A vegetable juicer may well be the most vital piece of kitchen equipment you invest in.
You are bombarded with facts about all the 'sins' in your family's daily diet. You constantly hear about too much meat, too high a percentage of fat and sugar, and too many processed foods. You probably fear all the dreaded diseases that supposedly will come your way as a result.
The question is how to achieve a different 'recipe', with a health-changing result, in the rush of everyday living. A simple solution is within your reach.
If your family balks at the thought of ingesting the required five to nine portions of fruit and vegetables a day, make using a vegetable juicer a family project.
Eating mounds of greens, or crunching through cupfuls of carrots, isn't a proposal that will win you much support at home. However, extract the juice and the task doesn't seem nearly as daunting.
Even children will love the colorful, nutritious juices.
A more concentrated, natural form of life-giving enzymes, minerals and vitamins will be hard to find. Fresh vegetable juice has energy-generating power. It improves well-being, can help to manage a variety of ailments, and is an anti-aging cocktail. It aids digestion, is effective as part of a weight-loss program, and has a myriad other benefits.
Deciding which vegetable juicer or juice extractor to buy, will depend entirely on your needs. These are just some of the factors you may want to take into consideration:
- The space you have available.
- How often you will use the vegetable juicer.
- The quantity of juice the machine must be able to handle.
- Ease of assembly and disassembly.
- The different functions of the juicer.
- The noise level when in use.
- How time-consuming the cleaning process is.
- The back-up offered by the manufacturer.
- The price, which can be anything from $80 to $3000.
- Your physical strength and stamina.
As far as juice quality is concerned, your choice will be influenced by your knowledge of and beliefs about aspects such as the heat generated during processing, the amount of oxidation present, the taste and flavor of the juice, juice stability, nutrient extraction efficiency, and nutrient retention.
A single-gear or twin-gear masticating vegetable juicer runs at a lower speed and generates less heat. This preserves all the goodness in the juice and minimizes oxidation.
In this group you will find juice extractors such as the Omega Juicer Model 8003 or 8005, the Green Star Juicer GS-3000, and the Champion Juicer 2000+. This technology also lowers the noise level substantially. Unfortunately it also lowers the juicing tempo, but Omega-fans don't seem to mind the slower process.
These juicers often have accessories for performing extra functions, such as mincing, chopping, and grinding. You may also be able to turn your vegetable juicer into a mill, make baby food, frozen desserts, fruit sauces, and pasta.
Converts to a raw food diet firmly believe that this class of juicer is superior, because more of the nutritious elements in the juice are retained.
In the centrifugal category, you will find a vegetable juicer such as the Breville 800JE. Another popular model is the ACME Juicer 6001. They also have a high juice yield, although it is believed that the heat generated in the process, may destroy some of the enzymes and other nutrients.
If you are usually pressed for time, this is the type of juicer you should consider.
At the top end of the range a vegetable juicer such as the Norwalk Model 270, a triturator hydraulic press, is recommended. While this machine is quite expensive, it yields superior juice in acceptable quantities, and has a large following.
If your family enjoys fresh orange juice in the morning, look for a vegetable juicer that offers a citrus juice attachment as an optional extra. This valuable feature enables you to buy one machine, rather than two separate models. It saves space in your kitchen, and costs less.
The centrifugal Omega 9000, for example, has this optional accessory. The attachment slows the juicer down to 250 rpm's to give it the power for juicing citrus fruits. Although the Omega 8005 doesn't have a citrus attachment, it has good citrus juicing capabilities.
If you are still at the "to juice or not to juice" stage, rather start out with an inexpensive juicer, such as the Braun MP80 or the Miracle Juicer MJ1000. Although they may not be durable and powerful enough for long-term daily use, it will give you time to decide if juicing is for you.
A very important consideration in your choice of juicer, is the type of produce you want to juice. Some centrifugal and masticating juicers become clogged when juicing leafy greens or wheat-grass. If these are important to you (as they probably should be!), be sure to check that it won't be a problem. Again it is a case of choosing the right fit for your family's needs.
The number of components a vegetable juicer has, will usually be an indication of how time-consuming the cleaning process will be. If managing your time effectively is a concern, choose your juicer accordingly. One of the juicers will be the hassle-free, quality machine that is exactly right for you.
You may be wondering why your blender can't funtion as a substitute for a juicer.
While a blender is terrific for making smoothies and other delicious drinks, it doesn't offer the nutritional advantages of using a vegetable juicer. Normally only a fraction of the nutrients in fruit and vegetables are extracted during the digestive processes. The rest are trapped in the fibres, and can't be utilized by your body.
By extracting the nutrients, before ingesting it in the form of juice, you give your body the benefit of maximized levels of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. Using a vegetable juicer, is the only way to achieve this rejuvenating result.
Let's drink a glass of juice to your family's future health!
