Let’s assume that you read my previous article “Why Drink Fresh Juice?” and you are on board about all its nutritional benefits. In addition, I hope you also know that there are 4 key ways to use juicing: 1) as a vitamin supplement, 2) as a meal replacement, 3) as part of a combo eating/juicing cleanse, and 4) to support you during a deeper cleanse (fast) using juice as your only food. Now, that brings us to other information you need to know in order to start juicing. This list is short and not at all hard but without guidance you will invariably start to have questions.
What Juicer Should I Buy?
First, you need to understand that ‘juicing’ is not blending. Juicing uses a juicer, which separates the fresh liquid content of vegetables and fruit from the insoluble fiber or cellulose. This requires that you buy a juicer, and that means that you need to decide which type of juicer to get, a centrifugal juicer or a masticating juicer. There is a lot of banter on ‘the best’ type of juicer you should buy but your decision should be based on YOUR LIFESTYLE and NEEDS not any arguments that may have nothing to do with you. You know you best. So, don’t get tangled up in the arguments. And much like the smoothie and juicing wars, this one is over rated. The bottom line is that any new juicing you do is a vast improvement over what you are currently doing so ANY juicer will get you going. With that said, here is a simple comparison chart, with one or two comments not captured, noted below the chart.
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Centrifugal Masticating
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Juice Yield High Highest
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Juices Leafy Greens Yes, Low Yield Yes, Highest Yield
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Juices Wheatgrass No No
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Juice Quality Very Good Highest
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Produce Prep Minimal Much More
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Speed Speedy Slow
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Noise Level Loud Quiet
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Clean Up Easy Timely
NOTE: Some critics get tangled up in whether a centrifugal juicer provides the highest quality juices and juices from them suffer from oxidation, etc. These criticisms are true to a degree BUT if you are starting from not juicing at all, those arguments are all extreme and aren’t as important as the other items. The overall pro/con for YOU is what needs to matter most. You want to make sure juicing fits into your life and is easy enough to actually do regularly. For example, if too much prep, stops you from juicing regularly, then you need to pick the easiest solution. Similarly, if you are the type that must have the highest yield then that points you towards a masticating juicer and the trade-off will be time and effort. Get the idea? My three favorites juicers (all types) are here.
The 80/20 Rule
Once you have a juicer, then the next issue is what to put in your juices. Typically newbies assume that juicing is synonymous with fruit juices since that is what is sold commercially but juicing for health puts vegetables first. In general, the rule is to aim for no less than 80% vegetables to no more than 20% fruits. But even this rule can be over thought. Make a pile of veg that looks much bigger than the pile of fruit. That’s it, unless you are diabetic or a cancer patient and then the discussion needs to go further because of sugars. The 80/20 rule takes care of most sugar spiking worries, but if you are worried then decrease or eliminate the fruit. Finally, don’t forget that you can start heavier on the sweet stuff and transition to more veg as your taste buds change.
Hopefully this helps to get you started. Come back tomorrow for more.
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