements myself but, they are not the optimal way to get complete nutrition for several reasons. 1) why go to a middle man when you can go right to source I say. 2) in nature most vitamins come in several different forms for example Vitamin E has 8 different forms which all have unique functions. If you look at any multi-vitamin you see they usually only provide one form not the full array of vitamin E. However, in nature generally it provides most if not all forms together at once. And in many cases the other companion nutrients needed for proper absorption 3) multivitamins are generally formulated using outdated information and it takes a while before they start catching up to new research. See my blog on Vitamin U as a great example 4) They are usually synthetic or manufactured forms of these vitamins. Which leads us to 5) The debate in the nutrition world as to whether or not supplements are processed by the body in the same way natural vitamins and minerals are. Also, what effect does not having natural enzymes and all forms of the vitamin play on overall health.

What convinced me to try juicing the most was learning about the “Enzyme Action” it gave. Fresh juice contains tons of enzymes — Chemicals in fruits and vegetables that are catalysts for the biochemical reactions behind every function the body performs: process carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and proteins, convert large food chemicals into smaller ones that are more easily absorbed and used by the body, detoxification, deliver hormones, purify blood, balance cholesterol, build immune system, prevent inflammation, etc . These vital enzymes are easily destroyed through cooking and not found in processed foods. Therefore, ingesting raw fruits and vegetables is best. But, if you can’t get enough the old fashion way, this is a great additional tool to get there.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
I didn’t have the slightest clue what I was doing at first. But, I knew I had to buy a juicer, right. That’s simple, right? Not so much. There were tons of different brands ranging in cost from sixty to nearly a thousand bucks. There are masticating, centrifugal and triturating (twin gear) juicers. HUH? All that information was mind boggling. In the end when I decided what my priorities were the decision was easy.

After two weeks of researching and pondering I decided 1) there was no way I could afford nor did I need some 800 dollar twin gear juicer. 2) I was NOT going to spend time cutting up things small enough for the tiny feeding tubes on some brands. 3) the machine HAD to be super easy and fast to clean 4) it had to be moderately priced. Last but, definitely not least 5) it had to work really well.

The brand I personally chose was the 5-speed Breville Ikon. It had all of the things that I thought would make my life easier, plus it had all 4s and 5s in customer reviews I read all over the web. Plus, I found it for 1/3 the recommended asking price. Okay, cool…

NOW WHAT?

CHOOSING VEGETABLES RECIPES: Well hopefully by now my blog has provided some information about WHAT different vegetables do for you health. It’s exactly the same idea when thinking about juicing recipes. What are you shooting for? Better immune system? Do you smoke? Have liver issues? Want clearer skin? There are recipes geared toward just about anything you can think of. Do a little online work and find out what different uses vegetables have and create your own recipes from there.

HOW DO I MAKE IT TASTE GOOD: Taste is subjective, but the best trick I have learned is add Green apples and Carrots to everything. I have juiced some pretty crazy concoctions so far but, by adding these two ingredients no matter what I did came out tasting great. With the exception of beets, I also add ginger powder/fresh ginger to offset that taste. But everything else: collards, mustard greens, squash, radish, etc are all easily masked by green apple and carrots.

WHAT ABOUT MY BLOOD SUGAR: This is particularly important thing to note. Since you are getting rid of fiber that means you’re getting lots of nutrients from your fruits and vegetables and also sugar. The best use of this process is vegetable juicing. Fruits are best eaten whole as the fiber slows the absorption of sugar. So, don’t think you can just sip kiwi strawberry smoothies all day (cough Michael cough Mother). Some vegetables like beets and carrots also contain a fair amount of sugar so don’t make them the largest ingredient. If you are diabetic consult your doctor/nutritionist about what they believe are the best recipes for you.

DOES THIS MEAN NO MORE “EATING” MY VEGGIES: Um NO. You still need to actually EAT vegetables as their fiber is vital to your health. If you don’t believe me, I wrote huge blog all about fiber last week!

THIS SOUNDS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE: I spend on average about 20 dollars a week on vegetables for juicing. That’s less then eating out one night. I buy a huge bag of carrots and apples for sure. Then I rotate different vegetables during the week. I buy seasonal vegetables for the most part as they are cheaper. Then I go for the gusto buy at least one item I wouldn’t NORMALLY eat: brussel sprouts..yes I hate brussel sprouts. Ha ha. But, also think about how many vegetables you buy each month that never get eaten and go to waste, that is now a thing of the past for me. If it’s in there it will get juiced or eaten.

DO I NEED TO ONLY BUY EXPENSIVE ORGANICS: I personally can’t afford to buy all organic vegetables all the time. Also, some vegetables and fruits are more likely to have residue from pesticides then others. I make a targeted list based on what is most likely to be contaminated and go from there. And if the budget doesn’t permit or if things aren’t avail there are several recipes online for washing off pesticide residue. I personally soak veggies in diluted apple cider vinegar for a few minutes to get off as much as I can. Want to know what some of the most contaminated veggies are? Check out CNN’s list here http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-01/health/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide_1_pesticide-residue-pesticide-tests-fruits-and-vegetables?_s=PM:HEALTH

DO I NEED AN EXPENSIVE MACHINE? IS THIS GONNA TAKE FOREVER TO DO?: No way! We live in the age of the internet. No need to spend a fortune. The one I bought now retails for around $160. You can buy it and other really good ones for LESS than that. I bought my mom one for $100 that is really really good but doesn’t have the bells and whistles. I would however, advise buying one with enough power… The first one I bought her was TERRIBLE. No power. It was smoking after a few carrots. NOT a great choice. So I’d definitely advise doing your homework and going with reputable brands. Also decide what you need most. I am all about QUICK clean up. It takes me from start to finish (including clean up and washing vegetables) a total of 20 minutes each morning to juice. For me I just got up twenty minutes earlier. Now my health and energy have increased several times over. It was so worth it.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE: Obviously there are tons of books out there but, I just went online. There is a wealth of free information on the web to point you in the right direction. And it’s FREE. As always, I checked lots of different reliable sources to come to my final decision.

All in all I would say juicing has changed my life for the better. For the first time since I came to New York I didn’t not spend the winter laid up sick. There were a few times I got the sniffles but, then I made some crazy immune boosting concoction and kept it moving. What I like the most is that it isn’t some miracle pill or fad diet. It is simply a different way to boost my nutrition. It’s another great tool in the battle to eat healthier. Maybe you can’t commit to doing this every day but, adding it even just once a week can go a long way to helping live a happier and healthier life.
Bon Appetit

Two Quick Recipe Ideas:
I mix these ingredients around, add others, subtract some…it’s a fluid enterprise with my juicer. Okay bad joke but, you get the picture.

Immune Booster
Cabbage (especially Napa for fever/bok choy/savoy)
Celery
Ginger
Asparagus
Greens (collards/mustard/kale/chard)
Green apple
Carrots
Garlic (if I’m being adventurous)

Holiday Liver Help (great during the party season)
Beets
Asparagus
Cucumber
Celery
Spinach
Kale
Parsley
Greens (kale/mustard/collard/swiss chard)
Daikon Radish
Green Apple
Carrots
Ginger powder

GOT A COMMENT?

Comments:

Carolyn~ Love this article too.  The juicing is a great way to feel good in the morning or evening and to work on cleaning out that all-important colon
and intestinal track.  Thanks Cutie Pie.