Have you heard about juicing? It’s where you use a juicing machine to make fresh juice from either fruit or vegetables (or a combination of the two). I have been wanting to start doing this since the beginning of the year so I was very excited when I finally purchased a juicer earlier this week.

Here it is:

The Juiceman 550S. I bought it of their website. They have a code for 20% off plus free shipping in the US which makes it $80. It is also sold at Macy’s and on Amazon.

Why juice? It’s a healthier alternative to buying juice at a store. Store bought juice is always pasteurized which means it was applied to a great amount of heat in order to kill off bacteria.  Problem is, most people believe this kills off at least 50% of the healthy living enzymes as well. So even a brand like Naked where they use lots of produce isn’t going to be as nutritious as eating (or juicing) the fruit itself would be.  Most store bought juices also have water, sugar and other things added to them which makes them even less nutritious.  Remember, fresh juice will not keep long since it has not been flash-pasteurized. 

A juicer allows you to toss in whole/large pieces of fruit (must peel citrus fruits and remove pits from things like plums) or vegetables, keeping all the nutrients, and serving you with fresh, delicious juice, soup, sauce etc. The juice/liquid comes out one end while the pulp comes out the other to be discarded. 

Juicing is a great way to take in a ton of produce. For example, the glass of OJ you see below was made by me using five whole oranges.  It is much easier to drink them than to actually eat five oranges!  But I am still getting the vitamins and minerals from those oranges.

In about a week and a half, I will be participating in the Reboot program. I learned about this program while watching the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. In this documentary, the film maker Joe goes on a 60 day juice fast. The results are amazing! The documentary is interesting, entertaining and has a lot of great information so I really recommend checking it out.  The Reboot program is Joe’s creation. There are three options: 5-5-5 (5 days with eating/juicing, 5 days just juicing, 5 days eating/juicing), 15 day (both eating/juicing) or 5 day (just juicing). I haven’t quite decided which I will do yet but there is a quiz on the bottom of the website that can help you decide.  This is not some fad diet, it’s a way to get people to realize the important of eating produce because we live in a society now that relies so much on processed food. You might lose weight doing it but the important thing is to get healthier. If you plan on juicing for a long period of time, you should consult a doctor.  Reboot says a 5 day juice fast should only be done every 2-3 months while a 15 day juice fast can be done every 3-4 months. But you can always incorporate fresh juice into your current diet!

Here is another juice I made using baby carrots and oranges. Delicious!