Is the Cost of Juicing Worth the Benefits?

by AJ Pettersen · 60 comments

I’ve been curious about juicing ever since I heard my brother-in-law was juicing fruits and vegetables with his new $80 appliance. I was looking for a way to stay healthy throughout the year, and I thought juicing would be a great way to take in lots of fruits and vegetables each day.

Though I looked into the health benefits and costs of juicing, I really want to ask you for your opinions.

What’s your experience with this?

The Benefits of Juicing

A movie was released in 2010 called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” It’s a documentary about an overweight man who decides to only drink juice for 60 days. Over that time, he becomes a healthier person and loses a bunch of weight. Can we expect the same results?

The idea behind juicing is that most of the nutrients from the original fruit or vegetable are retained. Of course, eating raw fruits or vegetables is best, but juicing is a better option than cooking or steaming them. Juicing them also enables you to drink a huge amount of fruits and vegetables in a single glass.

If you substitute juicing for eating unhealthy foods (like the man in the movie), it can yield tremendous results. The number of calories in a glass of juice is minimal. For example, a six-ounce glass of orange juice contains less than 100 calories.

costs of juicingBut Are the Costs Bearable?

As I mentioned earlier, the juicer my brother-in-law bought was about $80 — but it ended up lasting less than a year. Some juicers can cost close to $500, without any guarantee they’ll last longer. They do have higher power, however, which theoretically will leave more nutrients in the juice and be able to extract more juice per fruit.

My fiancée and I recently got a juicer as a present at our wedding shower. The one we received retails for around $300 and boasts a number of fantastic benefits. When shopping for a juicer, know what you’re looking for, because there are pros and cons to just about every unit. Some are easier to clean, while others can make more juice at once. What’s important to everyone will be different, so take the time to look into the specifics before purchasing.

If you want to start juicing, you’ll need to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables. You’ll need two or three medium oranges to make a six-ounce glass of orange juice. Some items convert better than that, but you’ll still need to obtain a large number of fresh fruits and veggies, which cost time and money to buy.

Is the Hassle Worth It for You?

Do the benefits outweigh the cost and time associated with juicing? Juicers can be anywhere from $75 to $500, and as with most things, you’ll get what you pay for. Make sure you check reviews of the appliance before purchasing. Fruits and vegetables can be expensive, but the costs really add up when you’re buying enough to make a worthwhile amount of juice.

If you’re struggling to lose weight, juicing may be the answer. Many people are turning to juicing because it can be substituted for unhealthy foods that were previously part of their diet. I’m going to give juicing a try and see how it works in my daily diet, since I already own the appliance.

Have you ever tried juicing? How is it working out for you?

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  • William says:

    I started with a $160 Breville juicer, then after a few years upgraded to a $600 low speed juicer, but after I got it, realised it was a toy (it had a tiny motor and would trip out on overload often). I returned it and now I have an 80 RPM $1,400 Angel juicer. I still have to cut of the vegetables quite small, but it does the job. You get a lot more bang for buck with the high speed juicers (probably because they’re made in greater numbers), but the juice is more frothy (oxidised) and harder to drink because it tastes worse, than the juice from the low speed juicers.

  • kathy says:

    Juicing is silly. Almost all your “benefits” of juicing are anecdotal and unscientific. You’ll get even better results by eating a variety of whole fresh fruits and tender greens. Eat lots. Quit eating meat and cheese, even if it’s organic.

    • Franz Plagens says:

      You’ll get even better results by eating a variety of whole fresh fruits and tender greens???? I’m not a nutritionist (I’m an electrician), but what I’ve found is…
      Many fruits contain a lot of various sugars, which in large quantities are not healthy. Also you can eat fruits without having to cook or heat them first, which destroys or evaporates some of the more volatile oils in them. Vegetables contain many nutrients not found in fruits. Try finding the nutrients of brussel sprouts, or broccoli in fruits. If you cook them, many important nutrients are destroyed. I don’t know about you, but I can’t eat raw brusell sprouts or raw broccoli. So how can you get their important nutrients? Maybe you can buy them in a tablet or capsule form, but it’s an expensive way to do it, and since many nutrients work better in conjunction with other nutrients, hopefully you tablet or capsule has these nutrients too. Another way to get these nutrients is by juicing. (and I recommend a slow speed juicer).
      The juice still is not palatable to a lot of people, but one can increase the deliciousness by mixing it with juice from red capsicum. Other juices one can use to make juices more palatable are carrots and beetroot. You have to experiment if, and how much, of these juices you need to add. It depends on different people’s tastes. But when you consider how many different flavours (celery, bok choy, ginger, garlic, spring onion, etc.) one can use, and mix with other juices to create new flavours, it’s an interesting and nutritious hobby. I think the time involved in doing it, and cleaning up, are worth it. How else can you get these valuable nutrients? And quit eating meat and cheese? First you don’t specify which types of meat and cheese….Beef? Chicken? fish? Oysters? Insects? And cheese…. Blue cheese? Goat cheese? etc. All have important nutrients, and some that our body can’t manufacture.

