Give it a try
If you want to try a full juice fast do so
with the help of a good book or expert advice and don’t fast for more than
three days. ‘It’s not something I’d recommend unless you’re in good health,’
says Hamilton. But it’s easy to get a taste to the benefits by incorporating
juices into your daily life. If you want to try juicing seriously, Vale
suggests replacing a meal a day with a juice. ‘Breakfast is ideal,’ he says.
Here are some expert tips to get you started:
·
Always keep your juicer on your kitchen
worktop,’ says Hamilton. ‘If it lives in a cupboard then, trust me, you won’t
take it out.’
·
Good green ingredients to juice include spinach,
kale, celery, cucumber, mint, parsley, spring greens and chard. Healthy fruits
to add to the mix include apples, lemons or limes, pears and oranges. Ginger is
great to pep up your juice. Also try blending juice with avocado for a creamy
smoothie.
·
If you’re new to green juice, start with more
fruit, until you get used to the flavor. Include apple or pear, for instance,
and then, once you’re acquired a taste, start adding more vegetables. Try
milder flavored greens first, such as spring greens and cucumber. Experiment
with the ratio of fruit to greens until you find the right balance.
·
For extra vitamin impact, try adding a teaspoon
of oil, such as extra virgin coconut oil, fish oil or Udo’s oil (Udo’s Choice
Ultimate Oil Blend, $17 for 250ml; udoschoice.co.uk) as many nutrients in
greens are fat-soluble.
·
To up your fibre intake, stir psyllium husks
through your juice, for fibre and satiety ($11 for 250g; naturallygreen.co.uk)
·
For extra green benefits, use Pukka Herbs Clean
Greens ($2 per sachet; pukkaherbs.com) or Synergy 100% Organic Wheatgrass
Powder ($16, xynergy.co.uk)
·
Choose a juicer that suits your lifestyle and
needs. And when it comes to cleaning, opt for a model with a separate pulp
container, so you can line it with a bag.
·
Buy green juice by the bottle from new juicing
company Just Pressed (justpressedjuice.co.uk). Based in London, the company
will be selling its healthy juice in store this summer.
·
For details on the juicers featured, visit
ukjuicers.com and Philip.co.uk
·
To try a juice retreat, visit juicemaster.com
and healthretreatspain.com
·
To try a juice diet at home, read Jason Vale’s
7lb in 7days Super Juice Diet, available as a book, DVD, CD or app at
juicemaster.com
Which juicer is best for you?
Juicers come in many shapes and sizes, so
choose a model that will suit your needs. There are two main types, the
slower-masticating juicer, good for fruit and leafy greens, and faster
centrifugal models, which are ideal for hard fruit and veg.
‘the main decision you need to make is
whether or not you want to juice leafy greens,’ says UK Juicers director Paul
Hellawall. ‘For example, large-chute centrifugals are convenient for whole
apples, but wasteful when it comes to greens – you’ll use a lot of spinach but
only get a fraction of juice.’
Next, weight up speed verses juice quality
– centrifugals are very fast, but masticating models preserve more vitamins,
minerals and enzymes. Finally, think about ease of use. ‘You need to think
about how easy the machine is to live with,’ says Hellawall. If you’re short on
time, you’re not going to want to spend 20 minutes making a batch of juice –
and a machine that takes ages to clean is going to stay in the cupboard. Read
on to find your ideal juicer.
Best all rounder
Omega Vert
Price: $ 557
This masticating juicer has a large
vertical auger and large filter screen, meaning for every rotation it produces
around four times more juice than horizontal models. As well as being good for
very hard fruit and beg, such as carrots and apples, this juicer is a whizz
juicing soft fruit such as raspberries – producing very little waste. It also
juices leafy greens and wheatgrass.
Lifestyle
Champion
Price: $ 417
A heavy-duty, fast masticating juicer, the
champion is good for hard fruit and veg, including frozen fruit for sorbets and
ice cream. It’s easy to use, you can juice large batches without having to stop
to clean it halfway through, and it should last for years.
Best budget buy
Matstone 6 in 1 Juicer
Price: $ 246
With a cute retro design, this low-speed
cold-pressing masticating juicer preserves valuable nutrients, while also
allowing you to juice wheatgrass and soft fruit. It doubles up as a food
processor for nut butters, sauces, baby food and pasta dough. We want one!
Best for bulk juicing
Philip Avance HR1871
Price: $ 310
There’s no pre-cutting needed with this new
Philips juicer, thanks to an 80mm feed tube, and you can juice up to 2.5l in
one go without having to empty the pulp container. There’s also a clever
‘drips-stop’ switch, which stops nasty splashes on your worktop when you remove
the collection jug.
