Juicing

Does anybody use a juicer? What are your favorite drinks?

I like to use all the veggies that are in V8 and make my own.

I also use it to puree soups and meat for the cats.

That sounds yummy.  I have a recipe around here somewhere that calls for V8.  Good stuff!  I've never tried making my own juice though.  The more I read lately the more I think its good to know whats in what you are eating and drinking!

I have a veggie/fruit juice every day.  I try to use organic, so I need to go to markets etc as it gets really expensive otherwise.

It depends on the season, but I try to have beetroot, and I find cucumber is really refreshing and makes a lot of juice.  Carrot, celery, ginger, apple.  All good. 

And I really feel it when I haven't had my daily juice!

I don't enjoy cleaning them. I had a huge juicer (with a spinning log with teeth, horizontal orientation) a long time ago but now I use a blender bottle which is nothing more than a tall plastic bottle with a removable metal whisk-sphere and lid. Of course this means I'm forced to buy powdered veggie concoctions. I also have a Braun stick blender that doesn't get used alot, especially lately. that one's really for sauces and gazpacho anyway.

Be careful with juicing. Lots and lots of calories with juices. Think about how many fruits/veggies go into a glass of juice.  Now think about how much of those fruits/veggies you would be able to eat in their raw/cooked form before you felt like you were going to burst?  Easier to drink 500 calories in juice than it is to eat that amount of actual fruit/veggies.

Not to mention the lack of fibre that your body desperately needs.

Those machines such as the Vita Mix that actually pulverizes the whole veggie/fruit into a juice, fibre and all, is the better way to go, than using a juice extractor.

I agree about the calories so I usually stick with veggies instead of fruit. I like the idea that I can drink a couple servings of veggies a day that I know I wouldn't eat otherwise. Good nutrition fast!

I was lucky and got a Vitamix as a gift. It pulverizes the whole veggie and keeps the fiber.

I love juicing, but don't get to do it as often as I'd like, because I'm on a little of a tight budget, & if your going to juice, it really should be organic. (otherwise, I feel like your just drinking pesticides! Yuck!)

My favorite is carrot, ginger, but will also add celery(calming) , apple & or beet.  The co-op I used to work at sold one that was called a "Tonic Youth." It was carrot, ginger apple,& beet.

It's the ONLY way I can do beets. I've tried to eat them different ways, they just have too much of a dirt taste to me. They are good blood purifiers though.

I think juicing is fine, as long as you aren't doing a lot of fruits full of sugar, & you are getting your fiber from other sources as well.

I wish it was less expensive too so I could drink more. I usually buy whatever organic is on sale. Otherwise I feel like I'm making pesticide soup and it defeats the purpose.

Did you ever try roasting beets? I peel them, quarter them and roast with olive oil,sea salt and pepper. Then I eat them with horseradish sauce. Yum.

smitten4kittens said:

I wish it was less expensive too so I could drink more. I usually buy whatever organic is on sale. Otherwise I feel like I'm making pesticide soup and it defeats the purpose. "Exactly!!"

Did you ever try roasting beets? I peel them, quarter them and roast with olive oil,sea salt and pepper. Then I eat them with horseradish sauce. Yum.

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Hmm, no, I've never tried roasting them. I may have to try that, " minus the horseradish sause for me."

It's better to eat non-organic fruits/veggies than to not eat fruits/veggies at all (or eat less, because you can't afford as much organic) :dk:. There's really very little pesticide residue once you wash them (except for some, like strawberries, which can't really be washed properly). So don't worry too much on that account. I'm all for organic, mostly to preserve the groundwater purity and other environmental benefits, But I don't think anybody should eat fewer fruits and veggies because they can't get organic.

Willowy said:

It's better to eat non-organic fruits/veggies than to not eat fruits/veggies at all (or eat less, because you can't afford as much organic)

. There's really very little pesticide residue once you wash them (except for some, like strawberries, which can't really be washed properly). So don't worry too much on that account. I'm all for organic, mostly to preserve the groundwater purity and other environmental benefits, But I don't think anybody should eat fewer fruits and veggies because they can't get organic.

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Oh, I agree, & I do. I just meant for juicing, it defiantly should be. It's true washing does help, but if something has been sprayed through all stages of growing, I'm sure it's "in" it, not just "on" it.

I remember a whole food supplement line rep (New Chapter) telling us that they only used organic because as an example spinach always seemed to test for having over 36 carcinogenic on it!

I also remember reading Dr. Andrew Weil saying that certain things should be bought organic, like celery, because it's mostly water, so soaks up whatever is being used.

Willowy said:

It's better to eat non-organic fruits/veggies than to not eat fruits/veggies at all (or eat less, because you can't afford as much organic)

. There's really very little pesticide residue once you wash them (except for some, like strawberries, which can't really be washed properly). So don't worry too much on that account. I'm all for organic, mostly to preserve the groundwater purity and other environmental benefits, But I don't think anybody should eat fewer fruits and veggies because they can't get organic.

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I just don't like the idea that my "health " drink is full of pesticides. Know what I mean?   I don't think washing them removes it very well because pesticides aren't washed off every time it rains. The last time I read about it even peeling didn't take care of the problem because the chemicals are inside the veggies too. It just feels counter-productive to me.

smitten4kittens said:

I just don't like the idea that my "health " drink is full of pesticides. Know what I mean?

  I don't think washing them removes it very well because pesticides aren't washed off every time it rains. The last time I read about it even peeling didn't take care of the problem because the chemicals are inside the veggies too. It just feels counter-productive to me.

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I still think it's better than nothing. 

But there's way more to organics than lack of pesticides.. I can quite often get 'spray free' at the markets for a lot less than organic.

They're called 'organic' because the soil is full of organisms.. rich and lush.. rather than full of chemical fertilisers.

Thank you Mani. Ive never seen spray-free signage before! I'll look for it as a way to save money

Mani said:

I still think it's better than nothing. 
But there's way more to organics than lack of pesticides.. I can quite often get 'spray free' at the markets for a lot less than organic.
They're called 'organic' because the soil is full of organisms.. rich and lush.. rather than full of chemical fertilisers.

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I don't know about the laws in Australia. But in the U.S., there's a TON of red tape a farmer has to go through to be certified organic. They aren't allowed to call their produce organic without being certified. So at the farmer's market, you'll find very little "organic" produce, because small producers can't afford the certification. So they might say "chemical-free" or "pesticide-free" or something of that nature.

While unsprayed soil may have more organisms, that's not something considered in organic certification.

I will keep my eyes open for spray free too.Thanks guys for your info.

I do understand what some of you are pointing out. I wouldn't stop eating veggies altogether if I couldn't get organic.

That's cool, I've never seen "spray free"  here though.

Angels mommy said:

That's cool, I've never seen "spray free"  here though.

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I've never seen that wording, but at farmer's markets I have seen "grown without pesticides" or "chemical free". Retail stores aren't allowed to label food with that kind of thing; there are specific laws about food labeling in stores. But check farmer's markets or roadside stands.

Willowy said:

I don't know about the laws in Australia. But in the U.S., there's a TON of red tape a farmer has to go through to be certified organic. They aren't allowed to call their produce organic without being certified. So at the farmer's market, you'll find very little "organic" produce, because small producers can't afford the certification. So they might say "chemical-free" or "pesticide-free" or something of that nature.
While unsprayed soil may have more organisms, that's not something considered in organic certification.

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Yes, the red tape is here too, and at Farmers' Markets it's good to go and chat to the farmers to see what they do.

I don't mean that a part of organic certification is checking for organisms, just that that is how the term 'organic' came about... the soil is alive