An Easy Way to Start

I knew going public about my juice fast could generate some questions, but I've actually been a little surprised at the response. I've been asked about how it's affecting/changing me, how long I plan to juice and even to share some recipes. I have been sharing articles and other information about health that I come across through Twitter which also pastes onto Facebook. Follow me on Twitter if you'd like to read those. I may begin to post them through here if I have the time.

As I've pondered some of these questions, I keep coming back to this thought: "How do people who've never juiced for health get started?" The photo above represents my best effort at an easy answer...citrus juicing.

Just go to Amazon.com and you'll find more options for juicers than you could ever possibly want. There are those that use centrifugal force or shred into pulp and then juice the pulp or even those specifically for juicing wheat, alfalfa and barley grasses. I, personally, have a GE juicer that uses centrifugal force and it has done well for over two years now. Admittedly, the blades are getting dull and I'd like to have less pulp in my juice, but I've yet to find a replacement blade basket for it. But varieties of juicers abound, and so do the prices. You can spend from $40 to $2400 depending on the maker, model and what you would like to accomplish. My GE juicer is around the $40-50 option. But if I were knowingly fighting cancer with my juices, you better believe I would invest in the top of the line Norwalk Juicers as recommended by the Gerson Institute. It is at the very top of the price range too.

But for the casual juicer or for the one that doesn't know where to start or even the person that wants to juice but has a very limited budget, there is good news. A standard citrus juicer, like the one in my photo, can be found for as little as $12-$24. I purchased mine at Ollies, but they are widely available. Actually, for citrus, they are the recommended juicer. Centrifugal force juicers will tell you they can juice citrus, but you have to peel them and damaging the flesh of the citrus while juicing is not recommended. According to the Gerson Therapy, any juice press in which an orange is inserted with its skin, when it is pressed, will emit harmful fatty acids and aromatic substances contained on the surface.

The great news though is that not only is this a cheaper juicer to own...citrus, pound for pound, will give you more juice than apples, carrots, beets, greens and many other fruits and vegetables. True, you need more than just citrus juice...but again, this is a post to encourage you to simply get started somewhere. And honestly, once you've had fresh squeezed orange juice, you will never want to go back to juice from concentrate and you may not even be able to bring yourself to purchase it in the carton either. When my kids have about 4 ounces of fresh-squeezed juice in the morning, they are often not hungry until lunchtime. No matter what western nutritionists try to tell you, waiting until later in the day to eat is healthy for your digestive system. That's why we call it break-fast.

I haven't even gotten to the health benefits yet. For one thing, you don't have to buy organic. Some seasons, the organic is the same price as conventional, so I do purchase it. But when organic costs more, and I'm not using the peel, I feel okay with buying conventional citrus.

Make your own lemonade or limeade with fresh squeezed juice, raw honey to taste and water and you have a great summer drink that's healthy for you too. Juiced grapefruit is far and away better tasting than anything that comes in a glass containter or metal can. Plus, when your juice hasn't been processed in a factory, that means it hasn't been heated and all of the micronutrients that you're body needs are still in the juice. When my kids have colds, the first plan of attack is fresh-squeezed orange juice, then supplement Vitamin C, zinc and echinacea as needed. 

Some benefits of citrus juicing:

• Rich in Vitamin C, most B vitamins, folic acid, beta carotene, potassium, calcium and even iron and zinc...and more! (depending upon the fruit)
• About two oranges can yield a full serving of 2-4 ounces of juice
• No peeling required, just slice in half and juice
• Citrus juicer clean up is much easier than a standard juicer.
• Many citrus juicers allow you to select and set the amount of pulp you would like in your juice.

For more information, check out All About Juicing

***One note of caution, if you are juice fasting, do not overdo your amount of citrus. Too much, without solid foods in your stomach, can irritate it. Listen to your body. There are juicing recipes for citrus mixed with greens available too.