I've entered the world of juicers...if you juice, could you add your 2 cents?

[4kids4me]

I've been juicing with a really cheap juicer and want to purchase a good quality one. I've been reading that twin gear juicers are the best...but at $400-$500 (or more) they're quite costly. If you juice frequently, what do you find works for you?

[Lisa at Home]

We use different juicers for different reasons.

 

If someone is juice fasting, I use my better juicer which is a Champion. If someone is sick, I use the Champion. For quick juice, that is going to consumed quickly, I use my Breville Juice Fountain Elite, which is centrifigal.

 

Yes, the twin gear may be better, but if you don't use it because it is harder to use, then what good is it? Just like exercise, the one you make the most of is the best option.

 

If someone is having serious issues where nutrition is of upmost importance, then you just have to buckle down and use the harder juicer. I would love to have a Norwalk (I believe it is called) to play with for that.

 

I still the think the Champion is the best juicer for the masses, but the Breville sure is easy to use!

 

~Lisa

[Kathy in MD]

The Vitamix pulverizes everything - fiber, skin, seeds - into juice, so you aren't throwing away any nutrients.

 

They're expensive but are guarenteed for 7 years. Also you can buy factory reconditioned ones or demos for less. You can also find them on E-bay

[Claire]

The Vitamix pulverizes everything - fiber, skin, seeds - into juice, so you aren't throwing away any nutrients.

 

I had a Vitamix and didn't like it. Maybe the newer ones are different, but my old stainless steel one sounded like an aircraft engine. That decibel level is actually damaging to hearing -- especially for younger children, whose auditory system is more delicate than adults -- because it bends the little hairs in the auditory canal. This type of damage is usually unnoticed, but it is cumulative and irreversible.

 

Also, including fiber in juice is not considered a good thing by everyone. There is some evidence to suggest max vitamin/mineral benefit is achieved by omitting the fiber. People who are using juice for medical problems often want their juice free of fiber. Some people (like me) with irritable bowel syndrome have to be careful about how much insoluble fiber is in the diet each day to avoid flare-ups.

[Claire]

I should have said "unnoticed when it is happening". The cumulative effect is eventually noticed!

[Pster]

We inherited a Green Star one - (from family that never really used it long). It is costly but.... it does work. I can't compare how well it works compared to other types... it does have twin gears that you mentioned.

 

http://www.greenstar.com/index.asp

 

It is prob at least 5 years old so maybe they've improved with how they are made. It isn't hard to clean - rinses off easily enough.

 

It shreds carrots & beets (the harder stuff) pretty easily and can shred spinach quickly. I haven't had it get stuck on anything - even celery strings. I wonder if it is taking enough "juice" out - but, again, I have nothing to compare it to. I have only seen the Jack LaLane juicer commercials where he sticks in a whole apple and gets about a tbsp of peel out of the other end. LOL - not sure how "real" that is!

 

There is a fine mesh & and a larger mesh for how "pulpy" you want your juice to be.

And...it came with a cookbook - I think it makes nut butters and stuff too. I'd actually like to try to make almond butter but haven't yet.

 

hth!

[Claire]

Also, you might want to check out some of the video demonstrations at Youtube to see how different juicers work.

[Kathy in MD]

My new one is noisy, but not as noisy as you're describing. However it might be wise to check out the decibel production.

[Claire]

Here is a website about why some juicers prefer to eliminate fiber from their juices:

http://www.newveg.av.org/whyjuice.html

 

Also, here is an excerpt from another website about fiber and juicing:

"Plus, since juicing removes the indigestible fiber, these nutrients are available to the body in much larger quantities than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole. For example, because many of the nutrients are trapped in the fiber, when you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate about 1% of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, nearly 100% of the beta carotene can be assimilated." This is why people who want to use juicing for medical benefit want to eliminate fiber; it can actually retard assimilation of nutrients.

 

Fiber is promoted as being helpful, but even many doctors don't realize that there is a huge difference between insoluble and soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is very soothing to the digestive system and helps prevent both constipation and diarrhea. Insoluble fiber, which is commonly the type of fiber found in fruit and vegetable skins, does not serve these purposes and is actually an irritant to people with very common digestive disorders such as IBS as well as to people with diseases such as Crohn's.

 

Of course healthy people who juice may not be bothered at all by insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber in juices may or may not have a health benefit in that case. I haven't read any of the literature in that area. I just know from painful experience that insoluble fiber in larger-than-normal quantities is not good for me.