I have both a Champion Juicer and a Vita-Mixer. With juicing I've always been troubled by the fact that I discard the healthiest portion of the vegetable or fruit. Contrast that with the vita-mix where I ingest everything I put into the container. The vita-mixer is also much, much easier to clean.
It is hard to measure ROI for health. People often comment on my orange palms, the result of high carotene intake, so I can see the results.
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A few years ago, my employer gave me a BestBuy gift card as a perk. I normally don't buy anything from BestBuy, but I took the opportunity to buy a juicer for about $80 because it sounded interesting and healthy. I was very displeased with it, because:
- The yield of the amount of juice produced from fruit/veggies seemed really low. It seemed far more economical to just buy regular juice at the grocery store.
- The juicer was really annoying to clean. Very time consuming.
- There was a LOT of pulp, which I never found a good use for. Some of it could be used for making stock, some used for stretching meatloaf... but most of it got thrown out. My current living arrangements (small condo in the city) do not allow for any kind of gardening or composting opportunities.
- It was very loud to create juice.
- There was a lot of prep work involved in obtaining and washing and cutting/coring up the fruit/veggies.
- The yield of the amount of juice produced from fruit/veggies seemed really low. It seemed far more economical to just buy regular juice at the grocery store.
- The juicer was really annoying to clean. Very time consuming.
- There was a LOT of pulp, which I never found a good use for. Some of it could be used for making stock, some used for stretching meatloaf... but most of it got thrown out. My current living arrangements (small condo in the city) do not allow for any kind of gardening or composting opportunities.
- It was very loud to create juice.
- There was a lot of prep work involved in obtaining and washing and cutting/coring up the fruit/veggies.
I generally use something called teeth and a process known as "mastication" for my juicing. Mechanical juicing just seems like an unnecessary complication. But to each his own . . .
Jack Lalanne's best stuff came before he decided to pitch products. Look at his old videos from the 1950s on YouTube -- he was ahead of his time.
Jack Lalanne's best stuff came before he decided to pitch products. Look at his old videos from the 1950s on YouTube -- he was ahead of his time.
I'm with Ego. I don't see why you would throw away half the healthy stuff with juicing. I purchased a Blendtec blender about a month ago and I have replaced my breakfast with a shake and I even use it to replace the vegetable/carb side of my dinners 2-3 times a week.
For me, I it really improves the taste of kale, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, etc. without adding anything that is questionably healthy like butter or salad dressing.
My normal breakfast shake consists of:
- Kale
- Spinach
- 3 baby carrots
- 4 grape tomatoes
- section of cucumber
- tablespoon of Chia seeds (provides 5g of fat from omega 3)
- Blackberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, strawberries, etc. for the sweet part (half-cup to a cup). It doesn't take much to improve the taste.
- 10-20g of protein powder
I'm not going back to that pathetic bowl of oatmeal. This keeps me full longer, tastes better, and I feel better.
If you are going to do this you probably need to snag a Blendtec or Vitamix blender, as this will wear out a normal $50 blender. I have heard some good results from the Ninja, but it has a smaller engine which may not last as long. Plus, Blendtec has a 7 year warranty (I assume Vitamix has something similar).
For me, I it really improves the taste of kale, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, etc. without adding anything that is questionably healthy like butter or salad dressing.
My normal breakfast shake consists of:
- Kale
- Spinach
- 3 baby carrots
- 4 grape tomatoes
- section of cucumber
- tablespoon of Chia seeds (provides 5g of fat from omega 3)
- Blackberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, strawberries, etc. for the sweet part (half-cup to a cup). It doesn't take much to improve the taste.
- 10-20g of protein powder
I'm not going back to that pathetic bowl of oatmeal. This keeps me full longer, tastes better, and I feel better.
If you are going to do this you probably need to snag a Blendtec or Vitamix blender, as this will wear out a normal $50 blender. I have heard some good results from the Ninja, but it has a smaller engine which may not last as long. Plus, Blendtec has a 7 year warranty (I assume Vitamix has something similar).
I guess juicing is a good tool for people who eat little or don't like eating vegetables or fruit to be able to gobble a lot of it down and get the nutritional benefits for the least amout of effort.
@Ego: I used to drink tons of carrot juice when I was a kid and I stopped it when I started looking like one of the Simpsons.
@Ego: I used to drink tons of carrot juice when I was a kid and I stopped it when I started looking like one of the Simpsons.
I'm in the same boat as most. I don't understand why you would discard so much of the food.
Ego - don't worry. I chose a Vitamix over Blendtec because I strongly prefer the analog controls over a bunch of buttons and a display screen. (too much to fail! And I think switches and knobs are way cooler) I do think Blendtec appears to have better jar design.
Ego - don't worry. I chose a Vitamix over Blendtec because I strongly prefer the analog controls over a bunch of buttons and a display screen. (too much to fail! And I think switches and knobs are way cooler) I do think Blendtec appears to have better jar design.
