by Mike on February 18, 2010
Every day we’re bombarded by messages on how to keep ourselves healthy and fit. Every day we look at those messages; sometimes we heed them and sometimes we don’t. Often times, the ones we listen to are the ones that are the easiest for us to achieve. After all, lifestyles as busy as ours cannot be taken lightly. But you know that for you to keep up with all those activities that take up your day, you need energy. And what better way to get that boost of energy from a simple glass of delicious juice?
Juice bars are popping up everywhere now, it seems. But of course there’s nothing like the home made stuff. Made fresh in your own kitchen, with fruits and vegetables you handpicked at the market to ensure optimal nutrient content, freshness and taste. Not to mention all the funky flavors you can come up with in the comfort of your own home that you wouldn’t be able to request for at an ordinary juice bar.
What do I do?
Okay then. You’re ready to take the leap. To juice. Instead of not to juice. Your first step would be to look at juicer reviews and check out juicer models in stores. Maybe take them for a test-juice to see if you like the final product. After all, you’re a discerning customer with discerning taste. And why waste time trying to manually press an orange through a citrus juicer, when you can buy an electric power juicer, which will be a citrus juicer and a vegetable juicer all in one? You can’t juice celery manually.
Drink Up Baby!
Once you find something that you like and it fits your lifestyle, by all means make that purchase and take your new baby home. And of course, proceed to give it the juicing of its life! Why not come up with delicious concoctions of apple, orange, lemon and celery juice with some mango added in for that tropical zing? Or go au naturel if it pleases you and have good ol’ apple juice whenever you desire.
It’s really wonderful what the right juicer can do for your lifestyle. After drinking juice regularly, you’ll soon see the positive effects in the way your body responds. You won’t get sick as much, you’ll have more energy to spare and you’ll look better. So what are you waiting for? Juice!
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by Mike on February 17, 2010
My girlfriend always says that I totally juice like a man. And I’m inclined to agree. However, even as we were talking about how I always seem to push fruit down the chute too hard for its own good (in the long run, it spoils the juicer), I bet her 50 bucks that the inventor of the juicer was a man. Needless to say, we got onto Google pretty fast and I made some quick money. 
Norman Walker was an Italian. A minister’s son, their entire family migrated to America when he was 24 to become a naturalized American citizen 8 years later in 1918. He was an astute businessman and one of the first founders of that art we now know as juicing.
Raw Food and Juice?
As a vegan, he recommends drinking raw fruit and vegetable juices as being beneficial to one’s health, particularly the colon. He’s credited with making the first juicer, called the Norwalk juicer, and was one of the first people in America to open a juice bar and offer a variety of different juices to cleanse, detoxify and provide nutrition.
He ate a raw food diet supplemented with lots of juice every day of his life and died peacefully at the age of 99, in Arizona. This bet was a bet I’m so glad I won, because now I know that if I keep up this healthy habit, and live a healthier lifestyle (still have to work on that though!), I could leave earth just like Norman Walker, peacefully, in my sleep, at a ripe old age!
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by Mike on February 16, 2010
I’ve been writing on and on about what juicing is and what kind of juicer to buy, and I completely forgot about giving out practical tips and tricks when actually juicing. Well, I’ll do so right now! These are tips that my girlfriend and I picked up in our time as avid juicers.
1. Don’t use sugar syrup to sweeten juice, use an apple instead. Fruit sugar, fructose is so much better for you and the nutritional content of an extra apple in your juice mix should be a welcome addition.
2. When juicing mushy fruit like nectarines, strawberries or raspberries in a centrifugal juicer, use a carrot or a beet or other fibrous, hard fruit or vegetables to push out the rest of the mushy fruit at the end. This will ensure less wastage and more yummy juice.
3. When you want clear or pulp-free juice, strain it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to get rid of foam and extra pulp.
4. Never leave juice out and drink it immediately after juicing to fully benefit from all the nutrients in the juice.
5. Beets, spinach, parsley and watercress all make very strong-flavored juices (hated them the first time I tried them!) so you have to mix them with sweeter fruit or vegetables to make them more palatable.
6. The juice from mushy fruit like apricot, nectarines and strawberries is called nectar and should be blended with a more watery fruit like apples or oranges to dilute it.
