Turkey Tracks: More on Juicing

Turkey Tracks:  October 31, 2011

More on Juicing

Well, I did it!

I bought a juicer.

I began to think more about how to access all of the nutrients in leafy greens in big quantities without adding stress to the body by overloading it with gobs of cellulose, which our bodies cannot process and which overload our whole digestive tracks.  We don’t have the right enzymes or the kind of fermenting stomachs that, say, cows have.  (You can read about overloading with fiber in my Mainely Tipping Points essays and more on juicing in the Turkey Tracks archive–where there are suggested combinations.)

I did a lot of research because I wanted a juicer that could handle leafy greens–kale, chard, spinach, collards, lettuce, parsley and other herbs.  The big, fast fruit juicers don’t handle greens well, if at all.  And, the more I research the more I note that too much fruit and fructose is really not good for us.  We are only adding enough fruit to sweeten the green juices–and it does not take much at all.  We’re easily only using a 1/4 to 1/3 fruit to vegetable ratio.

I got an Omega VRT 350 HD.  The HD stands for heavy duty.  There are TONS of videos on youtube showing how many juicers work and comparing juicers, and showing how the Omega in particular works.  Look for, especially, videos by John of Discount Juicers.  Here’s an example:   http://discountjuicers.com/omegavrt350.html.   It’s important to learn how to feed the machine (slowly and mix greens with harder items like cukes and carrots) and what you can put in with peels on (lemons, limes, cantaloupes, grapes), and what you need to peel (big citrus).

The Omega DOES handle greens really well.  It has an internal auger that gets all the juice out.  Because it’s slower, it gets out more nutrients.  The waste material is very dry.  (My compost the worm bin are very happy with the juicing debris.)  The Omega 350 is quiet, and it cleans up easily.

We’re now moving to using it twice a day:  in the morning for something like pineapple, carrot, and a little beet juice to stimulate digestive juices.  (Raw beet is very powerful, so start with small amounts.)  In the afternoon, we have a big green drink instead of afternoon tea.  One of our favorite mixtures is kale, cucumber, and a bit of apple or pear.  Throwing in a handful of fresh cranberries and/or a quarter lemon is nice too, especially as cranberries are in season now.  The lemon adds a clear sparkly taste and it chelates heavy metals.

We’re hooked.  The juice feels like silk going down.  You can feel the enzymes and nutrients.  I’m finding that I have little desire for other sweets these days.  And my body is showing that there is some amount of significant detoxing going on as well…

The Omega’s footprint is small.  Here’s a picture of it on my kitchen counter–I’ve put it next to other items so you can see size relationships.

I have not participated in giving Christmas gifts in years now as I think that whole exercise is a consumer nightmare.  But, after getting our juicer and seeing how it works, I gave one to each of my son’s families.  They are thrilled and are making good use of their juicers.  Bryan juiced collards the other day, which I had been afraid of trying, and he and Corinne said the juice was actually quite sweet.  So, on to collards.

Anyway, instead of spending a lot of money on yet more toys, clothes, games, etc., why not combine your gift giving into one, special gift that keeps on giving, keeps on giving good health–providing organic vegetables are used.

Give a juicer!

Author: louisaenright

I am passionate about whole, nutrient-dense foods, developing local markets, and strengthening communities. View all posts by louisaenright