As most of you know, I love juicing. I juice every single morning because it keeps me energized and feels like good preventive medicine. I’ve written before about why juicing is so important, and it’s worth mentioning again! I read once that 98% of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables are trapped inside the fiber capsules of the plant. Our teeth barely access those nutrients when we eat our fruits and vegetables.
By contrast, when you juice, the fiber capsule is accessed, giving you a much larger mega hit of nutrition!
It would take me hours to chew through all of the produce I plunge through the juicer each morning. Nobody has time for that!
I use the Breville Elite 800 juicer (centrifugal and easier to use) when I’m short on time, and the Norwalk (slow masticating) when veggies and time are more ample.
The Norwalk is an industrial juicer and is not for everyone. My recommendation would be to get a smaller slow masticating juicer, or if you’re concerned about time, the Breville Elite 800.
Note: Research has shown that centrifugal juicers can be less nutritious than a cold pressed or slow masticating juicer and you must consume the juice immediately after it's made. If you want the most nutritious juice, and if you want to store the juice for a few days, go with a slow masticating/pressing juicer.
Williams-Sonoma has both types of juicers here.
In the fall I love to take advantage of the local apples and pears that are abundant this time of year. I am also fan of adding a ton of greens because of the alkalizing effect and the lower sugar content. This recipe, combining fall greens and local fruit is refreshing and tart. Plus it’s great for your liver!
Ingredients*:
2 small cucumbers or 1 large cucumber
6 handfuls of baby spinach or a head of chard or both(which might still be growing in the garden!)
1 stock of celery
1 head of romaine lettuce (optional)
1 apple or pear
1 small lemon or 1⁄2 of a large lemon
*Use seasonal, local and organic whenever possible!
Directions:
1. Put the celery in first and plunge.
2. Put the cucumber in without plunging and fill the space around it with the baby spinach or chard, then plunge. This way the greens get juiced rather than spun out through the juice.
3. Juice the romaine, apple or pear.
4. Juice lemon last to help clean the juicer.
Voila!
New to juicing? Here are a few useful tips:
• Always drink the juice within minutes of making if you use a centrifugal juicer. The juice begins to lose nutritional value quickly. If you make your juice with a slow masticating juicer and want to store it up to 72 hours, fill a jar up all the way to the top so that the lid touches the juice when you close it – sealing it in with as little oxygen above the juice as possible.
• Sip your juice with a straw if you’re worried about your teeth turning green – I recommend using these glass straws from Coco Jack.
• When you use a lemon, put it in last – it works as an astringent to pre-clean the juicer!