Author Topic: To juice or not to juice?  (Read 9851 times)

kander

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To juice or not to juice?
« on: May 01, 2015, 08:21:02 AM »
It's not a life question, but we are thinking about buying a juicer.

We have a few reasons why we want to buy it:
1. Because my husband wants to lose some weight and has changed his breakfast from bread to (at this moment) smoothies, but it takes a lot of time too drink them, because the smoothies are very not-liquid - with a juicer he can make it faster and better drinkable.
2. My 1,5 year old is sometimes very difficult with eating veggies and we hope that we can give him some juice so he gets more vitamins
3. I could use some more vitamins too, I guess

What do you think? Is it a good idea to buy a juicer or is it just a whim??

Bracken_Joy

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2015, 08:31:40 AM »
Personally, I think it's a fad. It's a single use item that is AWFUL to clean (seriously, have you cleaned one? That will more than make up for ANY time savings), and you're just keeping the sugar but not the fiber from the plants- the fiber is what feeds your gut bacteria and helps to reduce colorectal cancer risk. You don't get that with just the juice.

My concerns:
-They are hard to clean well, so either it takes a ton of time or you will have mold reservoirs. No good.
-They are expensive.
-They are hard to store and single use items. Minimalism and mustachianism tend to go hand in hand, because the more stuff you have the more places you need to store it and the more time you spend cleaning. Thus, less time for side hustle, more spending on space solutions.
-They are nutritionally worse than smoothies, due to the fiber.

Studies show that the greatest weight loss and maintenance is with a high protein breakfast anyway. Kick the sugar and add some bulk to your belly. =)

SwedishChef

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2015, 08:33:22 AM »
One drawback of drinking purely juices -- and especially fruit juices -- is that you're missing out on a lot of the fiber that helps efficiently digest and metabolize the fructose (read: sugar) contained in fruits (and some veggies). While you're getting a lot of vitamins and minerals, you're also getting a big sugar bomb.

Quote
1. Because my husband wants to lose some weight and has changed his breakfast from bread to (at this moment) smoothies, but it takes a lot of time too drink them, because the smoothies are very not-liquid - with a juicer he can make it faster and better drinkable.

Very easy to make smoothies more liquid-y: add more liquid, like water.

My husband takes a smoothie with him to work every morning. We have a Magic Bullet, and he fills up one of the containers the night before: frozen berries, half a banana, tablespoon of peanut butter, vanilla-flavored protein powder, some spinach, and water. He just pulls it out of the fridge, pops it on the Magic Bullet, and done. Easily drinkable, and he's satiated until lunch because of the higher protein content.

My usual smoothie is a bunch of spinach, half an avocado, vanilla protein powder, a little milk, and water. Surprisingly yummy!
« Last Edit: May 01, 2015, 08:37:41 AM by SwedishChef »

begood

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2015, 08:47:39 AM »
My favorite smoothie recipe isn't "not liquid" at all! Half a banana, a TBSP peanut butter, chocolate almond milk, plain rice protein powder. Throw in a blender with a little ice and done. You can use soy milk for even more protein.

Kaminoge

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2015, 08:53:31 AM »
I'd say don't juice. They're a pain in the butt to clean (although maybe I've just never had a good juicer) and I personally couldn't swap a meal for juice because it doesn't fill me up in the same way actual food (or a smoothie) does.

Kris

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2015, 09:01:40 AM »
Get one if you want one, but they're not a very mustachian purchase.  You buy a machine you don't need, plus you'll buy a lot more fruits and veggies than you would if you just ate the fruits and veggies.  One banana will fill you up and is very healthy. One glass of juice is gonna need three or four fruits or veggies.  Not to mention what someone else said above: you don't get the fiber that way. You're essentially throwing away perfectly goid nutrients.

