Juicing: A Cheat Sheet Of Tips You Cannot Do Without

Over the past year or so I have really made a commitment to keeping up the habit of juicing and that meant finding easier ways to juice.

This has allowed me to take full advantage of the health benefits including getting nutrients to help with my hair growth in a natural way. You can find more about how juicing can benefit your hair here.

If you do not know what juicing is, a simple way to look at it is a way of extracting the nutrients from fruits and vegetables without consuming the fiber. It is a great way to ingest a huge amount of veggies and fruit without actually eating them which for many of us would never happen!

If you are just starting on your juicing journey here are a few basic tips or a ‘cheat sheet’ to make life just a little bit easier.

Man Up – Overload On Veggies Less Fruit

Juicing lettuce, spinach and kale on their own can be quite icky tasting, but lets be honest, the quality of nutrients we can get from juicing vegetables are undeniably superior to fruit alone. Think of fruit as the ‘flavoring’ of your juice instead of the main meal. A couple of apples juiced along with a bunch of greens will give you a gorgeous green juice packed full of nutrients but it will taste of apple juice!

By all means, every now and then make something fruity as a treat but for the most part use fruits just to improve taste and try to get as many veggies in as you can.

Wash The Juicer Immediately After Use

When I say immediately I do literally mean before you actually drink the juice! This is hands down one of the best tips when it comes to juicing regularly.

Once you have extracted all that lovely juice, wash the juicer immediately under plenty of running water; there is very little need for soap, a rinse alone will be fine. This is particularly useful if you have a juicer* that has a thousand parts because letting that stuff dry on the juicer* will make it much more difficult to clean which means more work at wash time.

If you have a juicer that collects the pulp of the fruit or vegetables in a separate container, stick a plastic bag in that part before you begin juicing so that when it’s time to clean, you can just throw the plastic bag away leaving that container clean and read for the next use. Every little helps!

Get A Good Quality Juicer

If really you want to commit to juicing you will need a great tool and this might mean spending a little bit at the beginning. A great quality juicer* will last you years and it will allow more flexibility with the variety of vegetables and fruits that you can juice.

Now do not go crazy buying the most expensive out there without first figuring out what it is they do. Try to think about what you want your juicer for; if it is just for extractions and not for making nut butters* or other things that have nothing to do with juicing then pick a great machine that does exactly that.

If you want bells and whistles because you plan to make more than a green smoothie, then by all means pick a juicer* that satisfies that need. Either way, make the investment and get a great tool.

One thing that I would suggest is to always get a whole fruit juicer. These wonderful machines are able to take whole apples, cucumbers, celery and other fruits and vegetables without the need for endless chopping.

They will save you a great deal of time and sanity and best of all, they will make it easier to make juicing a permanent addition to your routine.

Go Organic

Organic can be expensive, we know! But where possible try to buy organic fruits and veggies to reap the best benefits. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of most pesticides or fertilizers and if any fertilizers are used, they are chemical free.

If you cannot buy all organic, there is a list of fruits and vegetables that are on the ‘must buy organic’ list. They are affectionately called the ‘dirty dozen’ because they are the most likely to be contaminated with pesticides when non-organic. Think of them as pretty much anything that you cannot peel or the skin is eaten.

The dirty dozen includes apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, nectarines, grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries and potatoes. But this list is constantly being updated by the USDA so stay in the know.

Get Adventurous

You cant eat spinach all the time, there are so many varieties of fruits and vegetables out there, feel free to experiment with your juice. This is what makes juicing fun, and you should have fun, if it isn’t fun, then why even do it?

Go for the weird stuff, look up the benefits, wash it and throw it down the chute, DRANK! You might be surprised how great some combinations taste especially with something you have never even heard of.

Additionally try to find recipes for the left over pulp of the fruit and vegetables instead of dumping it every time.

There are a ton of recipes out there you can take advantage of like adding it to banana bread, making raw biscuits or even adding it to soups. Get adventurous and bake something.

Do Not Put The Juicer Away

A green juice every few months might taste delicious but it will do very little towards a permanent improvement to your health. You definitely want to create a habit of juicing and many of us for whom a major change in routine does not come naturally, this involves creating an atmosphere that encourages the habit.

Make some permanent counter space specifically for your juicer*. With the contraption sitting right there and staring at you daily, you are constantly reminded to get that juice made and drank. If you have to bump the fryer to get counter space for the juicer*, better still!

Make Enough For Two Days

Usually freshly extracted juices are at their best 20 minutes after making them but if you have a busy schedule and cannot make time to juice daily then juicing every two days is fine too.

If you must save juice, then the shelf life is typically 2 days in a very cold fridge. A good tip is to juice half a lemon along with your other ingredients. The antioxidants in lemon prevents oxidization of your juice keeping it fresher for longer.

If you would like to find out more about juicing I can’t recommend this book by Jason Vale highly enough. Juice Master: Turbo-Charge Your Life in 14 Days

Happy Juicing!