DIY Juicing 101 & My First Video!

Today’s post is all about juicing AND includes a link for my first blog video! Check out the video at the bottom below, it was more an experiment this go-around but I’m looking forward to doing more videos in the future. I’ve started a YouTube channel as well where I plan to host my video blogs, click on the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDAEzhG-t9Lh0pPhTDn_9w

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Ok, back to the post. So my husband loves to juice. When I first met him he wouldn’t even eat a salad…how times have changed! In all seriousness though, I’m super glad he’s a juicer as it provides many nutrients and vitamins he may not get in an average day. He is an active guy, biking (road/mountain), running, weights, yoga, you name it . . . he’s always up to something. Juicing has become a way for him to get some nutrients fast and on-the-go while exposing him to certain vegetables he may not eat in a normal day such as turmeric and raw beets.

Some people debate the whole “what’s better – juicing or smoothies??” There are LOTS of other sites that address that debate so no need to rehash it here. I’m of the mindset that you should do whatever floats your boat, motivates you to eat healthy, and provides the nutrients, vitamins and minerals and most importantly flavors that your body is craving. You will see juices all over the place – in your local supermarkets, juice shops, farmers markets. If you are really into fresh juices, it makes sense to invest in a juicer and save some cash as typically fresh juices aren’t cheap!

Obviously juicing shouldn’t be a substitute for raw vegetables and fruits but as long as you are incorporating those items in your diet on a regular basis, juicing is a healthy addition for sure. By adding more veggies to your juice, you will cut down on the sugar content, so if sugar (even from fresh fruit), is a dietary concern tweak your ratio of fruits to veggies to fall more heavily on the vegetable side of the equation. It may be hard at first to imagine processing spinach, kale and chard through a juicer and then drinking it, but my husband swears it tastes like “candy.”

We use the Jay Kordich PowerGrind Pro juicer and have had it for about 3 years. It’s a hard worker, has never failed us and runs about $200. You can buy juicers from $50 all the way up to $500 (if you are so inclined). Evaluating the different types of juicers and which ones are better is beyond the scope of this post. Do your research online, it’s a great place to start. Ask friends for their recommendations. One thing I will mention here is that some cheaper juicers will not put out a whole lot of juice so the pulp will be very wet and not as fine. The dryness of the pulp is a good indicator of how much juice you’re getting from the juicer.

So many people are into juicing these days, you may be surprised who has some helpful tips for you! I’ve included a quick video below of the process for those who are new to juicing and don’t know where to start. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple.

Typically the night before juicing hubby cuts up his fruits and veggies and places them in a large freezer bag in the fridge. That way everything is ready to go when he wakes up.

His favorite flavor combination is:

• Spinach (5-6 ounce bag)
• 1 beet
• 1 turmeric root (medium size)
  • It’s a little spicy so more is not better!
• half a lemon,
• fresh ginger root – ½ – ¾ inch
  • Spicy too so be careful
• 3 apples
• 5-6 carrots

This creates a nice balance of fruits to vegetables and doesn’t make the juice too, too sweet. For those who aren’t familiar with turmeric, it’s the spice (when dried and ground) that gives curry it’s yellow color. Turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory if you are looking for those special properties. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. It looks like this:

When selecting your fruits and vegetables try to go organic. Look for the “9” sticker on the item which will denote “organic.” If you are putting fresh ingredients into your juice you might as well go for quality ingredients.

Once ready my hubby lays everything out on the cutting board. He typically starts with spinach and juices the apples last. You simply pick your ingredient, open the top chute, throw in your apples for example, push the apples down the shaft with the top plunger mechanism and wait for the juice to pour out the bottom. Just be sure you have a pitcher to catch your juice. Most juicers come with one. That’s it! Pretty easy right? The result is an amazingly delicious, fresh juice, the perfect way to start your day. You can try all types of flavor combinations. Feeling a cold coming on? Try fresh grapefruit, apple, ginger and carrots. Feeling like a green machine? How about green apples, spinach, kale, kiwi, green grapes, mint and lime? Have fun, experiment, happy juicing and don’t forget to check out my video below!