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by Mike on February 15, 2010
As I have a busy lifestyle, I don’t have the time to deal with all the mess of a huge clean up when the time comes. After I finish juicing my morning juice, I drink up and then I’m out of the house faster than you can say Tropical Fruit Juice.
Manual juicing – A thing of the past
I think technology has come a long way from the days when my mom used to use a citrus press to make fresh orange juice in the morning. Not only a time-consuming chore while she was juicing, but messy to clean up after as well. And watching her as I used to, inevitably the clean up process went directly to me.
I vowed that when my turn came, I would buy an electronic juicer, one that was dishwasher safe so I would never have to waste time cleaning up after the juicing was done.
And I did.
Yes. So wonderful it is to have a juicer with compartments that are dishwasher safe. Saves me so much time. I’ve realized that even when looking for juicers that are easy to clean, there are good and then there are better ones. The better ones are the ones designed with ergonomics in mind, and ease of use. Those with easier to remove parts that don’t require much fiddling around to get loose.
So my advice is to get a juicer that is easy to clean, like a dishwasher-safe juicer, especially if its parts can be easily removed and the pulp quickly thrown away. After all, my girlfriend likes it that way too.
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by Mike on February 14, 2010
For a guy, I have a pretty sweet tooth. Also, even though I like vegetables in general, the first time my girlfriend tried to put celery in my morning juice, I balked. It tasted so weird!
Anyway, she tried to make it a more palatable experience for me. And I’m glad she did, and she persevered because I was like a little kid who literally wouldn’t drink his vegetables.
How do I start?
First things first. Make sure that your juicer is able to handle veg. Normal citrus juicers aren’t designed to handle juicing leaves, so investing in a good juicer is really important. A good veg juicer will likely use a grinding mechanism or centrifugal force to squeeze as much juice out of your veg as possible.
What veg?
Carrots, beets, celery, cucumber, ginger, dandelion leaves, kale, parsley, tomatoes, pumpkin, turnip and garlic are all used for juice. Take note that some combinations taste weirder than others. Trust me, I know. My girlfriend made me try them!
Only these veg can be used for making juice, as not all veg can be used, unlike fruits. Seriously, can you imagine drinking potato juice? Not good at all. So use common sense when buying veg for juicing.
It tastes really gross. How do I get it down?
You have to get used to the taste, and it really is an acquired one. I’d say you should start with carrot juice, and tomato juice and see if that grows on you. When drinking veg juice, always bear in mind that they’re veg so that your palate is ready for the surprising taste.
Work your way up, and soon you’ll be drinking celery, cucumber, beetroot concoctions in no time!
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by Mike on February 13, 2010
There are tons of juicers out there on the market. Really, to know what you want to buy is easier said than done. There’s just so much choice. There are some things you can look for when buying your juicer that will help you in making a decision however. Let me tell you.
The Price of Juicing
What are you willing to spend? Price really makes a difference because there are some great cheap juicers out there and some great expensive ones but so many mediocre ones as well. Know what you want or else you’ll be plonking down a few hundred on the counter to get a huge contraption you’re very likely not to be using very much.
Features of Your New Juicer
Weigh the pros and cons of your choice carefully before committing. Check whether it’s dishwasher safe to ensure easy clean up and the likelihood that it will actually be used regularly rather than relegated to a cupboard shelf like most kitchen appliances. Check how much juice it can make at any one time, the speed and motor and the noise level when it starts making juice. Also check the speed of the juicer because a slow speed juicer kills fewer enzymes in the juice due to less heat, which makes for more nutritional juice.
If you remember all these tips, you’re so much closer to buying your perfect juicer, completely suited to your households’ needs.
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by Mike on February 12, 2010
If you have been in the health food circuit for as long as I have, then you’ll know that there’s always a new type of diet out there. Even as there have been diets like the South Beach diet and the Atkins diet and of course, Weight Watchers, here are some diets that have proven popular with juicers all over the world who want to detoxify their bodies, lose a few pounds, or simply tone up and be more healthy.
The Raw Diet
People on this diet eat everything raw because they believe that cooking food kills all enzymes and nutrients present in food. They are more likely to use expensive single gear masticating juicers because these slow speed juicers do not heat up the juice and kill nutrients. They augment their solid raw food with vegetable and fruit juices for a change of palate.