  • JustAJuicer says:

    Personally, I think juicing is great. A great way to get all those nice vitamins and minerals from fruit and veg without having to, you know eat it. It comes in a nice delicious juice form.

    There’s no way I would get the amount of fresh fruit and veg in my diet without my juice!

  • TUBA says:

    I should have stopped reading when you wrote: “Of course, eating raw fruits or vegetables is best, but juicing is a better option than cooking or steaming them. Juicing them also enables you to drink a huge amount of fruits and vegetables in a single glass.”

  • Paul says:

    I recently switched to just taking the ingredients of a healthy juice/smoothie, and then eating everything on a plate as a (fruit) salad. No machine needed (my blender is ok until you get to carrots) and you consume more slowly. It’s also a nice way to eat food and makes you think you’ve consumed much more.

    • Daisy Lee says:

      And, you get to use your teeth to chew when you are eating carrots or celery. This is important for the health of your teeth. Drinking vegetables may cause tooth loss. Just like you need to do weight bearing exercises to strengthen the rest of your body-you need to chew to strengthen you teeth.

  • Franz Plagens says:

    I didn’t set out to spend $1,400 on a slow speed juicer, but I found that even spending $500 to $600 you got a toy that would trip out on overload often, and they also had many parts to clean and re-assemble. The single gear juicers, although slow speed, didn’t work well. That left a juicer that has 2 gears made of stainless steel, and a powerful motor. Single phase motors hum quite a bit, but that’s because it’s difficult to create a smoothly revolving magnetic field inside the motor with single phase. The high speed juicers tend to vaporize the volatile chemicals in the vegetables more, so the smell is stronger and harder to drink, and the juice is also probably more oxidized. But even with my $1,400 (Angel) juicer, you still have to cut up the vegetables quite small. I also put a little olive oil for lubrication on the nylon bushes before I use it, but that’s only my idea, I didn’t see it in the manufacturers instructions.

  • Joy Winter says:

    I totally created my own juices and own a breville juicers. I do prefer organic fruits and vegetables. You’re right about the cost as it adds up quickly. But I do feel fantastic with a lot of energy and cost is relative. Spend your money to feel good (Health wise) and you would be fine.

  • karlkrist says:

    For a cost analysis per glass of juice, please see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z78ivP3XpY

    • Franz Plagens says:

      If you’re doing cost analysis of juice per glass, you’re missing the point of juicing. Juicing is expensive, not only in cost of the ingredients, but also in time. But juicing is the only way to get the valuable antioxidants that are contained in raw vegetables, other than eating them raw. Any vegetables you can eat raw, you don’t have to juice, but it is easier for your body to drink a juiced beetroot or carrot, than trying to eat a big beetroot, or some carrots, to extract the valuable antioxidants from all that fibre, starches, etc.

      Buying factory-made juice from a shop, the juice is usually older than a day, or is made from concentrate (which can be months old and imported from another country). It’s a business designed to make money, not care about your health.
      The most valuable antioxidants occur in vegetables that are difficult to eat raw, broccoli, asparagus, capsicum, spring onion, brussel sprouts, parsley, Bok Choy, ginger, etc.

      The taste of the juice is not pleasant, but easier to consume than trying to eat them raw. Cooking or steaming the vegetables makes it easier for the body to extract the nutrients within the cell walls of the vegetables, but heat will damage some of the delicate nutrients. If you want to know how much is lost with heating vegetables, compare the taste of the cooked vegetables to the raw juice. There is a big difference.

      It’s recommended that if you have a high speed juicer, to drink the juice within 10 minutes of making it, and not to store it in the fridge for later use, because the high speed juicers tend to oxidize the juice more. Slow speed juicers are better, but the sooner you can drink the juice after you make it, the better.

