What do you use juicer for?

Juicers are kitchen appliances used to extract juice from fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens. They work by mechanically squeezing or crushing produce to separate the liquid juice from the pulp. Juicers make it quick and easy to make fresh, nutritious juice at home.

Types of Juicers

There are several different types of juicers to choose from:

• Centrifugal juicers: These are the most common and affordable juicers. They use a fast spinning metal blade to grind produce against a mesh sieve. Centrifugal juicers are quick, easy to use, and generate a high juice yield.
• Masticating juicers: Also known as cold press or slow juicers. They crush and press produce slowly at lower speeds. This generates less heat and oxidation, preserving more nutrients. Masticating juicers produce higher quality juice.
• Triturating juicers: The most efficient but expensive juicers. They have twin metal gears that spin and crush produce into a fine pulp. Triturating juicers extract the maximum amount of nutrients and juice.
• Citrus juicers: Designed specifically for juicing citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. They typically have a cone shaped juicing head that presses down on halved citrus to extract juice.

Benefits of Juicing

There are many health and nutritional benefits to making and drinking fresh juice at home:

• More nutrients – Juicing makes it easier to consume more fruits and vegetables, packing in a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
• Increased energy – The natural sugars in juice provide an energy boost without caffeine or other stimulants.
• Supports weight loss – Juices are low in fat and calories compared to whole produce, making them a healthy addition to a weight loss diet.
• Aids digestion – Fresh juices are rich in enzymes that help promote digestion and absorption of nutrients.
• Detoxification – The nutrients and antioxidants in juice help remove toxins and improve liver and kidney function.
• Disease prevention – The nutrients in juice boost immunity and lower inflammation, helping prevent chronic diseases.
• Better skin – Juices packed with antioxidants can improve skin tone, elasticity, and complexion from the inside out.

What Can You Juice?

Many different types of fruits, vegetables, and greens can be juiced. Here are some of the top produce options for juicing:

Fruits

• Apples
• Berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• Citrus – oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes
• Grapes
• Melons – watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Pears
• Pomegranate

Vegetables

• Beets
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Fennel
• Bell peppers
• Ginger
• Leafy greens – kale, spinach, chard
• Tomatoes

Herbs & Sprouts

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Wheatgrass
• Alfalfa sprouts

For the best flavor, combine fruits and vegetables together. Apples, berries, citrus fruits, and melons blend well with most vegetables.

Juicing Tips

Follow these tips to get the most out of your juicing:

• Use organic produce when possible to avoid pesticides
• Wash all produce thoroughly before juicing
• Cut large fruits, veggies, and greens into smaller pieces to fit juicer
• Alternate hard and soft produce when juicing
• Juice softer items like berries and citrus first
• Wrap leafy greens into a bundle to feed into juicer
• Drink juice immediately for maximum nutrition
• Store leftover juice in air-tight container and drink within 24 hours
• Make juice in batches and freeze into ice cube trays
• Use pulp left over to make soups, smoothies, or compost

Best Juices for Different Health Needs

You can customize juices to target specific health goals. Here are great juice combos for common needs:

Health Need	Juice Ingredients
Weight loss	Cucumber, celery, kale, lemon, ginger, apple
Immunity boost	Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, kiwi, lemon, lime, ginger
Reduce inflammation	Cherries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, turmeric
Increase energy	Apples, oranges, carrots, beets, spinach
Glowing skin	Carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, spinach
Detoxification	Beets, carrots, celery, cucumber, lemon, ginger
Heart health	Pomegranate, grapes, spinach, kale, parsley, carrots, beets

Potential Downsides of Juicing

While juicing has many benefits, there are some potential downsides to keep in mind:

• Nutrient loss – Some nutrients are damaged by heat and oxygen exposure during juicing.
• Fiber loss – The pulp is removed during juicing, taking away fiber content.
• High sugar – Fruit juices can be high in sugar without the balancing fiber.
• Quickly absorbed – Sugars and nutrients may be absorbed too quickly into the bloodstream.
• Hunger – Juices lack protein and healthy fats so they may not keep you full.
• Cost – Juicers and organic produce can make juicing expensive.
• Food waste – The leftover pulp can create more food waste unless used.

To counter the downsides, alternate juices with whole fruits and veggies, use mostly vegetables in juices, drink only moderate amounts of juice, and be sure to use the leftover pulp.

Juicing vs Blending

Both juicing and blending make it easy to increase your produce intake. But there are some key differences:

Juicing	Blending
Extracts only the juice from produce	Blends all parts of produce into smoothies
Removes fiber content	Retains all fiber
Quickly absorbed nutrients	Slower nutrient absorption
Higher nutrient yield in less volume	All nutrients but greater volume
Not as filling	More satiating with fiber and protein
Discards pulp waste	No byproduct waste

In general, juicing extracts more vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients while blending retains more fiber. Alternating between both methods provides a good balance.

The Best Juicers to Buy

These are top rated juicers for every budget and juicing need:

Under $100

• Breville Compact Juice Fountain
• Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine
• Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra 1100W Power
• Cuisinart Pulp Control Citrus Juicer

$100-$200

• Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus
• Cuisinart CJE-1000 Die-Cast Juice Extractor
• Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer
• Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer Extractor

Over $200

• Tribest Slowstar Vertical Slow Juicer and Mincer
• Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor and Nutrition Center
• SKG Wide Chute Anti-Oxidation Slow Masticating Juicer
• Tribest Green Star Elite GSE-5000 Jumbo Twin Gear Cold Press Juice Extractor

Conclusion

Juicing is a simple way to get more nutrients into your diet and improve your health. With a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and greens to choose from, you can create nutrient dense juices tailored to your needs. Focus on produce rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamins, and minerals. Combine different flavors for delicious juices. Drink them fresh and alternate juicing with whole foods for balanced nutrition.

Invest in a quality juicer that fits your budget. Centrifugal juicers are affordable and fast, while masticating and triturating juicers slowly extract even more nutrients. Drink juices in moderation along with fiber-rich whole foods for the best results. Juicing is a healthy habit that can boost your energy, vitality, and overall wellbeing when done regularly.