Everything you need to know, and want to know, about Juicing!

Today the term ‘juicing’ has become a widespread household name and staple, as more and more people own home juicers and have actively swapped conventional packaged juice products for the fine art of freshly pressed refreshments! But the world of juicing, as with many subjects, does maintain its flurry of confusing factoids and legions of information.  So in dedication to the onset of soon –to-be summer, here are a few important things you need to know about getting your ‘juice’ on this Spring:

The type of juicer and style of juicing make a difference.

In the matter of fresh pressed, there are two main categories: cold-press and centrifugal.

Cold-Press

To cold-press is to slowly either crush or compress fruits and vegetables to extract their juice. This methodology employs little to no heat or friction, allowing very little processing to take place thus yielding a nutrient dense and enzyme rich product. Common juicer types associated with cold-pressing are hydraulic presses and masticating juicers. Hydraulic presses use flat plates which squish fruits and veggies whereas masticating juicers use blades that employ a crushing motion. The very best quality juice is actually acquired with the use of both hydraulic and masticating methods whereby juice is extracted and its pulp then pressed hydraulically to really draw out every last once of nutrient moisture!

Centrifugal

Centrifugal juicers are more accessible and popular. They tend to be less expensive, faster and can be found easily at local hardware and kitchen stores. They use high speed spinning blades and mesh screen filters to separate the juice from the fiber. The main drawbacks of the centrifugal process are that the spinning action of the blades produce heat which kill off a percentage of the nutrients (on average, up to 30% ). They also tend to yield less juice, and have a much more difficult time processing leafy greens, herbs or wheatgrass. Of course fresh pressed on any level is better than pasteurized and refortified!

Organic versus Conventional:

Whether you are a proponent of eating organic or not, I always recommend when it comes to juicing to go organic! Since juice extraction removes the fiber, any liquid consumed migrates rapidly into the bloodstream for easy assimilation into the body. Without the fiber, which acts as a binding agent, any chemicals on your produce will more readily enter the bloodstream and put added pressure on the body’s organs of elimination. Juicing organic is a good way to get the best vitamin and mineral profile from your produce, minimize exposure to unwanted agricultural chemicals, support local, sustainable farming practices and bolster a clean, healthy biosphere.

Debrief: the Benefits!

Although eating whole live foods is what the human body is built for, and what it thrives on, juicing can offer tremendous health benefits, both complementary to a healthy regime or as a pause and reset for the body. Juicing with untainted fruits and veggies is a good way to boost immunity, increase energy levels and rebuild connective tissues! Juice cleansing has been linked to purging stored toxins (detoxification), rebalancing the ph level, enhanced brain function, cleaning the colon, liver and bloodstream, revitalizing the appearance of skin, hair and nails, among many others, It is so highly beneficial because it allows a greater intake of vitamins and minerals to enter the body than would normally be ingested in one sitting (who’s eating 20 carrots right?).

Fiber is important, but not in your juice!

Fiber is very essential to our diets, however when it comes to juicing we don’t want there to be any! The whole idea behind juicing is that is that the lack of fiber enables refined amounts of nutrients to be rapidly and easily absorbed into the body, no breakdown or digestive energy required! The act of digestion necessitates up to 50% of our bodily energy. If we eliminate or reduce digestive output, than all vital energy gleaned from incoming nutrients can go directly to the revitalization and repair of internal tissues! New energy can get supplied to the body without dispensing any of the conserved energy, triggering inner healing and boosting vitality! This is why juicing is so often recommended for individuals suffering from disease, injury or malnutrition. Those endeavouring leisure juice fasts (in other words that aren’t ill), may supplement with psyllium husks to help with fiber intake if desired,  however, people should be consuming enough roughage in their day to day diets to render supplementary fiber requirements during juice fasting unnecessary.

For more information on juice cleanses or juicing in general, do not hesitate to reach out to us! In the meantime, here’s a new favorite summer recipe of ours to get you inspired to drink your nutrients and stay healthy!:    

LJ7 (our version of the V8)

                        Makes 16oz portion

 5-10 carrots (depending on size)

½ lemon (no peel)

 1 stalk celery

 ¼ tomato

 1 stalk kale

 Handful fresh sprouts

 Dash of cayenne pepper

Tiffany Auerbach, Owner of Living Juices, RHN (in progress).

www.livingjuices.ca

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