      I don’t juice fruit, because I can eat them whole, but much fruit in shops is often picked green and artificially ripened. Also some fruit are very rich is sugars, which can cause problems if over-indulged in. But if you need to juice fruit in with your vegetables, to make the juice drinkable, it’s ok with me, lol.

      Oh, and it’s also a good idea to wait at home, half an hour after drinking some potent juice. You might get a serious urge to visit the bathroom. It’s not good if you’re stuck in traffic if that happens.

      • KiwiKid says:

        Disadvantage of juicing is that it goes through your intestines very quickly, thereby losing a considerable amount of the nutrient benefits. By eating raw food items it hits the stomach which then goes through the digestive process. Don’t believe the hype that juicing makes the nutrients immediately available, because while it does make it available, it doesn’t get all used because it flows quickly through the gut and then eliminated.

  • Franz Plagens says:

    Yes, noise is a problem with most high speed juicers. Man.. that Hamilton Beach Juicer really goes. I’ve seen some of the videos on You Tube. Probably even useful in the garden mulching shrub branches, lol.

  • René De Beaumarchais says:

    Hey guys, Consumer Reports’ best juicer is the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth 67650, it’s available at Amazon USA for around a mere 50$. CR gave it 4/5 for juicing, 5/5 convenience but 2/5 for noise.

    I got one myself and it is REALLY loud but does the juicing job really well. It’s the first time in my 34 years of living on this planet that I actually eat more than the recommended 5 to 10 pieces of fruits/veggies EVERY DAY thanks to that juicer!!!

    I wish I got into juicing sooner in my life. Honestly, it’s reading books from Dr. Andrew Saul that got me into juicing. I recommend all of you that if you have the time, check his website @ doctoryourself.com.

  • Franz Plagens says:

    Susan, maybe you can sell your ideas to commercial juice shops, make some money and buy a slow speed juicer like they use (Fast, easy to clean, quiet, and probably about $10,000)!

    • Rika Susan says:

      Like your idea, Franz! Lol. But that $10,000 is a bit on the steep side…even for Rika’s JuicePicker. Can just imagine having one of those beauties, though!

  • Franz Plagens says:

    I think the people who don’t think it’s worth it, are probably focusing on making nice tasting drinks, instead of getting the potent nutrients locked up in vegetables. Once in a while I accidently mix the right amounts of various vegetables that cancel out the bad tastes I usually get. I think it was, beetroot, broccoli, and capsicum, and a small spring onion, last time. But usually it tastes terrible.
    I used to use a Breville, and it is quick (you don’t have to cut the food into small pieces), and easy to clean. But it is noisy, lol. Actually while the Breville sounds like a wood-chipper, the Angel has a loud annoying hum (the powerful motor buzzes like crazy), but it doesn’t wake people up like the Breville. But the real reason I’m happier is that the juice tastes better from my stainless-steel -twin-gears Angel juicer, probably because it’s less aerated (and oxidised). But if speed is of primary concern, it’s better to use a Breville than nothing. You can feed the food through faster, and it’s slightly quicker to clean. And you don’t have to win lotto to buy one. But with the Breville, more than the Angel, I’ve found that things like asparagus and celery clog up the filters, and if I don’t juice them last, I stop the machine and clean it before juicing more vegetables.

    • Rika Susan says:

      I guess we are just lucky with our Breville, Franz. We never seem to have a problem with clogging – we always juice lots of celery and leafy greens, etc. As for taste, our juices turn out pretty delicious! In fact, I recently developed a juicing recipe program that is packed with tons of yummy juices! I have found that things like pears or tomatoes or zucchini can really help to improve the taste of a juice combo. You are absolutely right about the noise the Breville makes!

    • Jules says:

      If you are juicing with a twin gear Angel, it would not be advisable to use the pulp other than compost. I say this, because the magnets in the Angel pull out up to 90% of pesticides from the skin of the produce, so in my mind, if you eat the pulp, you eat the pesticides!

  • Rika Susan says:

    For me, juicing is really well worth the cost and effort. I prefer juicing to blending, as it extracts all the goodness that would otherwise remain trapped in the fibers. As I gain access to far more of the nutrients in this way, it actually gives me better value for money. We have been juicing for many years and the benefits for our family are tremendous! I have developed quite a passion for it.

    After a period of trial and error, I decided to use a Breville Juice fountain. Even though it doesn’t give all the benefits of some of the gear juicers, it is super quick to use and really easy to clean. That means we can use it daily without complaint or too much of a time-investment. Love it!

