Although I have been juicing for years with a Jack Lalanne Juicer and successive generations of the Jack Lalanne Juicer from Costco and Walmart, a friend of mine recently gave me a top of the line juicer as a present.
It’s a Breville Juice Fountain Elite, model 800JEXL, highly rated on Amazon.
I thought my juicing life was already wonderful until I got my new Breville.
The new juicer is easier to use, with two speeds, one for soft fruits and vegetables like spinach and oranges and another for harder fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots and ginger. It’s simpler to wash, so I can make two kinds of juices and complete all the clean-up in less than 15 minutes.
Now instead of having just one juice, I often make myself two juices, usually spinach, parsley and apple or butter lettuce, parsley and apple and a second juice of ginger, carrot and oranges.
I am such a fan of juicing I just gave my brother a juicer for his 50th birthday. Like many people I encourage to juice, I am hoping he will embrace his present.
I had offered to give my mother a juicer for her 75th birthday, but she declined. I am planning to make her some carrot, ginger and orange juice anyway when she comes to visit, because most people overcome their objections to juicing when they realize how delicious homemade juice actually is.
Here are 10 questions you can ask yourself:
1.Want my energy? Start juicing.
2. Want to reduce your aches and pains? Juice natural anti-inflammatory foods.
3. Need to detoxify? Make yourself some juice.
4. Hate to take supplements but want to be healthier? Juice.
5. Need to lose weight? Juice.
6. Want to overcome food cravings brought on by nutritional deficiencies? Juice.
7. Want to delay the aging process? Get yourself a juicer.
8. Want to prevent or heal yourself from cancer? Get a juicer.
9. Want to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet? Start juicing.
10. Want beautiful skin? Juice.
Here’s what you get:
Spinach: The healthiest food on the planet. Available year-round, it’s an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, Manganese, Folate, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin C, B2 and Tryptophan. A very good source of copper, B1, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin E. Researchers have identified 13 different flavonoids that act as antioxidants and anticancer agents.
Parsley: An excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A. The volatile oils in parsley make it a chemoprotective food, which means it can neutralize particular types of carcinogens, such as the benzopyrenes found in cigarette smoke.
Apples: A good source of vitamin C. Loaded with beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and the flavonoids catechin, epicatechin and quercetin and phytosterols. Meta studies show that individuals whose diets are rich in flavonoids, including apples, had a 20 percent reduction in heart disease.
Lettuce: An excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese and chromium. A very good source of potassium, molybdenum, B1, iron, B2 and phosphorous.
Ginger: A good source of potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese and B6. Ginger contains natural anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols that help to lower pain and swelling. Ginger also helps to relax the intestinal tract and reduce gas.
Carrots: An excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin K. A very good source of vitamin C and potassium. Loaded with beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. Carrots are known to promote heart and lung health as well as the eyes.
Oranges: An excellent source of vitamin C. The flavonoids found in oranges have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and blood clot-inhibiting properties.