The Juice Diet/ Juice Fasting
People on this diet actually only drink juice the entire time. It cannot be done long-term, but usually is used on a short-term basis of about a day or two to detoxify the body and boost energy levels. The juice must be balanced and pulpy, so it is actually a mix of liquefied raw fruit and vegetables.
Master Cleanse/ Lemon Cleanse/ Maple Syrup Diet
This is a detoxification diet which is meant to be used only for a week or so (short-term, basically) and consists of a diet of only lemonade made from fresh limes or lemons (hence the need for a citrus juicer), maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water. While some people use this diet to lose weight, in general this diet is a detox diet which helps remove dangerous toxins from the body.
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by Mike on February 7, 2010
Waring Health Juice Extractors is considered good value for the sleek looks and the price you pay. After all, living the healthy way by juicing fruits and vegetables does not need to cost much. This juicer has a 400 watt motor making the extraction process efficient and painless.
Waring Health Juice Extractors
Great Features
One of the highlights about Waring Health Juice Extractors is the convenient clean-up. From the compact strainer, pulp collector, lid to the juice collector, they are all dishwasher safe. Finish by wiping the stainless-steel body clean with a sponge.
Consumer Search has noted that many users commented that the stainless steel housing will not stain. So, do not worry as it will not turn orange with time even if you juice carrots everyday. Some users dislike the noise when it is juicing but this juicer juices so fast that it would hardly be an annoyance long enough to anyone in the house!
However, some reviewers said that the pulp is not completely dry especially when you are juicing soft fruits but the one-litre collection cup is adequate for their needs. Another minor complaint is that you might need to buy a stiff brush separately to clean the cutter.
Although there is a lack of professional reviews, many users have given their two cents worth on Waring Health Juice Extractors. For its relatively low price, this juicer will serve you well if you prefer light-duty juicing and are not the hardcore juicer. Even if the motor breaks down, you can rely on the five-year limited warranty but do note that the appliances are subject to a one-year limited warranty.
Further Information:
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by Mike on February 6, 2010
Omega 4000 Juicer has a classic look equipped with a pulp-ejector style continuous juicer. Consumer Search rates this juicer as one of the quieter juicers than others in its class. One of the many highlights of this heavy duty juicer is the 15 year guarantee but it is extremely durable that it is more likely than not to outlast even such a long guarantee.
Omega 4000 Juicer
Great Features
Many users have complimented the powerful and solidly built Omega 4000 Juicer, although some fashion conscious users prefer it to have a more stylish look that befits its price. Nonetheless, the relatively quiet juicer is a plus point because you can juice anytime of the day without disturbing your neighbors!
Its efficiency can be seen by the dry pulp after juicing. Better yet, this juicer is very pleasant to use that you would want to use it even more, leading to a healthier lifestyle. Another advantage is when you turn this juicer off, it stops in a few seconds unlike some other juicers which takes much longer due to the heavy food in the drum. However, the chute is small so you might need to do a little chopping prior to juicing.
Nonetheless, a special mention by a particularly satisfied consumer is that Omega read the reviews posted by their users so whenever there is any mishaps, they will be ever willing to fix it!
Take a look at the Wall Street Journal’s excellent review of this juicer if you need more convincing that Omega 4000 Juicer is certainly a sturdy, well-engineered and efficient juicer.
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by Mike on February 5, 2010
As the name says, Hamilton Beach 67650H Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor has a feed chute big enough to accommodate extra large capacity. Not only does it fit whole food for fast and easy juicing, this juicer comes with strong metal housing clamps worthy of being called a professional juicer. The package comes with a cleaning brush to aid you with pulp removal.
Hamilton Beach 67650H Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor
Great Features
Fast to juice and fast to clean is the way to go with Hamilton Beach 67650H Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor. Even if you hand wash the parts, there is plenty of time for you to get your nutritious drink for a great start ever morning. If you receive this as a gift and it is your first time at juicing, fear not for this juicer is easy to assemble and even easier to operate. You can shove in whole apples and yet still get good quantities of juice.
Some users commented that a lot of food is wasted in the pulp especially if the ingredients that are juiced are soft fruits and vegetables. However, this is a common comment for all centrifugal juicers and not just this particular model. So, this juicer works best when the ingredients are hard and you might want to try a blender for the softer ingredients instead.
With one of the highest horsepower motor and a bargain lower price compared to other juicers on the market, Hamilton Beach 67650H Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor is a rare find.
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