  • Shane says:

    My friend tried it and it gets really expensive, unless you have affordable fruits and vegetables. I also think when making the change you do need to spend the extra money on a good juicer as they can break easily if not well made.

  • Kiwikid says:

    One shouldn’t be drinking a lot of fruit juices. They are high in sugar content and research has shown that high sugar levels help cancer to feed on the body. Any wonder why there is an epidemic of cancer in the world today? Soda Pops? Ice Cream (laden with fruit, HFCS etc.) not to mention added to canned foods, peanut butter even. YUK!

    One should drink vegetable juices, and the reason juicing is better than blended drinks such as smoothies is that the essential nutrients can pass through the intestinal wall and into your body without having to digest a whole lot of fibre in the process. Not that you shouldn’t have fibre, but get that from your consumption later in the day with your meals, rather than at breakfast.

    For more detailed info feel free to view (and no, I have absolutely no financial interest or any other interest in this organisation) http://www.hacres.com

  • Franz Plagens says:

    I haven’t tried blending, but personally I’m only interested in getting the valuable nutrients in vegetables (such as broccoli, capsicum, asparagus, spring onions, etc.). Drinking one large glass just of juice, is hard enough. Drinking 2 large glasses of blended vegetables is beyond me. Maybe you can use the left-overs from juicing in your cooking.

  • Bert says:

    Unless one uses the leftover pulp as quality additions to baked goods recipes (dry it, blend it to powder, and it to your cornbread batter, even pancakes), a heavy duty blender is the way to go for total nutrition. Look for at least 1.5 horsepower to create the best smoothies ever. Just plain juice, is a waste of time and money. There are a lot of good comments here before me. This discussion is one of the best we have had.

  • Tina says:

    The omega juicers have a 15 yr warranty. For those desperate for weight loss, it’s cheaper than going to the gym. It’s hard to stick to the program though!

    • Franz Plagens says:

      Omega juicers… they look a bit small. Two things I found were important were, size of motor (150 Watts is too small), and ease of dismantling, cleaning and re-assembling. The cheaper juicers have one gear and it’s often made of plastic. My $1,400 Angel juicer has twin gears of stainless steel. It trumps plastic, single gear models. And I’ve never stalled the powerful motor. Unfortunately it’s quite expensive.

  • Franz Plagens says:

    I agree that juicing is worth it. I can’t figure out people who say it’s too much work. You’re not doing your nails, or making a cheese-cake, you’re dealing with life and death! They probably spend longer cooking their vegetables and washing up.

  • Priswell says:

    I have been juicing every day for more than 20 years, and I do think it is worth the time, money and effort, and while I have both a Vitamix and a Juicer, I vastly prefer the juicer.

  • Jill says:

    I saw the movie, too. I did not choose to do a juice fast, but I make a full pitcher in the morning with all kinds of veggies, including kale, wheatgrass, beets, which I rarely or never ate prior to juicing. I drink a short glass for breakfast, a larger one before lunch and the final short glass before dinner. I find this fills me up enough -like having a cup of soup as an appetizer, that I cut my calorie intake/portions during both full meals. I also find I have lost interest in other foods I used to crave, like breads and cheese. I was unhappy with the waste, so I will preserve the “veggfetti” of a blend of zucchini, cauliflower, beets, and beet greens, carrots, spinach, parsley, yellow squash, kale pepper etc, and use it in meatloaf, as a layer in veggie lasagna, add it to cous cous etc. I reserve that pulp, and then continue to add cucumber and apple, to the juice and COMPOST that, making amazing soil, but I have considered different recipes adding the apple. This way, I am getting the fiber, too, but there is no way you could eat more than half cup of that pulp at one sitting. I like the idea of a nutrition blast of a variety of veggies. I do add apples, but mostly when I add fruit, I do it because it was starting to lose its freshness appeal, and I would rather grind it than toss it-cherries, peaches, plums, so far. Summer has been an easier time to juice with low farmstand prices, and buying the bigger bag of carrots, etc and actually using them before they go bad. I don’t plan to juice at this level, forever, but took it on similar to Joe just to give my body a break. I have lost 5 lbs in 6 weeks and my bodyfat has gone from 32 to 28%. I have also been exercising, I have less aches and pains, more energy, and I feel good for a change. I think it is worth it, if you do it mindfully. I was lucky that my juicer (a Brevelle) was a gift, but I have considered paying that forward and buying juicers for family members who would like to preserve or improve their health. Health? The ultimate Wealth.

