Juicing usually requires using a machine (juicer like Breville) in order to turn raw fruits and vegetables into a liquid. Home juicing machines may cost anywhere from $30 dollars to more than $300 dollars. By using special blades, most juicers chop up your fruits or vegetables into tiny pieces and spins them in a way to separate the juice from the pulp, which eliminates the majority of the fiber. Refer to Consumer Reports or Amazon for reviews to find a juicer that is best for you.

There are many health benefits of drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables.

it’s a great way to add nutrients from the fruits or vegetables that you normally wouldn’t eat.

Fruit and vegetable juices retain most of of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals called phytonutrients that would be found in the whole versions of those foods. These nutrients can help protect against several diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and inflammatory diseases i.e. rheumatoid arthritis.

Valuable compounds called flavonoids and anthocyanins are abundant in a variety of fruits and vegetables and guard against oxidative cellular damage, which comes from everyday cellular maintenance and is exacerbated by exposure to chemicals and pollution.

Note: Beware of claims that juicing is the only way to stay healthy, that you should avoid solid foods, or that juicing is a substitution for a medical diagnosis or treatment. There’s not much research out there that proves that juicing is healthier than eating the whole fruits and vegetables. Juicing does make them easier to consume on a regular basis.

Some advocates for juicing may claim that your body absorbs more nutrients from juices than the whole fruit because the fruit’s fiber gets in the way. However, there isn’t much research that supports that claim. Your digestive system is designed to handle fiber and extract nutrients from a variety of foods. Plus, fiber is important for digestive function and has a multitude of health benefits.

Juicing Safely

When making your own juice, try to make only as much as you can consume at one time. Juice that isn’t consumed right away can harbor bacteria and cause food poisoning. Exposure of the drink to air, bacteria and other pathogens can not only make you sick but threaten the nutritional value of the juice as well.

Also, before using juicing your desired fruit, you should wash them thoroughly to remove any dirt, pesticides or bacteria. Make sure your cutting board and utensils are clean as well. E. coli is a very dangerous bacteria that can live on your fruits and make you sick. The problem is that it can only be killed with heat, which can also damage the nutritional content of the juice. If you don’t want to boil your juice on the stove, you’ll have to wash the fruit thoroughly before juicing.

If you decide to pursue a diet that predominantly consists of juice, like a juice cleanse, make sure you consume at least 2000 calories or more per day depending on your metabolic needs. Don’t starve yourself! It’s important that your body gets a sufficient amount of calories, vitamins, nutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrates.

Also, make sure you eat fiber, to keep your digestive system working smoothly. You can add dissolvable fiber powder to your juices or supplement with a suitable number of fiber-rich solid foods (like prunes or pears) to compensate.

Get some easy-to-make, delicious juice recipes here. Happy juicing!