GuitarStv

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2015, 09:11:45 AM »
Fad.  As has been mentioned, juicers throw away the fiber . . . which is one of the biggest benefits of eating fruit/veggies.  Fiber helps tell your tummy that you're full, it keeps you pooping properly, lowers cholesterol, helps to regulate blood sugar, etc.  Very wasteful to just throw it away.

dycker1978

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2015, 09:20:10 AM »
I bought a juicer, before I found MMM.  They are very expensive.  They waste so much... throw away more than 1/2 of the fruit/veggies.  A lot of the nutrients are actually found in the fiber, so you effectively strip them out in the juice.

I returned it, and bought a vitamix blender.  They are expensive, but I now make all my own almond milk, nut butters, flour, mayo, along with many many others.  The blender is also powerful enough, that if you want orange juice, you put an orange in, and it does it thing, you cannot even tell it wasn't just pulp in OJ. 

I would personally stay away from a juicer.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2015, 09:39:08 AM »

I returned it, and bought a vitamix blender. 

+1. If you want an expensive kitchen tool that may help your husband lose weight, get a vitamix.

Bob W

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2015, 09:56:09 AM »
If you have a blender now why not add some veggie juice ($1.25 a large can at Wal-Mart)  And drop in what ever fruit of veggies you like?   Simple to do.  simple clean up.  Probably already have the blender. 

lise

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2015, 09:57:59 AM »

I returned it, and bought a vitamix blender. 

+1. If you want an expensive kitchen tool that may help your husband lose weight, get a vitamix.

+1 again ... I gave my juicer to a friend and am happier with a vitamix.


GuitarStv

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2015, 10:24:14 AM »
I would second the recommendation for a blender.  My 45 year old Osterizer still blends a mean smoothie in only a few minutes.

tarheeldan

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2015, 10:29:34 AM »
All about the blender. Has other uses, and you want the fiber from your veggies etc. anyway.

 I make batches and freeze 2-3 days worth of 1-glass portions in mason jars or similar (I have 2 glasses per day: morning and night).

frugaliknowit

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2015, 11:08:03 AM »
Eat fruit, not so much, if any juice.  A documentary I saw said that "metabolically" drinking OJ is no different than drinking coke.  I have my doubts, but still question how healthy all of that fructose at one time is.

Save the money on the juicer and use it to buy fruits and veggies.

Use a blender for smoothies (not the best breakfast).

Zx

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2015, 11:10:28 AM »
It's not a life question, but we are thinking about buying a juicer.

We have a few reasons why we want to buy it:
1. Because my husband wants to lose some weight and has changed his breakfast from bread to (at this moment) smoothies, but it takes a lot of time too drink them, because the smoothies are very not-liquid - with a juicer he can make it faster and better drinkable.
2. My 1,5 year old is sometimes very difficult with eating veggies and we hope that we can give him some juice so he gets more vitamins
3. I could use some more vitamins too, I guess

What do you think? Is it a good idea to buy a juicer or is it just a whim??

We bought a centrifugal juicer and it was horrible. Hard to clean, a big mess every time, etc.

We then bought an auger juicer for about 250 bucks at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. This one has been a dream and has continued to be for almost a year now.

Cleanup takes 60 to 90 seconds. Assembly and dis-assembly are a snap.

In the 10 months I've been doing it I've noticed several things. I've lost serious weight. My acid reflux has vanished. I sleep deeper and longer. My wife says I no longer snore. I have more energy and feel more alert. My hair started coming in a little darker.

And the biggest plus is that we've kept using it regularly for 10 months. It wasn't a fad that came and went. It's so easy to clean and to work with that doing so doesn't give you pause the next time you want to juice.

With auger juicers they've figured out that you get about 80 to 85% of the nutrition, compared to 70% with a centrifugal juicer. Every time I juice I'm drinking the nutrition (80 to 85% of it) of half a dozen carrots, 2 cucumbers, 4 celery stalks, radishes, tomatoes, red leaf, green leaf, spinach, beets, bell peppers, ginger, chard, lemons, limes, apples and you name it.