  • Marbella says:

    You can not lose weight by only drinking jucie, you will go up as fast afterwards. You need both to eat right and exercise more to get a good result.

    • Franz Plagens says:

      I only meant juicing vegetables as a way to get enough vegetables (antioxidants) in your diet. For protein, you could vary cooked mushrooms, cooked seafood, cooked kangaroo meat, raw salmon, raw tuna. Drink green tea, black coffee, or eat an orange. (Stay away from bottled drinks, excluding water). It’s also worth buying a reverse osmosis water purifier. I alone go through at least 20 liters of drinking water a week. And do some regular exercises. Buy MacDonald shares, there are so many stupid people out there.

  • Bethany M says:

    I like a juicer to make jellies or for when the apples are “raining down.” Otherwise, we just eat the fruit or blend it up for smoothies.

  • Jerry says:

    This is stupid. Eat the fruit and veggies and get all the benefits and it will fill you up more than only juice so you can eat less of other stuff.

    • Dan says:

      Hey it might not be how you would do it but calling people stupid for getting better nutrients? really? Just because it’s not how you would prefer.

    • franz plagens says:

      In theory you are correct. The only problem is, is that you can’t eat all the veggies, because I doubt that you eat your Broccoli, or Brussel Sprouts, spring onions, etc, raw. You cook them. Many valuable nutrients are lost in cooking. To judge what is lost, compare the juice from these, with the cooked vegetables. Also some nutrients are locked inside the cell walls of plants. Cooking softens the cell walls and makes them available for digestion. Unfortunately the heat affects some of the volatile compounds, enzymes, antioxidants, etc. A slow speed juicer grinds and squashes the vegetables and releases these compounds without heat.
      The other thing to consider is that the bulk of most vegetables is fibre. While fibre is important, you’ll be eating a lot of insoluble fibre to get a small amount of the valuable nutrients.
      Generally, I juice anything I can’t eat raw, or that has too much fibre, like like large carrots.
      You could try a blender, although I’m not a fan of anything high speed, because of the oxidization that occurs, although putting cherries through and seeing if you can shoot the seeds out through the wall of the appliance makes a great party trick, followed by putting raw eggs in the microwave, lol.

  • Anne says:

    My husband saw the movie mentioned in the article and got into juicing as a way to get more veggies in his diet. When I first tried his juice concoctions, I got a massive headache after drinking them. (Apparently, this is a real phenomenon that sometimes happens with new juicer drinkers; according to some sources on the internet, it’s due to the release of toxins within your body, which I question… but still, the headaches were definitely real.) This side effect went away after the first couple times. The biggest drawback to me is that drinking juice doesn’t leave me full or satisfied. Also, I noticed that if I used a lot of “sweet” veggies (the ones that grow below the ground, like carrots and beets, which have a higher sugar content), my blood sugar seemed to spike and then plummet, giving me low blood sugar which made me eat more than I would’ve if I’d just eaten a regular meal. Combine all that with the hassle of juicing (washing the veggies, cleaning the juicer with every use), it’s not really worth it to me. Blending sounds like a better option. Or just making a salad!

    • Jean says:

      I found that pairing berries with carrots or beets helps combat the blood sugar spike – it more work but blending the juice with a 1/2 avocado or a banana helps keep me satisfied until lunch time. There are certain things that juice better than they blend (carrots, oranges, beets) – but I like blending. Adding ice, I just drink my concoction on the way to work and I am good until lunch.

  • Mary Ann says:

    Polly, I, too, was inspired to change my typical American road-to-ruin diet by the book “Eat to Live”. I don’t use the recipes in the book, but the author’s explanations about nutrition make so much sense that I decided to focus on veggies and fruit. I was also pre-diabetic and had cholesterol readings in the mid-300’s when I decided to change my diet. Five months later, my glucose tests are normal and I’m off the cholesterol med (Simvastatin) as per my doctor. Again, blending gives you the fiber that you would otherwise lose through juicing and fiber aids your digestion. Today I had half a banana, fresh pineapple, watermelon, and half a peach. I guess I could have eaten them from a bowl but I love the taste of a slushie!

