Getting Juicey...

So I told you guys that I'd bought a juicer because I wanted to include juicing in my journey of eating healthier.  So it's been a few weeks (months?) now and all I can say, is that I'm glad I jumped on this bandwagon.  The juicer I bought was the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor. It cost me about 60 bucks on Amazon, but I've heard you can find them slightly cheaper in Walmart or Target stores on a good day.  There are many, many juicers to choose from in all kinds of crazy price ranges.  I chose this one because it was 800 watts (which seems to be the ideal wattage), it got good reviews overall on Amazon, and at 60 bucks--if it becomes another kitchen apparatus that ends up in a cupboard, I won't feel all that bad.  I have to co-sign on the good reviews that I think this is a sufficient juicer for the price.  The pulp doesn't feel too "wet" (a sign that you juicer is not extracting as much juice as possible), but I will see an occasional chunk of fruit/veggie that somehow made it through without being pulverized.  But hey, I by no means am expecting perfection.  Overall, I have to say that it is a good juicer.

Now, I haven't gone crazy creative with the different kinds of juices to make.  I bought the book Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality. This book has a gazillion of recipes and it gives you the nutritional benefits of every fruit and vegetable known to man.  An excerpt from the book on why juicing is beneficial:

FRESH JUICE VS. WHOLE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES


You may ask, "Why juice?  Aren't we suppose to eat whole fruits and vegetables to get the fiber?"  The answer:  Of course you are, but you should juice too.  Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables does provide some fiber, particularly the soluble fiber.  And it is the soluble fiber that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels.  Think about it--fiber refers to indigestible material found in plants.  While this is very important for proper bowel function, it is the juice that nourishes us.  Our body actually converts the food we eat into juice so that it can be absorbed.  Juicing helps the body's digestive process and allows for quick absorption of high-quality nutrition.  The result is increased energy levels.  Juicing quickly provides the most easily digestible and concentrated nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables.

I've tried a few different juices, carrot-apple-ginger being my favorite.  I also tend to use carrot-apple as a base to throw in some other veggies that are full of nutrients like spinach, kale, beets, wheat grass, etc.  I've even made my own "V-8".  And I have to admit, I feel like I have lots more energy since incorporating fresh juice into my diet.

Pulp.

Yum.

Verdict:  Get to Juicin'!