Let's talk Juicing

No, this is not a Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Garry Kasparov thread...

I'm talking about juicing for health. I have a couple of questions for people who do this.

1. Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. Yea? Nay? Are there better options? I have to admit I was utterly spellbound by the infomercial last night. They had me hook, line and sinker. And the best part, his wife's name is Elaine. Elaine LaLanne. I just love that.

2. This question would be for people who are really doing it full time. What kind of monthly budget for fruits and vegetables would someone be looking at if they wanted to juice daily for say breakfast and lunch? I'm just curious about the logistics behind staying stocked with all the necessary ingredients.

Any other input on the juicing phenomenon would be appreciated. I want to know if it's for me.

I bought the least expensive juicer they had at Target -- it was about $45. It was terrific, and everything I juiced tasted great -- beets, cabbage, carrots, any kind of fruit, etc. That's the good news. I felt great and my skin was flawless -- also good.
The catch? The amount of sugar and calories! You figure you're drinking such pure stuff it must be okay -- but I found myself gaining weight.
As for cost, it's very easy to juice ten pounds of carrots and ten pounds of apples a week. Buy bulk!

Maybe a Costco membership would be a worthwhile investment for bulk buying.

I'm planning on juicing as part of a regular exercise regimen so hopefully I'll be able to put the calories in their place!

By removing the fiberous material you're eliminating the stuff that makes you feel full, so you'll take in a lot more calories via juice than you would eating actual fruits and veg.

If you're eating/drinking fruits and veg two meals a day, your grocery cart is going to look like you run a small circus. Whether you spend or save money that way will be a function of the cost of produce in your area and what you ate before. It wouldn't be too bad here, we have very cheap produce and fantastic farmers' markets, but in other places I can see it being quite expensive.

FWIW, I see nice juicers that look like they were never used at thrift shops all the time. Personally I'd grab one and do a trial run before investing in an expensive new juicer.

The whole appeal of a juicer for me is that I'm unable to really ingest solid foods in the mornings due to a chronic stomach issue.

I'll definitely try and do a trial run before I invest too heavily.

Cleanup with all the pulp is rather off putting.

But who knows if that's how it is in the real world of course.

;)

Wheat? Good.
Grass? Good.

Wheat Grass. Supergood.

Just trying to gather info.

The Juice Man was a juicer huckster before Jack Lelane got involved.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Kordich

I'm not saying that it's a bad product but is it really better than eating veggies and fruits raw?

My advice is to do your research and don't act impulsively. Infomercials are the devil! They can make you believe in magic towels!

I've had one for years and years and when I decided it was time to replace/add a couple plastic parts, I found mine was too old to fit the replacements they have now, so I hit eBay and found an almost-new one for only $50! (These retail for about $250 these days, I think, but eBay has a lot of them at a good price and you're not likely to get one that won't last 20 years.) We're talking something that is basically a 1/3 hp motor, built to last like no other. You can not only make juice with these, but purée anything, make peanut (and other nut) butter, refritos, pumpkin, etc. You can make sno-cones and grind flour (fresh corn meal is nothing like prepackaged!) Look here for info.

For specifics on what to juice, you should look for something like Make Your Juicer Your Drugstore, which is a little dated, but gives lots of combinations for juices and what health issues are addressed by each one.

Infomercials are dangerous, you know. (I'm not sure why, but I'm often fascinated with them.)

I always like to do a little research first.

Champion Juicer. I'll check it out. Thanks!

Yes, somehow the dust still gets in there. I liked the juice, but hated the cleanup.

I might drag it out again because it is almost impossible to get my daughter to eat vegetables. If I add vegetables to fruits and juice them, she might be more likely to ingest them and get the nutrition.

I had one and it started bouncing all over the counter literally requiring both my hands (and all my strength!) to keep it from leaping off the counter.

Big waste o' money!

I used to juice, hopefully will do again.

You can experiment with adding some of the pulp back into the juice for drinking, sometimes.

Pulp can sometimes be great for re-using in soups, or else composting in your garden.

People say it's easier to just chomp on the fresh fruits and veggies -- but the problem is, most of us just won't get around to doing that!

And carrot / beet juice is soooo divine!

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Wheat grass juice: 25-Plus years ago I tried it for awhile. A hand-juicer is better for that stuff but an electric one can take it if you put it in with other stuff in combination. If you haven't had wheat grass juice, try going to a juice bar and having a straight "shot" of it -- it'll floor ya! Sugary sweet like you wouldn't believe! Some may say, kinda sickeningly so, at least by itself. But it is a great blood-purifier.

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Cost v tossing the fiber v health value -- you can find a balance. Maybe it won't be every day, or maybe it'll only be a little glass each morning, but I believe you save on the other end because as you get healthier you crave less crappy (more processed **and** more expensive food) and you are going to eat less food anyway.

they have the powders that you can add to foods. That might be an option to up your fiber intake. Although, in my wife's opinion, natural fiber is better.

You should all know I could care less about fiber. :)

I have the LaLanne Power Juicer. I had another cheap one but it eventually died. The LaLanne one is a powerhouse. I just can't stand the taste of most vegetables so for me when I get into a juicing kick it's only so I add more vegetables to my diet. I have to get them in there anyway I can. But like LeftyMom mentioned - try to add some of the pulp left over from the veggies - good stuff in there.

Second - a pain in the ass for citrus fruit. If you're going to juice oranges you're better off buying some $20 Orange Juicer. I have one of those too.

When juicing, watch the acid intake. I was juicing so many acidic fruits that after awhile my stomach started feeling achy - mainly from acid reflux. Try to mix them up.

The biggest downsize is the cleanup. I hate cleaning that machine.