  • Franz Plagens says:

    I’m into juicing and generally anything I can easily eat raw (like fruits and some vegetables (like tomato, lettuce), I eat raw. I rarely eat fruits anyway, because few offered by the supermarkets, are worth eating, being picked green and artificially ripened. Avocados and some bananas are usually ok, but apples are often months old. The idea of juicing is to get at the potent nutrients locked up in vegetables. Just like we can’t eat trees, plants lock up their nutrients in cells protected by strong cell walls. Cooking softens the walls, but damages the nutrients inside. Juicing releases these nutrients without damaging them too much. Cheap high speed juicers can oxidize juices, while the more expensive compression low speed juicers are much better. I juice things like broccoli, capsicum, bok choy, asparagus, beetroot, spring onions, garlic, ginger, carrots, etc. When I mentioned potent nutrients, you will believe me when you taste it. They are not easy to drink, but worth it.

  • An says:

    I started juicing after seeing the film “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” I got a top-of-the-line Breville juicer for the job. The juicing quality was only so-so, as too much wet pulp went into the garbage bucket. Still, the juices tasted good. However, I made the big mistake of putting the pulp down the garbage disposal. A few days later I went down to my basement with a load of laundry, only to find my entire basement – floors, walls, washer and dryer, and yes, even the ceiling – covered in vegetable pulp! I called a plumber who told me that irrespective of the quality of the disposal, older pipes (this is a house from the mid-1940s) can’t deal with this kind of pulp. A pipe in the basement had blown up from the pressure of all that pulp (I had been juicing twice a day for 4 or 5 days at this point). Well, between the $1000 or so I spent on the juicer and the plumber, and the countless hours I spent on my hands and knees cleaning up vegetable pulp, I had to ask myself if it was all worth it. I have to say that from a monetary standpoint the answer must be “no.” From a health standpoint? Well, it’s hard to say. Wouldn’t you get the same benefit from just eating the fruits and vegetables? Plus, as someone else pointed out, you’d be getting one of the main benefits of eating fruits and vegetables which is the fiber. With juicing all this valuable fiber gets thrown away. Yes, I’ve tried, as some have suggested, to make the leftover pulp into soups and crackers – but, blehh, it tastes horrible! The flavor seems to be all in the juice. If you have a garden (I don’t) I suppose the pulp could be composted (more time and money). I still juice now and then, and remember to put the pulp in the trash, rather than the disposal. But realistically, I think this is one of those fads that resurfaces every 10 or 15 years, just long enough for people to have forgotten the inherent drawbacks of juicing, and the inherent benefits of just eating the fruits and vegetables in their natural state.

  • Garrett says:

    For me it’s not worth it at all, but mostly due to the time element. Time to pick up fruit/veggies, time to juice them, time to clean up. The health benefits aren’t worth all that.

    However, I do love fresh juice (especially orange) and even though it can be expensive at organic markets I still pick some up every week. In that case spending the extra $2-$3 per litre (in Canada) is well worth it to me for the additional vitamins/minerals/enzymes that fresh juice has.

  • Polly says:

    Well thank you Lois, this week i’ve started the low carb which i dont really like because i eat lots of meat and egg and with my high cholesterol NOT HEALTHY
    I like this better healthier and less expensive i’m a widow live by myself and dont have to cook except sometimes that i have company
    thank you so much it is nice to hear from you all tips
    i’m saving this so i can let you all know my progress

    • Lois says:

      Polly – A friend introduced me to the book “Eat To Live” in January (less than $10 on Amazon). I’m following the ideas in that book. Recently I’ve seen the author, Dr Joel Fuhrman, on PBS and I see he has the info on DVDs now as well as more books. My friend has turned his health around and I feel/look much better now. It works for me. Find what works for you and enjoy the new life habits.

    • Franz Plagens says:

      If you were eating lots of meat and eggs, try changing to raw salmon, raw tuna, cooked rainbow trout, and other fish, squid, kangaroo meat (I like the mince), with a good quality coleslaw (cabbage).

  • Lois says:

    YES, it is worth it to eat/drink more healthy. I would definitely blend rather than juice. Yes, you’ll be buying a lot of fruit & veggies. But, at some point soon, you’ll NOT be spending money on so many medications. Like others have said, use meat as a condiment rather than the main dish and you’ll spend a lot less on food. Don’t buy processed foods. Prepare your own meals rather than eating out = less expenditure too.
    I also find that I don’t need to “wash” the blender, just rinse it right after you pour your drink into a glass and put it in the dish drainer to wait for the next use.
    I use frozen fruit in the mornings, usually strawberries, blue berries & banana. Add enough water to make it the right consistency to drink, otherwise it is like soft ice cream 🙂 Other “additives” could be milled flax or greens. When I add protein powder I’m not hungry again until mid-day when I have a large salad. Supper is more veggies, raw or steamed.

