Juicing
 

Does anybody here "juice" (no....not steroids!:rolleyes:)?

I've been seriously contemplating getting a juicer but the more I research them the more confused I get.

There are so many models and some of them are quite expensive.

Juice is juice.....how can there be so many variations of the same thing?:rolleyes:

Does anyone here have any recommendations for a good juicer that won't put me in the (farther) poor house?

The problem I have with juicing is that the useful fiber is removed.

For people who don't want to cook beets, carrots, etc juicing is quicker and easier. But for people who have blood sugar issues, those carbs will flood into the bloodstream much more quickly than eating the whole veggie.

So juicing may be okay for additional nutrition, but still people need to eat whole veggies for the maximum benefits they provide.

when I juice I "emulisify" or take the WHOLE food and place it in the juicer, and it juices all of it. from the skin to the seeds. Montel williams sells one, and vitamix is a great one (thats the one I have) and there are others on the market. If you throw in a handful of tomatoes, some salt, milk and let it rip you can have hot soup in a few minutes. Same for peas/chickenbroth/ham you can have split pea in no time hot and ready. Mine will crush ice, or pulverize the whole food, so I am not worried about what great fiber I am throwing away. Too many juicers out there simply take the liquid out of your food, and leave the nutrients behind in the strainer.

tons of good ones to pick from. take your time. shop, and read ALL of the reviews. I find them to be quite helpful. Then when you pick out the one you want, shop around for the best price.

I too have thought about juicing but found the juicers are expensive. I saw a show on Netflix called the Gerson Theory. They juice . . . A LOT. But you have to use a special juicer to get all the fibers and nutrients. Many people have gone to Mexico to get these treatments for cancer and apparently have done real well. However, I'm not too sure about the coffee enemas they do.:eek: It supposedly cleanses the liver.

Anyhow, after seeing the show and me having digestive issues lately, I thought of juicing myself instead of buying vegetable juices. I do like V-8 Fusion's Acai berry juice. :p Yum!

Let me know what you find and what you decide.:p

I can give my review on the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Elite.

Oh this review on Amazon pretty much matches my opinion.
[pros - big feeder; easy to assemble; powerful motor

cons - easily stains; not so easy to clean

summary - the big feeder allows less cutting of fruits and veggies and more juicing. Though the machine is fairly easy to disassemble for cleaning, it still take a lot of effort compared to the trusted blender. The inside plastic of this machine, easily stains, so better clean it as quickly as possible after juicing, I wouldn't recommend using the dish washer because the stains need a bit of scrubbing to take off. As fun and as healthy as this machine can be, using this as an everyday thing for freshly made juice is not as encouraging as it may seem on TV due to the number of parts to clean right after use. ]
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-LaLanne-P.../dp/B000JLHLQ6

it was 150.00 and after I got it I was going to return it - it was just too big overall for my kitchen and since I was only making juice for myself having to wash all the parts each time was a big pain.
When I called about returning they offered me a 50.00 refund if I keep it so I did.
But it is just sitting in a box now, too large and bulky for for one person servings, and the point of juicing is to have it fresh and not stored in a container in the fridge. It separates after it sits and doesn't look appetizing anyway.

I really liked the carrot apple juice - but the carrots stained the plastic inside so bad and you have to scrape or wipe out the upper part of the pulp container as it has square corners and stuff gets plastered & stuck in those edges.

It would be good if making a big batches of juice for large groups all at one time, but that's about all. Or if you have a huge kitchen and lots of empty counter space, cause if it gets put away it won't get used, it's heavy too.

If mainly for one person servings, I'd look into something smaller & easy clean.

Jo, are you just being mean by posting your current temp for all of us on the sweltering East Coast to see?! :D

Moi, mean ?? never...:):cool:

We will finally , hopefully, be getting 2 days into the 80s this weekend.
But today we had some major downpours, rain water was sitting 1/2 deep each time on our patio and the driveway was running like a mini river..we do have a fairly steep driveway - but it's been years since it looked like that.

I looked on ebay and there were lots of used machines. Unless I know the person it's coming from I don't want to buy something like this used.

There was a HealthMaster for $100 but it was used. Said only used once but still.......I'm funny about stuff like this that has been opened and used elsewhere unless I know the person.

I really cannot afford to spend even that much so I know a new one is out of the question. Plus, it's just me here that would be using it so it's hard to justify getting a brand new one that might not get used every day.

I see them demonstrated on TV and that's what makes me want one but I know it's never as easy as it's portrayed to be. :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the suggestions and reviews! :)

Like Dej, we bought a Vitamix at Costco. It was expensive and worth every penny. I use it every day and it is easy to make a good drink. All fruit/veggies get pulverized.

