First things first, what is the difference between juicing in my home and just going to the store and buying myself some juice?  Juicing at home can be cheaper (once you have your juicer) depending on where you buy your produce, it’s fresher so all the enzymes and nutrients are present, and you know exactly what’s going into it.  Buying juice in the store can be expensive (were talking fresh pressed), you don’t know exactly what quality of produce is going into your juice, and it can be more expensive. 

If you don’t currently have a juicer and need/want to buy juice look for organic and GMO free.  Look for juice that has been pressed that day if possible.  Pasteurization kills off nutrients along with pathogens.  If the label says, “not from concentrate” or “100% juice” these don’t necessarily mean healthy at all!

Why would I want to juice at home?  Let’s face it, were already short on time most days so this has to have MAJOR benefits!  The first and biggest one for me personally is that the vegetable juices taste WAY better.  When the juice is fresh there is less oxidation (think brown apple vs. fresh cut).  There are also fresh nutrients and enzymes in the fresh juice that start to break down immediately.  These are like having a multivitamin that can supplement your diet.  When you juice, you lose the fiber that slows down the digestion of fruits and vegetables.  This fiber is super important but can be hard on come people’s digestive systems.  The cells in fruits and veggies of juice have been broken down so they are more bio-available to your body.  Plus, lets be honest with ourselves here, who is getting all their daily recommended fruits and vegetables in?  Even when we work super hard there are times when we could use a nutrient burst.  Juicing can help us get 2-3 more cups of veggies into our day without the bulk!

Okay, so how do we start this practice of juicing?  First off, start with buying a juicer for the home or if you have a Vitamix you can start there.  When you use the Vitamix you will need a juicing bag (found at health food stores) to strain your juice through to remove most of the pulp.  The difference between a smoothie and a juice is that the smoothie still has the pulp and can be used as a meal replacement.  We remove the pulp in a juice to just get a nutrient boost as a supplement to a meal.  There are centrifugal juicers (usually the cheapest), masticating (slow juicing and less oxidation) and juice presses (most juice but also the most expensive).  To start, it’s best to get what fits in your budget and start with that.  These machines will remove the pulp and if you are truly thrifty you can use this pulp in other dishes like sauces, salsa and many more ideas you can find on line!  I saw one woman put the pulp in a dehydrator and make fruit chewy roll ups for her children!! So it’s not a total loss!

What kinds of things do I add to my juices?  There are endless possibilities, but I suggest working your way up to mostly vegetables and a little fruit for sweetness.  Here are some of my favourite for you to try!

I hope you give these beauties a try and please let me know if you have any favourite combinations you would like to share!  I don’t juice everyday but when I do I drink it in the morning with breakfast because I love the surge of energy I feel, and it carries me through the day!  Thanks for reading I hope you come back next week!!  Have a Happy Healthy Monday!!