The joys of juicing

A few weeks ago I posted an article about the movie “Fat, sick and nearly dead” and the benefits of detoxifying the body. Purchasing a Vitamix had been on my list of things to do for over a year now but watching this movie inspired me to finally take the plunge. I have heard that some people who watched the movie that they think it is just a commercial for juicers. Well if it is, I bought the wrong juicer! The guy in the movie used a Breville juicer. I remember thinking “Why is he using a Breville and not a Vitamix?” Or the competition high powered juicer, a Blendtec. But really all this is beside the point. The brand of blender/juicer is not important. Using it is the important thing.

I owned a good juicer for a couple of years but rarely used it because it was cumbersome and cleanup was long and involved. There were several reasons I wanted the high-priced Vitamix, not least of which was the ease of cleaning. I also wanted to reduce the amount of waste and increase the fibre, vitamin and mineral content of the juice.

With my first experience using my machine last night, it lived up to its name. I chose a recipe from the book that included greens – as this was my prime reason for juicing, to get more greens – and fruit that I had on hand. I threw in 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup grapes, a peeled orange, a pear cut in quarters (core still intact), a carrot cut in half lengthways, and some water. The recipe called for pineapple which I didn’t have, and a banana. When I unpeeled the red banana, it was obviously under ripe so I omitted the banana.  I also omitted the ice cubes. I used a cup of water instead. It was a little thick, so I added more water. 

Since my husband Paul had watched the movie, I thought he might be more receptive to tasting a green drink, and he was. He tasted it and said "wow" it was good. We both had two glasses, finishing the batch.

I am looking forward to experimenting with different combinations. The book that comes with the Vitamix is not very useful but I have a copy of The Green Smoothie Bible that a friend gave me for my 50th birthday that will come in handy. It's a terrific little book that delves into the benefits of smoothies, the best ingredients to use, the different purposes, including weight loss, balancing various body systems such as hormones, mood, and blood sugar, and it includes recipes for every season.

Here is a beginner’s recipe from the book:

3-4 bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups water

Handful of fresh, clean spinach

But remember, don't eat too many bananas in the winter as they are mucous-forming.  

Enjoy! Right now I am pretty green J when it comes to juicing but I will be writing more about it as I get more experience. And, in case I am accused of writing a commercial for Vitamix, I do not hold shares in this company! Any blender will do. So go ahead and start juicing! And share you favourite recipes below or on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/fitforeverottawa