Favorite Thing #34: My Juicer

So did you know that I juice vegetables and fruits almost daily? I've been at it for over a year now. Yup, I'm just full of surprises aren't I? Below is my beloved Braun juicer. A whopping $11 at the Nanaimo Sally Ann Thrift Shop. One of my best thrift shop purchases, ever.

 What got me onto juicing you ask? Well, it was this documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. 

 I've mentioned this film before on my blog. It really was a great documentary. Whether or not you are actually looking into juicing, its an eye opening look at what has happened to the health of America. Joe Cross found the solution to his own health problems and obesity through a medically supervised 60-day juice fast. The results are stunning.

And this is a total aside, but as I was looking for the documentary image on my computer I stumbled upon this one. Seriously, Damn You Autocorrect really does give me a good case of the giggles...

ANYWAY...ahem, as I was saying. I love my juicer. Oh right, next question, why do I juice? Well, I'm no doctor, but I figure getting in all that veggie goodness, in liquid form, has to be a good thing. And yes, I realize I am not getting the pulp/fiber the same way I would be if I actually ate all the vegetables I juice, but seriously...have you eaten this today?

This is actually a pretty basic juice as I have to head to the veggie store in the next few days, but these are the key ingredients of every juice I drink. Its A LOT of veggies, so no, I don't usually eat that much in a day. And here's another random secret about me, I don't like citrus fruits, at all. Like to sit down an eat an orange...yeah, not gonna happen. Blech. So through juicing I get all that vitamin C goodness that I am missing out on and I will add in the occasional grapefruit slice. Sometimes I will mix it up and include some of the following ingredients:

A handful of Spinach

1 Stalk of Kale

Beets

1 Stalk of Celery

Pineapple

Plus, have you ever eaten that much ginger (bottom right) like raw? ever? Yeah, me neither. So I figure there has to be something to getting that much gingery goodness. I had to start small at first, because it really packs a punch, but now I'm up to about a 1.5" chunk without really noticing. And speaking of ginger, here's a word to the wise. If you by-chance happen to be sent to the store to pick up a 1" chunk of ginger for your wife, please don't come home with this...

Apparently in all of my husband's 37 years, he was not aware that you could actually break chunks off the ginger root. No, no, instead you are required to buy entire BRANCHES of the stuff. Oy.

At the end of it all, this is what my juice ended up looking like today. Very orange, but I also don't have spinach and kale, which usually adds a lot of green. Yum.

What's the taste like you ask? Well, honestly, today's was like a zesty orange juice. We once made a green drink and Rob agreed with Dr. Oz (or was it Oprah...) who said it tastes like a cup of fresh. It literally does! Usually I find including apples and carrots adds enough sweetness to make just about anything tolerable. That said, I only do it because I enjoy it. If I despised the taste it and had to gag it down, it wouldn't be worth it to me.

The prepping of the veggies and the cleaning of the machine is a bit of a hassle, but I figure the rewards are worth it. Usually the entire process takes me 10 minutes start to finish (prepping, juicing, cleaning), so really not a huge chunk out of my day. Its usually my later morning drink as I need my coffee first thing. 

I do it because I feel better when I do. I can't really explain it beyond it makes me feel less bleh. I can physically feel when I haven't been juicing, I just feel weighed down. Plus, I think because I juice, I end up eating less throughout the day. It is by no means a meal replacement, but it certainly fills me up for a good hour or so. 

What is the cost? Well, I've never sat down and figured it all out per glass, but it certainly adds up depending on where you buy your veggies. You have to think I am using an entire apple, an entire orange, 1/3 of a head of romaine, etc, etc. Thanks to the great prices at H+W Produce here in Edmonton, I can keep up with my daily juicing as well as buy our regular fruits/veggies for around $30 every 10-14 days. Below is my receipt from last week. Like honestly, the prices and the quality are phenomenal!

 There you have it folks. A little known fact for your day...

I ❤ juicing.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about juicing, here is a great article/podcast I found on Dr. Joseph Mercola's website (although I have zero idea what he is talking about when he says Carb type or Protein type).

PS. And if you hadn't noticed, I added an update to my Soft Shell jacket post. Turns out, a few days later, I ended up finding the same jacket for $17.62 cheaper than the uber crazy sale price I had paid. Um...ahmazing!