Juicing

[Molly]

Does anyone juice? In my last post I said I was looking for my magic bullet. Then someone today suggested I juice with a Magic Bullet. Coincidence?

If you juice, please let me know what equipment you use and what fruits and veggies you use. We have a refurbished vitamix outlet nearby. I'm wondering if the MagicBullet is just as good.

[JaneV2.0]

Isn't what you do with Vitamix and the MagicBullet emulsifying, rather than juicing? That way you get all the components of the fruits or vegetables in one beverage. I do it sometimes, mostly with vegetables. Juicing can be wasteful, and often delivers a blood sugar whammy. I use a Vitamix.

[Suzanne]

I admit to being leery of juicing, because the juicers I know use so much fruit and chug the results. As Jane pointed out, juicing can really whack up your insulin response, and is counter-indicated for diabetics. I'm hypoglycaemic, so I'm in the same case as diabetics - low and slow sugar intake. A nutritionist who was treating me said that juices should always be mixed with at least 3 parts of water and sipped, rather than chugged. She said the sugar whammy is very hard on the kidneys.

I prefer making chunky veggie soups, simmering the veggies in rich bone broth. That way, I get all the nutrients, all the fibre, and a variety of flavours.

[Molly]

Thanks Jane - Yes, I meant emulsifying. And I planned to do it with mostly veggies. I don't like sugary drinks at all.

[lessisbest]

All great information. And yes, a Vitamix and Magic Bullet (I own both of these machines) emulsify and you have to add some kind of a liquid/juice in order to blend fruit and vegetables. A juicer extracts the juice from the pulp and expels the pulp into a separate container from the juice. You need a lot more produce to make juice in a juicer. The remaining pulp can be tossed into the trash/compost or you can also incorporate it into your baked goods (which is a lot more work). You miss out on the fiber when you juice fruits/vegetables in a juicer. Fiber slows down the uptake making consumption of a whole fruit more low-glycemic, while fruit juice (without the pulp) is high-glycemic.

Another point about juicing besides the potential sugar-rush and concentrated calories, our digestion begins with the saliva in your mouth, therefore you need to "chew" your juice (yes, you actually swish it in your mouth and masticate it and mix it with saliva before swallowing it) in order to aid the digestion of it, never drink or gulp it.

I do, however, have a couple exceptions, and that is when growing wheatgrass, which must be juiced in a special juicer before consuming it. You can't blend the grass into a liquid using a blender or even in a regular juicer (like a Jack LaLane, Breville, Omega, etc.). Wheatgrass (or other grains grown into grass like spelt, rye, barley, etc.) is a valuable source of real nutrition for hubby and I in the winter, but it's consumed in much smaller amounts than when you use a juicer with (so called) "fresh" fruits and vegetables (if you purchase produce from the grocery store in the winter, it has lost most of the nutrients from long storage that juicing won't improve). Juicing wheatgrass is less expensive than juicing fruits/vegetables. Once we start to get fresh greens from the garden, I don't grow wheatgrass to supplement our diet.

I also have a juicer (extracts juice and expels the pulp) and will occasionally use it for making fresh raw orange juice (when my sister brings me fresh citrus from Texas) or for pineapple juice from a whole pineapple when they are on sale, and occasionally I'll make a green juice with garden produce. But it's nothing I would use everyday or as a substitute for whole foods.

[Molly]

when growing wheatgrass, which must be juiced in a special juicer before consuming it. You can't blend the grass into a liquid using a blender or even in a regular juicer

How do you grow wheatgrass indoors? How much does a wheatgrass juicer cost? I drink powdered wheatgrass, but I'm sure fresh is best.

[pinkytoe]

We have been having green smoothies every weekend for several years now. I can't imagine doing them every day as it takes a lot of prep. Ours aren't fruit heavy though - just half a frozen banana to thicken and a couple of berries added to greens, cuke, celery, carrot, ginger and some spirulina powder. Just a habit by now.

[Tussiemussies]

We have as n old Vitamix and just bought a new one. You Use the whole fruit or vegetable and it really pulverizes it, into a smooth drink. Theyare expensive but better quality than the nutrbullet and I think somewhat better performance. It might be a good idea to llook at reviewsof both items...

[Tussiemussies]

I have read that that the fruits e as pecially citrus are cleasners and that if you have beets carrots and apples that it is a blood builder. They recommend going easy on the beets at first since most people are not used to that level of nutritiin from them. If you take too much at first you might find yourself into what they call a health crisis where the body is throwing off a lot of stored toxins and symptoms of sickness occur until the body is used to it. Good luck. The juicing book by Steven Blauer is very helpful as he lists by frit and vegetable what they do for the body. Good information to refer . To even if you are making wholefood drinks.

[Tussiemussies]

Sorry for all the typos, this Kindle is really terrible at changing words etc...

[lessisbest]

How do you grow wheatgrass indoors? How much does a wheatgrass juicer cost? I drink powdered wheatgrass, but I'm sure fresh is best.

I grow 1/4-cup of sprouted wheat (or other grain) in 5-inch square compostable pots in a medium called "baby blanket" (purchased from Sprout People - http://sproutpeople.org/ , and usually harvest a 5-inch pot 2-4 times a week when it reaches about 6-7-inches tall. We don't consume wheatgrass juice daily. I usually have 4-5 pots at different stages of development and one sprouter growing sprouts getting ready to "plant". I grow it under a small LED grow lite.

I have a Hurricane Juicer: Manual Stainless Steel Wheatgrass Juicer (https://www.wheatgrasskits.com/ssjuicer.htm) which costs me $89 when I purchased it, and it now runs $145.19. If I ever want to upgrade to a "better" model I can exchange it with the same company I purchased it from, but I don't require an electric model with more bells and whistles. This one works just fine.

I also have hundreds of pounds of wheat and other grains in our home food storage (purchased long before going gluten-free when I milled all my own flour and made all our breads and baked goods with whole grains/seeds/beans milled into flour), and this is one way it gets used.

We tried powdered wheatgrass and I thought it was horrible and tossed it into the compost tumbler. I use moringa powder several times a week, and also some Nature's Sunshine Liquid Chlorophyll occasionally (especially good for a sore throat). I describe the taste of wheatgrass juice as drinking new-mown grass, or licking the bottom of the mower..... I'll also add a carrot or apple to the juicer to improve the flavor.

I bought my wheatgrass kit from Wheatgrasskits.com and have been juicing for 5-years.

[pinkytoe]

Beets will give you a good scare the next day.

[iris lilies]

Beets will give you a good scare the next day. I know! Once I had that scare and told DH that I might need to go to the doctor, and when I told him why, he started to laugh. I didn't know why he was laughing but I immediatley relaxed because I knew that whatever the problem, it wasn't serious.

[sweetana3]

A steady diet of Thai food (while in Thailand) will really scare you in that department. Must chew more but with the hot chilies sometimes that is quite painful.