Choosing the right juicer; it does make a difference

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In our last article, we talked about why and how Tanya and Lloyd started juicing. More than likely many of you have had the same reasons for wanting to juice, or have your own personal reasons, but you want to juice because you know it is good for you. So where to begin? Well, it naturally begins with choosing the right juicer.

The first thing you need to consider is that not all juicing techniques are the same and not all juicers are created equal. How are all juicing techniques the same? The main difference is that there are two primary types of juicing; the extraction of juices from the produce and the blending of the produce that creates more of a smoothie. From this point one we will refer to juice extraction as “juicing” and “blending” for the other technique.

Frequently the argument for blending is that with juicing there is excessive pulp which provides fiber that is important to a person’s diet. This argument might hold some weight if one is doing nothing but juicing, but that is not something that Tanya and Lloyd recommend for beginners. The advantage of juicing is that the extraction of the juice provided nutrients that are immediately available to the body. When one eats food the body must break it down to get the fiber and nutrients; this burns some of the nutrients just through the breakdown process. In addition, some nutrients dissipate over time, so the longer the time between the intake of the food and its digestion the more nutrients are lost. When you practice blending over juicing you will get more fiber, but the body still has to break it down in order to get the full benefit of the nutrients. With juicing there is very little for the body to break down in order to benefit from the nutrients. In fact, you may often hear someone mention that they get an immediate energy burst after juicing; that is because the body is able to intake the nutrients immediately, kind of like mainlining the nutrition into you. This series of articles will discuss juicing over blending because that is the method used by Tanya and Lloyd.

When the topic of juicing comes up on various online forums, comments such as “washing the juicer is what discourages me” or “I love making fresh juice, but the time for cleanup is really a pain” come up time and time again. There is no question that some juicers can be a pain and if the juicer is not easy to use there is a greater chance of giving up as “too much work.” Monitoring the comments made by members of various social media juicing groups it becomes apparent that many purchase their juicer based solely on cost. While it is understandable that cost can be a factor, sometimes it makes more sense to spend the extra money.

When Lloyd first decided to begin juicing he spent a lot of time researching the most common juicers available; and most reviews complained about the low juice yield, wet pulp, preparation and cleanup time and the worst of all, the juicer broke. One day he happened to read a review made by a friend who was discussing the juicer he had just purchased and suddenly there was a moment of clarity. The juicer was a Breville Dual Disk Juice Extractor. When I asked him specific questions about using the juicer, his exact words were that it was “surprisingly very easy to clean and the pulp is very dry.” When the specifications of the various juicers Lloyd had researched the main difference he found was the power of the motor. The Breville has a 1200w motor whereas the other juicers that people complained about had significantly less power. It seems that size does make a difference.

Having tried lesser powered juicers Lloyd was able to personally experience having an 800w Breville break in the process, juicing a carrot that would have never been an issue with the 1200w machine. On a visit to a juicing shop in London, he was amazed at the amount of produce it took to make one glass of juice. The shop owner stated that he used an inexpensive juicer because it is easier to buy a new one when it breaks. The logic is flawed if the primary reason that the juicer is breaking due to it being underpowered. Additionally, the obvious low power was resulting in a lower juice yield so he was using twice as much produce for each glass than he would if he had the more expensive 1200w juicer.

In addition to the juice yield, the other concerns of ease of use and cleanup are eliminated with the 1200w motor. There is no need to chop up apples or other hard fruits or vegetables as the 1200w motor handles them with ease. The cleanup is a non-issue, most of the parts are dishwasher safe, with the mesh filter being the only item that you need to wash by hand, but they provide a brush that is perfect for the job. When Lloyd first got his Breville Dual Disk Juice Extractor he decided to time how long it would take to prepare and clean up an ordinary juicing session. It took less than 20 minutes to assemble the juicer, gather and clean the produce, juice the produce and clean up. There are not many meals that can be prepared and cleaned up in that amount of time. As far as durability is concerned, Lloyd and Tanya’s Breville has been used almost daily for more than three years with no issues.

When choosing a juicer be sure to read reviews but also look at the specifications. If the motor is less than 1000w and the difference in cost is only $100, you will save money in the long run and you will be more inclined to continue juicing because it will not become more of a chore than a pleasure.

The book Faces of Juicing was compiled after the author, Tanya Martin, discovered that she found some relief from the pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis by concentrating on creating artful designs with the produce that she prepared for her daily juices. Commonly asked to show her recipes, the photos of her designs were a fun way for her to show the recipes to others.

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