Over the past year a new health craze has taken off and consumed the lives of those who swear by it – move over paleo and gluten free, the juice diet has arrived.
But why has juicing become so popular? It appears that in a world full of people who are trying to promote a healthy lifestyle based on a combination of clean eating and exercising, juicing encompasses the first and promotes the second.
Juicing our fruit and vegetables separates the fibre and nutrients from the ‘pulp’, allowing us to digest enzymes, probiotics and vitamins almost instantly, getting the most out of our foods and giving us more energy to exercise. Simple.
Beetroot, spinach, kale and celery are consistently named as the top juice ingredients with fruits like kiwis, apples and limes, supplementing these nicely and adding flavour.
Don’t be fooled, while juice and smoothies look just as appetising as each other, the higher vegetable content and lower sugar content makes juice infinitely better for you, and a little bit harder to drink.
So you’re equipped with the basic juicing knowledge, but which juicer is best for you?
Juicers in Ireland range from €40 – €240 and will vary in motor size and actual capacity for juice. I would recommend the Salter Whole Fruit Juicer (€75) or the Philips Whole Fruit Juicer (€105) – but remember to juice vegetables too!
The ‘NutriBullet’ juicer has blown-up state side, claiming to break down all foods into their most nutritious and absorptive forms and costs a cool €90 (excluding postage), which is a very reasonably-priced machine, but maybe for a more advanced user.
They say knowledge is power. You have the knowledge, you have the power – go, juice wisely.
Alison Ring
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