I get fresh spinach to blend. Using pineapple eliminates the green flavor so I get a fresh vegetable but it tastes like a sweet fruity drink.

To clean, I simply put in warm water and dishwashing soap, turn on and it washes itself.

Like Dej said, it also makes soup in five minutes but I use the microwave to heat it just a bit more. This is one item where you get your money's worth.

HOWEVER @Dej, apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide! so you may want to cut those out.:)

Several years ago my parents bought a Vitamix. They loved it and made all sorts of stuff with it including peanut butter. It is definitely a great investment and worth the extra $$. I copied some of the recipes from the book and use them often when the hug acts up and I can't eat much. (Pain makes me lose my appetite).

They are way too expensive for me so I just use my blender. :D

Has anyone tried the Ninja or Magic Bullet types??

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Bullet-p...7120633&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Blender-...120633&sr=1-15

I've seen the presentation for this Ninja appliance. The price is much better than the VitaMix or the Montel Williams one. But I wonder if I'm just getting what I pay for? :confused:


http://www.qvc.com/The-Ninja-Master-...N-_-1-_-K33917

First off, you get what you pay for. I say this for Magic Bullet AND Vitamix.

I started with a M.B., then realized the thing only lasted about 6 months with daily usage. WE got a Vitamix and WON'T EVER SELL IT!. We use it EVRY DAY for something, smoothies for breakfast, apple butter or honey butter on toast, soup at night, it's amazing. I am serious when I say it's the best $490. we ever spent. The M.B. is good for people who don't want to use it everyday. It's cheaply made and the motor burns out quick. it also does not emulsify food like the VM does.

As for the other big machine, the Montel Willaims one, that's made in China and not as good either. I am a Made int he USA kind a guy and that along with lifetime guarantee ALWAYS sells me.

As for the Ninja, I think it's about the same as the M.B. cheap China garbage.

Try to save up for a Vitamix or buy one used, they come up on Craig's List often.

Now I'm off to make a smoothie. C-ya

I bought a Vitamix about 8 years ago. I have a love/hate thing with it. Try as I might the juicing thing was not for me. I just can not drink it without adding a lot of sweetener.

I do use it a lot during the summer for making smoothies. I puree fresh tomatoes for canning or freezing. I bought the dry blade canister for grinding wheat berries into flour, but have not used it often.

I bought it during an in-store demo at Costco and paid under $400 for it. I have used the type of juicers that leave the pulp behind and I do not like them. It wastes the best parts of the veggies and fruits that you need in your diet too.

I love my ninja! it chops thru ice and frozen fruit. Take a splash of milk, a sprinkle of sugar, frozen fruit and tada! instant fruit ice cream. wonderful!

Do you want some easy recipes? All my smoothies are VERY sweet and I do not use any sweeteners.:)

BTDT

I have the Jack L. Juicer and it is ok...but hard to clean.
I was going to buy a large, more professional one, but changed my mind last minute. I believe I heard the Vitamix (sp?) is considered one of the best.

What I ended up doing and am GLAD I did, was use my little Magic Bullet for most things..primarily green drinks. My fave is: celery, cucumbers, spinach, a little Kale and a little apple juice. Delicious and nutricious!!!!!!
In fact, I was drinking this instead of either breakfast or lunch for awhile and lost weight and felt great! The Magic Bullet (I have the complete set with a variety of blades and containers) will juice softer veggies. When I want something like carrots and beets, I go to my local health food store.

These days I'm not juicing much....perhaps once a week. So, sometimes I make the Green Drink and once in awhile buy one. For me, it works well. I just can't honestly see myself spending tons of time juicing and/or cleaning the juicer.

BUT, I do think having these juices now and again is a very good idea. They do seem to give me energy. If I go a week w/o one, I seem to feel a little "off." For me it is about finding the middle ground....works well for me!!!

BTW, try this for summer: Pineapple and cucumbers. Easy to make, good for you and refreshing!

Note: If you buy a Magic Bullet...make sure you go for the complete set...can be used like a Blender too and has more than one blade option.

Have fun!

I would love them! :)

Occasionally, I buy the really expensive packets of smoothie makings from Yoplait and love that. I can never seem to get the balance of fruit and yogurt to work when I try from scratch.

Now I have made some pistachio/broccoli ice cream with my Vitamix that my 15 yrs old loves...in-spite of the broccoli burps that come back hours later!:eek: I found that recipe on the Vitamix website.

Lor - The green drink sounds yummy! I make smoothies with cucumbers and plain yogurt.

DDs make their smoothies with Yoplait yogurt (flavored), orange juice, bananas, and frozen fruit. They do a good job and they always come out great. Since I am allergic to bananas, I don't drink theirs - plus, theirs seem really sweet and I don't like things too sweet.