Choosing a juicer

Slow Speed Juicier

The quality of juice depends on the type of juicer you use. There are three main types of juicers available in the market:
1. Hydraulic press juicer such as Norwalk juicer.
2. Slow speed juicers operating at about 80 revolutions per minute. These can be single or twin geared.
3. High speed centrifugal juicer.
4. Blender (liquidiser).

It is said that juice produced by a hydraulic press juicer can be kept up 72 hours in a refrigerator. These undergo least amount of oxidisation but are expensive. Vegetables absorb very little oxygen from the atmosphere. It is possible to store juice from a twin gear juicer for up to 48 hours and a single gear user up to 24 hours. Here the shelf life or how long can the juice be kept is irrelevant. But the juice with lower oxygen content can be kept longer. The lower oxygen content is the relevant factor here.

Juice produced by a centrifugal juicer and blender undergoes most amount of oxidation and should be consumed immediately after juicing. A centrifugal juicer also heats up the juice in the process and it may be a good idea to add an ice cube now and then while running the juicer.  It is best to consume the juice as soon as possible regardless of the type of juicer used.  It is good to start with a mid-priced slow speed juicer.

High Speed Juicer

It is possible to use a blender to produce thicker juice known as smoothies. This is also an excellent way of consuming fruits and vegetables.

The pulp coming out of the slow speed juicer is drier than the pulp from the high speed juicer. This indicates that slow speed juicers extract more juices from the vegetables and fruits.

Drinking as little as 3 cups of juice each day will help the body detoxify and regenerate.

Oxidation occurs when the cell walls of the produce is broken and exposed to oxygen.
You notice this when you cut open an apple after a while it changes colour and becomes brownish. Oxidation does affect the quality of the juice as a result of some nutrients being affected by oxidation. Heat exceeding 118 degrees Fahrenheit can cause enzyme deactivation in the juice.

Liquidiser

All juicers – hydraulic press, slow speed juicer and high speed juicers – remove the (water) insoluble fibre from the juice. Water soluble fibre is retained in the juice. A blender on the other hand retains all the fibre in the juice produced. Dietary fibre is important for health. It maintains bowel health and aids in bowel movement. It lowers cholesterol and glucose levels in the body. It requires more chewing and is retained longer in the stomach, making you feel full and this is important for those dieting for weight loss.

Male adults should consume about 35 grams of fibre a day and women about 25 grams. Men aged over 50 will need only 30 grams per day. Therefore it may be a good idea to put a little amount of the pulp back into the juice. Although it is claimed that juicers remove all the fibre from the produce you feed, you can feel the presence of some insoluble fibre when tasting the juice. This is true for both high speed and low speed juicers. No one has done any analysis to establish the quantum of fibre in the juice produced.

Some people dehydrate the pulp and make biscuits or muffins out of them. This is also a good idea. If you want to consume a part of the pulp you should feed vegetables and fruits first and take the pulp and then feed the greens. This is because the fibre from some of the dark green leaves can be unpalatable. I personally do not use any part of the pulp. I find that there is no value in the pulp. I use a slow speed Hurom 500 juicer, an Aerogas high speed juicer and a blender and rotate them.

Handy Liquidiser

Blender is the easiest and fastest to clean. The slow speed and high speed juicers take about the same amount of time and effort to clean.

Please read this article for an over view on juicing.