The argument I've heard supporting juicing is that you can get a lot more vitamins from the juice, because you dump so many vegetables in. I think this makes sense. However, I prefer blending due to the fiber consumption.
Economically, blending makes a lot more sense. Sure you can compost the fiber, but it's cheaper to eat food and buy compost.
There's a great movie about this fat Australian guy who goes across the country while conducting a juice fast. He meets another guy who's really fat and gets him healthy. It's available on Amazon (free if you have Prime):
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Sick-Nearly-D ... early+dead
I enjoyed the movie and think it would have worked with a juice fast or if he ate smoothies.
Economically, blending makes a lot more sense. Sure you can compost the fiber, but it's cheaper to eat food and buy compost.
There's a great movie about this fat Australian guy who goes across the country while conducting a juice fast. He meets another guy who's really fat and gets him healthy. It's available on Amazon (free if you have Prime):
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Sick-Nearly-D ... early+dead
I enjoyed the movie and think it would have worked with a juice fast or if he ate smoothies.
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jacob
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Vitamix here. Their blenders have a 7 year warranty.
Used prices are good. We bought an older model and still paid a few hundred. ($300 instead of $500).
We find it helpful to blend smoothies in advance. They last a couple of days in the fridge and it's easier to grab something premade.
Benefits: Aside from the regular health benefits (see any raw food infomercial), it'll make your skin look different within a few days... even orange given enough carrots. One warning: I once overdosed on carrots so much that I actually got allergic reactions to them.
Used prices are good. We bought an older model and still paid a few hundred. ($300 instead of $500).
We find it helpful to blend smoothies in advance. They last a couple of days in the fridge and it's easier to grab something premade.
Benefits: Aside from the regular health benefits (see any raw food infomercial), it'll make your skin look different within a few days... even orange given enough carrots. One warning: I once overdosed on carrots so much that I actually got allergic reactions to them.
lol carrot overdose!!
Have you found certain ingredients that last better when storing for that long?
I have noticed that the juice can change quite fast. With certain ingredients (I'm not sure which ones it is) the taste can change quite a bit within 12 hours. Sometimes when I drink smoothies I made maybe 16+ hours ago, they can make my stomach feel just a little bit upset.
I've read some things about enzyme degradation starting at blending and being significant within 12 or 24 hours. (I don't know what the actually does or whether it is bad)
Have you found certain ingredients that last better when storing for that long?
I have noticed that the juice can change quite fast. With certain ingredients (I'm not sure which ones it is) the taste can change quite a bit within 12 hours. Sometimes when I drink smoothies I made maybe 16+ hours ago, they can make my stomach feel just a little bit upset.
I've read some things about enzyme degradation starting at blending and being significant within 12 or 24 hours. (I don't know what the actually does or whether it is bad)
@Ego
I think much of the difference between Blendtec and Vitamix is just style. Though, the Blendtec Wildside jar design is one functional piece I think it has over the Vitamix. Never any need to push anything down into the blades, which seems to be an issue for some Vitamixes.
@C40
I was hesitant with the new touch screen controls on the Blendtec too before I used it. Now, I'm not concerned at all. The touch screen is really well built. I would be highly surprised if it fails.
@m741
That's a good documentary, which can really help inspire some people. The truck driver was scary heavy.
I think much of the difference between Blendtec and Vitamix is just style. Though, the Blendtec Wildside jar design is one functional piece I think it has over the Vitamix. Never any need to push anything down into the blades, which seems to be an issue for some Vitamixes.
@C40
I was hesitant with the new touch screen controls on the Blendtec too before I used it. Now, I'm not concerned at all. The touch screen is really well built. I would be highly surprised if it fails.
@m741
That's a good documentary, which can really help inspire some people. The truck driver was scary heavy.
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jennypenny
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This technique only uses fruit, but I'm going to try it with other things. I like the idea of freezing pre-blended components of smoothies. I'm not sure how greens would do though. I'll have to experiment.
http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/ ... thie-bags/
@chicago81--Citrus leftovers make a nice addition to bread. You have to make sure there aren't any stringy parts if you know what I mean. I'm lazy and just lay out pulp and go over it several times with a pizza cutter.
http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/ ... thie-bags/
@chicago81--Citrus leftovers make a nice addition to bread. You have to make sure there aren't any stringy parts if you know what I mean. I'm lazy and just lay out pulp and go over it several times with a pizza cutter.
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jennypenny
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Re: Juicing benefits?
Resurrecting this thread because my (cheap) blender exploded this morning. This one didn't even last a year. I want something close to BIFL. I consume shakes daily, so I don't want to wait around for months trying to win one on ebay. I'll have to crack open my wallet for this.
So ... should I get a Blendtec or Vitamix?
So ... should I get a Blendtec or Vitamix?