    I’m down 25 lbs (in 3 months) and feel better than in a long time (age 55), 30 lbs more to my goal. I want to be healthy to enjoy my grandkids for a long time.

  • Polly says:

    i have a little over a month for my vacation and of course i want to feel and look better i’m 68 still work at an office (sitting down all day) i’m walking on the threadmill about 30 minutes daily with this and your advise hopefully i’ll loose at least 15lbs.
    thank you have a nice day

  • Mary Ann says:

    Polly, since I am retired and don’t get much physical exercise anymore, I cut my calorie intake in half. I have green tea in the early morning, a large glass of blended fruits about 10 am, then a “normal” lunch (two veggies, a small rice or pasta, a salad, meat once a week), then a snack (one or two scoops of ice cream, sunflower seeds or nuts, etc.) in the evening. I DON’T drink soda which was a hard habit to break. Now I can’t drink it because it tastes way too sugary. I rarely eat any bread. The main trick is to cut down the refined foods calorie intake. Load up on all the fresh fruits and veggies you want. Stay away from fast foods and limit high glycemic veggies (potatoes). Good luck!

  • Polly says:

    Other than the drink in the morning, what did you eat the rest of the day? I’m trying a low-carb diet right now, as I need to loose some weight, but I’ll look up for the Ninja 1100 thank you.

  • Mary Ann says:

    I can only speak from experience. Bought a Ninja 1100 from Costco ($125), use nothing but fruits, ice, and occasionally a half cup of Naked Juice, mix it up and drink the entire fruit (except seeds) in the most delicious blends. I dropped 20 pounds in three weeks (the juice is my breakfast) and, better yet, feel better than ever at the age of 60. Best of all, I have never washed the blender. Just rinse it out. For some reason, nothing sticks to the container if rinsed immediately. Don’t juice, blend.

  • Polly says:

    to get the benefit of the juice it has to be fresh meaning you have to do it every morning, well it is too much work i had one and used to mix carrots, celery and green apple but clean the filter and all the parts just for one glass of juice i rather eat them raw.

    • Franz Plagens says:

      Carrots, celery and green apple? Try something with more antioxidants, after all it’s the antioxidants that are the real treasures in the vegetables. Try a handful of broccoli, plus some asparagus, plus a capsicum, and a beetroot and see if you can eat that raw. I bet you’ll prefer the juicer. They are potent chemicals so start with a small quantities. It makes you realize how much damage, cooking does to them.

  • Krystyna says:

    If you get one with a hydraulic press it is worth every penny. You don’t get a big mountain of mush. You get tiny dry wisps of plant material. The cells are ripped apart releasing all the beneficial nutrients. But they are not cheap.

    • Franz Plagens says:

      I started with a $160 Breville juicer, then after a few years upgraded to a $600 low speed juicer, but after I got it, realised it was a toy (it had a tiny motor and would trip out on overload often). I returned it and now I have an 80 RPM $1,400 Angel juicer. I still have to cut of the vegetables quite small, but it does the job. You get a lot more bang for buck with the high speed juicers (probably because they’re made in greater numbers), but the juice is more frothy (oxidised) and harder to drink because it tastes worse, than the juice from the low speed juicers.

  • Cara says:

    Why juice when you can blend? In my opinion, juicing removes a lot of the beneficial fiber that keeps you feeling full. I splurged on a VitaMix blender a year ago, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best health investments I’ve made, right up there with my bicycle. I drink green smoothies at least 4 times a week and ingest many more green leafy vegetables now as a result.

    • KM says:

      I agree that smoothies are a more nutrient-rich, easier, and less wasteful option. My 2yo son loves the smoothies too and drinks them better than any juice.

    • Juicy McJuicerson says:

      There are benefits to both – the fiber is indeed great and I blend most of the time. Yet because the fiber is removed, it is easier to consume more juice than blend since you won’t fill up so quickly. Juicing is always preferred for cleanses and is especially important in healing cleanses, i.e. cleanses aimed at healing some ailment where a large dose of vitamins and/or minerals is desired.

      When I have a smoothie, it fills me up and is a meal replacement. A glass of juice, though, never fills me up and I use it as a supplement to my diet. It all depends on what you’re aiming for.

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