How to make juicing more affordable?

Jpat0

Hey everyone,

I am currently a student and really want to start juicing at least once a day. As nice as it sounds, I'm broke. Buying all these vegetables can get expensive very quickly. I was wondering if there is a cheaper way to do it. If so, please share as I really want to make a change.

A little about me, I eat healthy everyday. I am not doing this as a quick weight loss diet tactic. I eat my proteins and maintain a relatively balanced diet. I simply want to add juicing into it.

Cheers.

neanderthin

Eating the actual veg or fruit is cheaper and more filling.

kommodevaran

Don't juice. Eat the whole thing and get the fiber too.

queenliz99

Why do you need to drink juice? You miss out on all the fiber and this will keep you fuller. It is the cheaper option.

Laurend224

My natural foods market sells fruit/veg specifically for juicing. It's perfectly good, but may have some bruising or imperfections. They sell at a discounted rate. Maybe check with your market? Check with the green grocer. Mom and pop shops are probably more likely to do this. Maybe an ethnic market? Aldi also sells produce super cheap. Like giant cucumbers for $.25 and 2 lbs of carrots for $.50.

I don't juice, but I do smoothies daily. We go through a ton of produce a week

SuggaD

I don't get the juicing craze. Cheaper and healthier to eat the whole fruit or vegetable.

alska

for those saying to eat the whole thing ... with a nutribulletRX you do. It makes everything including seeds n nuts in a liquid. I want one of them lol

as for cheaper ... i wish i could share a way. i have no idea.

Jpat0

I eat vegetables and fruits daily, this is just something extra. There are certain vegetables that I absolutely hate as a whole but I realize the benefits of it and want to incorporate it into my diet. A friend of mine juices and she made me try some of her recipes which were surprisingly delicious. When I learned the ingredients, I was awe struck because I couldn't even taste certain vegetables that I disliked.

Once again, it's just a personal choice lol. @Laurend224, I live in small town, but I will try to find any local stores that are cheaper.

Thank you for everyone's input and advice.

tulips_and_tea

It's definitely best if you can find slightly bruised, discounted produce. It takes a LOT of greens to get even a glass of juice. I keep a large baggie in the fridge and collect all my inedible vegetable pieces for the week (i.e broccoli or cauliflower stalks) and any over-ripe fruit at the end of the week and juice it all together on the weekend.

I also don't always just drink it straight. I like to add it to soups or use it to give other dishes I'm cooking moisture if needed. Just start experimenting and see what works for you!

WalkingAlong

Have you tried making vegetable soups? If you season the broth well, you can't taste the vegetables much, and you get all the nutrition and fiber so it's cheaper than juice and also healthier and better for weight maintenance. Same goes for smoothies, and you can hide veggies in those, too.

Do you have a juicer? They're not cheap and they're a pain to clean. It might be cheaper to just buy vegetable juice, given the manufacturers have economies of scale. There are a lot of tasty varieties, including fruit/veg combos.

cwolfman13

neanderthin wrote: »

Eating the actual veg or fruit is cheaper and more filling.

werd...

Maybe supplement with some low sodium V8 as needed...it's actually pretty wholesome stuff...way easier and way cheaper.

ninerbuff

V8 or any other bottled juice. Juicing isn't magic. All you're trying to achieve more than likely is attaining a few more nutrients you other wise wouldn't get through non eating of vegetables.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

aimeemcnally

Hey buy big bags of carrots for cheap and apples they work with loads of other veg

jmunn1129

I juice once or twice every day and eat 3 home cooked meals a day for about 35$ a week ( also a broke college student) Stick with the cheap things, romaine, broccoli stems are cheap. Apples, lemons, and whatever is on sale work well too. Cucumbers and celery should almost always be your base. We are friends and my diary is open, so feel free to read my recipes. Some great websites are

rebootwithjoe.com
kriscarr.com
http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/juicing/produce-prep/
http://www.prolificjuicing.com/green-juice-recipes/
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/30-day-juice-challenge/
http://kriscarr.com/recipe/glowing-skin-detox-juice/
http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/recipe-of-the-week-carrot-apple-ginger-juice/
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=12634974 (my favorite, makes nearly 32 ounces)
http://www.youngandraw.com/5-recipes-for-juicing-on-a-budget/

Last tip is rejuice your pulp! I have a cheap black and decker juicer and rejuice the pulp twice and easily get another eight ounces. Always, always rejuice the pulp! Happy juicing!

TheDevastator

ninerbuff wrote: »

V8 or any other bottled juice. Juicing isn't magic. All you're trying to achieve more than likely is attaining a few more nutrients you other wise wouldn't get through non eating of vegetables.

V8 is pasteurized and may have been sitting on the shelf for a while. It's not really a good comparison to fresh juice with all the enzymes and plenty more nutrients if consumed within several hours or even days of making it.

cwolfman13

TheDevastator wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

V8 or any other bottled juice. Juicing isn't magic. All you're trying to achieve more than likely is attaining a few more nutrients you other wise wouldn't get through non eating of vegetables.

V8 is pasteurized and may have been sitting on the shelf for a while. It's not really a good comparison to fresh juice with all the enzymes and plenty more nutrients if consumed within several hours or even days of making it.

