Juicin’ up your daily life
When we visited Mr T’s son in Canada last year, he prepared fresh juice for me every day. He and his lovely wife were growing kale and the juice was a mix of kale, cucumber and apple.
I was surprised how nice it actually tasted as the juicer he used was one that only left behind a tiny amount of pulp as it presses out 90% of the fruit and vegetables.
On the way home, we thought that a juicer might be a good investment. As with so many things in life, good intentions are shelved.
This was until we got the Amzchef juicer as a gift for Christmas last year and we haven’t stopped juicing since. The beauty of fresh pressed juice lies in its versatility. Whether it's a vibrant blend of kale, spinach, and apple for a green goddess elixir (this is how the mix was described by a food writer in a Canadian food magazine), or a zesty concoction of oranges, carrots, and ginger for a morning wake-up call, the possibilities are endless.
My current favourite is of carrot and orange mixed with ginger and turmeric. The beauty of fresh juice is that there’s no added sugar (unless you add it yourself) or additives ensuring that you can taste the true flavour but beyond its deliciousness, fresh pressed juice boasts a myriad of health benefits.
Vitamins as well as essential minerals can enhance your overall well-being. Moreover, the live enzymes present in raw juice aid in digestion. Numerous meal replacement diets advocate for juice consumption to facilitate weight loss.
However, in my view, such diets, particularly those focused on replacing meals, are ineffective in the long run and may even pose health risks when sustained over extended periods.
Incorporating freshly pressed juice into a balanced diet entails a diverse array of fruits and vegetables. Solely consuming fruit juice might result in a sugar spike.
It is essential to include solid vegetables in your diet, as juices lack the necessary fibre for optimal nutrition. Don’t confuse smoothies for juices – it is not the same and the calorie content in smoothies is much higher than freshly pressed juices, especially when bought in shops or ordered at juice bars as most of the time sugar or honey is added to enhance flavours.
One smoothie can have as many calories as a good breakfast.
You also need to consider that drinking a juice might not feel as satisfying than eating a meal (in case you are drinking juices as part of a weight loss diet) as the brain doesn’t receive the message that you are actually ‘eating’ vegetables and fruit.
The Amzchef juicer is a cold press version, meaning it crushes the juice out of the ingredients at a slow speed but under high pressure. The leftover pulp is pressed down to little cylinders with next to no waste. A fine sieve ensures that our juice is smooth and easy to drink.
The juicer is working hard in our kitchen and I am enjoying the different combinations we come up with (there were a few concoctions that we rather forget though!).