Enough fiber gets through the strainer that you won't be missing any fiber, either. Besides, you couldn't eat all the fiber in all the veggies that you'll be drinking anyway.

I wouldn't give it up for the world. If you get the right juicer, you won't either.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2015, 11:12:21 AM by dagiffy1 »

MissPeach

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #15 on: May 01, 2015, 01:20:47 PM »
I got rid of my juicer too and use my ninja. I find I need much less sweet things to make my veggies drinkable. The juice from the juicer was way too bitter for me without drinking a heap of apple juice (which was then too much sugar). I used a masticating juicer (an Omega) since it is the best for extracting vitamins for the money. My thoughts are the lack of sweetness (such as fruit) is better for me than the difference between juicing and blending.

My advice is to try one first. Several of my friends had one sitting on a shelf that I could have tried for free to see if I liked the juice, what features I liked/didn't like, etc. If that fails, check out craigslist or ebay first. They are usually on there for 20-40% of the retail price and were only used a few times.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2015, 01:25:09 PM by MissPeach »

Jeremy E.

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2015, 02:01:15 PM »
I have a nutribullet and I love it, you can easily make a thin smoothie that is very drinkable. My favorite smoothie recipe is Spinach, Frozen mixed berries, cacao powder, chocolate whey protein powder, and almond milk.
If you are wanting it to be quicker and thinner(more drinkable), just use a small amount of mixed berries, a small amount of chocolate whey protein powder, and fill the rest with almond milk. You could make, drink, and clean everything within 5 minutes easily.
Good Luck!

frugalnacho

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2015, 02:14:44 PM »

anks

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2015, 02:52:37 PM »
I agree with getting a quality blender over a juicer. I got a juicer a few years ago and have found it to be both a PITA to use / clean and a huge expense on the grocery bill. Getting a blender is more versatile and the drinks you make will fill you up more (with less waste). Don't cheap out on a blender though, get a refurbished / used Vitamix or  Blendtec. Cheap blenders can't handle blending up veggies and fruits and will burn out quickly.

Jeremy E.

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #19 on: May 01, 2015, 02:56:38 PM »
I don't recommend getting a vitamix, even a used one is around $300. Nutribullet and Ninja both make more affordable options that work great. Unless you plan on opening a smoothie making business, or like to make tons of soups and nut butters, you definitely don't need something as fancy as a vitamix.

dragoncar

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2015, 03:51:42 PM »
No way.  Eat yer fiber.

dycker1978

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #21 on: May 01, 2015, 03:57:09 PM »
I don't recommend getting a vitamix, even a used one is around $300. Nutribullet and Ninja both make more affordable options that work great. Unless you plan on opening a smoothie making business, or like to make tons of soups and nut butters, you definitely don't need something as fancy as a vitamix.

I disagree with this.  I bought the magic bullet(basically the Nutribullet)it was about $100.  It lasted all of 6 months before I burned it out.  I took it back and got another(warranty thru walmart) and burned it out in about 6 months as well.  I then thought that I would get a better blender.  I bought a Ninja($150.00) and used it for about 8 months. I took it back, to Costco this time and upgraded to the vitamix.  I have had it 4 years and not had an issue with any of it.  Should have spent the $300 I spent on the other stuff on it first.  Sometimes cheaper is not equivalent.

Jeremy E.

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #22 on: May 01, 2015, 04:13:44 PM »
You can buy the magic bullet brand new for about $30, it is not basically a nutribullet, they are made by the same company but the nutribullet is a much better blender. I got my nutribullet on sale for about $85 and it has lasted me 2 years and running, whereas vitamixes are $300-$800. I agree that vitamixes are better and will last longer, but I don't think they are 4-10 times as good or worth 4-10 times the cost of a nutribullet.

MayDay

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #23 on: May 01, 2015, 04:18:44 PM »
Veggie smoothie drinker here.