Give me numbers...how much "better" for you is juicing? I get in around 6-8 servings of veg per day and a couple servings of fruit. I supplement sometimes with a quick, low sodium V8...are you honestly telling me that I'm missing out on all kinds of nutrition or something because I'm not juicing.

Honest question because I can see some value in juicing, particularly for someone who can't, or more appropriately simply won't eat their vegetables like a 4 year old...but by and large I see it as a fad and I really don't think you get exponentially more nutrition from juicing than you otherwise would just eating your fruits and vegetables and eating a well rounded and balanced diet.

I fail to see the magic in juicing.

TheDevastator

You don't have to juice. Eating raw fruits and vegetables is fine, or even some cooked. I was just comparing V8 to fresh juice. Heat destroys enzymes and stored juice loses nutrients. Although V8 is still really good for you.

Sick people can benefit from juicing because it takes a lot less effort to digest it.

I personally don't juice any more but would like to again some day. I prefer making smoothies with a blender and release all the nutrients from greens and keep the fiber.

ninerbuff

TheDevastator wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

V8 or any other bottled juice. Juicing isn't magic. All you're trying to achieve more than likely is attaining a few more nutrients you other wise wouldn't get through non eating of vegetables.

V8 is pasteurized and may have been sitting on the shelf for a while. It's not really a good comparison to fresh juice with all the enzymes and plenty more nutrients if consumed within several hours or even days of making it.

I truly doubt that the measurement of nutrients is going to be that impactful on anyone in the general population. Fruits and vegetables are usually picked well before they are ripe which impacts TOTAL nutrient values when compared.
My post was to inform the OP that if cost is an issue, then getting it prepacked and done for them might be an option if they don't like certain fruits and vegetables. I'm sure there are other "natural" options than V8, but the reality is that the actual nutrition isn't going to make that much of a difference.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

aimeemcnally

Yeah agreed with jmunn to always juice the pulp ! Something I was taught was to put some of the pulp into your juice, just a little, so that your stomach is eating something as it takes in the nutrients and will also help you feel full

999tigger

Try the markets rather than supermarkets. they have the irregular shaped fruits that supermarkets often overlook, but will be a lot cheaper.

YorriaRaine

For the people asking about why people juice. I like it because I hate cooked vegetables and for the most part don't enjoy eating raw veggies except for every once in awhile a salad is nice. However I love vegetables juiced with some lemon, ginger, and apple. Its really yummy and its just a really easy way for me to get the nutrition of the vegetables and go on to eating foods I actually enjoy eating (I love eating fruit). I don't believe in those juice fast though very silly and doesn't even sound healthy to me at all. I just like it as a way to get some veggies in me in a way that I enjoy. If you actually enjoy eating veggies, then you should just eat them as others have stated.

As far as cheaper alternatives, I don't use a juicer (too annoying to clean). I fill up my blender (nutribullet) with the veggies, a few wedges of lemon, a small slice of ginger (or powdered ginger if I can't find fresh) and some apple slices and blend that up with some water. I use an almond bag to strain it. While it technically is "watered down" the taste doesn't seem watered down to me and uses less veggies than a juicer would to get the same amount of juice.

Similarly if you want the fiber, you can blend the veggies with fruit to make it palatable in texture. However, I personally just like eating my fruit and juicing the veggies. I know some people take the pulp from juicers/almond bags and use it in various cooking forms (pasta, "green" chips, etc.)

Patttience

You don't have to like and eat every vegetable. Just keep your diet varied and you will be fine.

Juices are not a great idea as a regular part of your diet. High calorie density means that they do not provide satiation and their energy doesn't last long because they are digested quickly.

If you are already skinny, this may not be a problem but if you are trying to lose weight its not smart to take this route.

mykaylis

juices are great for one thing - getting a large load of micronutrients in your body fast. i mean let's face it, i couldn't eat half a head of romaine, a bunch of spinach, several sticks of celery, several carrots, a bunch of dandelion greens, a beet or two, and a granny smith apple in one sitting. in fact, if i was eating the whole food i couldn't eat it in a day.

the cons, of course, is that you miss out on fibre and it IS expensive. eating all of the abovementioned vegetables costs a lot. settling for one bowl of greens with whatever i put on it to make it taste good (i really don't like a lot of vegetables, that's why throwing it back as a juice works better for me) is cheaper but i get fewer micronutrients.

i am, of course, aware that there are a lot of carb calories and probably a high GI involved. i'm just explaining why i juice.

Christine_72

queenliz99 wrote: »

Why do you need to drink juice? You miss out on all the fiber and this will keep you fuller. It is the cheaper option.

I would simply buy a juicer that doesn't extract the pulp/fibre.

Jpat0

Wow, I didn't even know some of the stuff about juicing. Thanks for some great advice as well! I found a place near me that has cheaper vegetables and fruits. Also, the rejuicing part is genius! I googled what to do with the left over pulp for more ideas, so here it is:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/blog/what-do-i-do-with-leftover-juice-pulp/

@cwolfman13, yea I used to drink V8 a lot. Now for some reason, I can't stand the taste of it. (Yea I know most people find picky eaters annoying, but can't help it).

@Patttience, I am trying to lose weight, but I do not substitute my meals for the juice. It's just something extra in my diet for the day. I eat raw vegetables and fruits plus 3 home cooked meals. Would you still not recommend it?

WalkingAlong

That's kind of the definition of a juicer, though. Otherwise, it's a blender, I think.