Juicers are a giant pain. My mom had to do it for awhile due to colon cancer that didn't allow her to digest fiber. If youhave a colon, you want the fiber!

I've run through a ton of cheap blenders, they last less than a year. I got an older vitamix model 2.5 years ago, this is the longest a blender has ever lasted me. If you just want to blend thawed fruit, though, and no ice or veggies, a cheap one is fine.

lise

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #24 on: May 01, 2015, 05:39:44 PM »
In my opinion ... Vitamix/Blendtec/High speed Blender smoothies are more palatable than smoothies from cheaper lower speed blenders.   

sarah8001

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #25 on: May 02, 2015, 04:30:12 AM »
I vote against a juicer too. If your SO needs more time to drink their smoothie, try making it thinner as others suggested. Also, sometimes I make my fiance's smoothie right before I go to bed, so he can just grab it and slurp in the morning. He also uses extra large smoothie straws (we wash and reuse) so he can drink it faster.
One way to get more veggies in your kid (and you) is to start pureeing them into sauces and soups. Tomato sauce can easily take 3-4 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, 2 onions, and a couple handfuls of kale per 2 cans of tomato sauce without too much difference in flavor. Cook the veggies until they're soft, then add the sauce, let it simmer away as long as you can (the softer and mushier you let the veggies cook, the less noticable the texture change will be from pure tomato sauce), then puree with a stick blender. Pureed veggie soups can also be packed full of veggies, and as long as you throw a potato in it you can just call it potato soup. I also put pureed veggies into meatballs and meat loaf. You could also make green smoothies. You can put a lot of spinach or kale in a smoothie and still have it taste like stawberry banana. Blueberries cover the taste and color of veggies.
From what I understand, juicing is very expensive, because you are really just drinking the water (and perhaps assorted nutrients and sugars) from your produce, so you need a lot more produce to get a glass of it. Also, I would worry about my kid ODing on juice because it doesn't fill their tummy the way whole fruits/veggies do, and then having terrible diarrhea.

kpd905

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2015, 05:13:33 AM »
Juicing just turns healthy fruit into pure sugar.

NV Teacher

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2015, 11:39:51 AM »
I love my vitamix because I can use whole fruits and veggies and I blend it until all the chunks are gone.  I can't take drinking chunky stuff.

Goldielocks

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #28 on: May 02, 2015, 11:27:27 PM »
You will likely use it for a few months, then again about once per year (at apple harvest time for us!).

Buy a really good one, and buy it second hand for 25% original cost.

Just don't buy a cheap one because the do break rather quickly when cheap.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2015, 11:33:33 PM by goldielocks »

jengod

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #29 on: May 02, 2015, 11:46:41 PM »
Nutribullet is a big win around here. Used it several times weekly for a couple of years and still going strong.

kander

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #30 on: May 03, 2015, 07:38:04 AM »
Thanks for all the replies. :)

We have decided to buy an other another juicer than we originally had in mind. This one wasn't half as expensive and had the best reviews of them all.... And we could find it second hand.

Also I've found a video explaining how you can us the pulp for several things: http://www.culy.nl/inspiratie/slimme-tip-zo-gebruik-je-pulp-uit-je-juicer-optimaal/
« Last Edit: May 03, 2015, 12:20:29 PM by kander »

forummm

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Re: To juice or not to juice?
« Reply #31 on: May 03, 2015, 12:08:32 PM »
Echoing some others here that juicing just destroys nearly the entire value of the vegetables. You end up drinking sugar water with a small amount of vitamins in it. It's really not that much different than Coke plus vitamins. And if you eat any reasonable level of vegetables in your diet, you get all the vitamins you need. Juicing is not necessary and is actually harmful in the same ways drinking Coke as your food is harmful. The sugar spikes your blood sugar, spikes your insulin, etc.

It's also not very mustachian. Your vegetables will go further if you eat them whole (or typical chopped sizes). If you strip out the fiber, you will need to eat more to feel as full.