THinking about buying a juicer to start juicing?!?

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I have been thinking about buying a juicer to start juicing.. I would like to get more nutrients than I am currently getting.. I guess I don't want to waste my money if I am not going to get anything out of juicing.. My concerns are empty calories, not getting full from the juice.. The cost of the amount of vegetables I will be juicing... Just need some general feedback, and what you all think about it!!! Thanks so much!
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Replies

  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Get a blender instead and don't waste half the nutrients, the produce counts towards your nine servings a day - juice only counts once however much you drink.
  • mychellelynne
    mychellelynne Posts: 122 Member
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    I watched a movie on Netflix about juicing and instantly went out to buy one. I didn't make it one whole day. I never felt full and it wasn't as tasty as I had hoped. Best of luck!
  • munty76
    munty76 Posts: 47
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    We bought this one a few years ago...

    http://www.powerjuicer.com

    bought it from QVC outlet for £15!! :)

    in my opinion the juice we make form this taste infinitely better then almost anything you can buy. save for a few good brands of juice.

    One apple and orange normal size = 1 glass of juice.

    iv made other combinatiosn using different fruit and veg and they are all generally very nice.


    i dont know all the ins and outs of how good it is for you etc.... i.e what nutrients get blasted away etc... but as you out the fruit in whole , unpeeled ( except oranges) your getting all the possible juice out of it. so it has to be fairly respectable.

    Hope this helps
  • jenniferinfl
    jenniferinfl Posts: 456 Member
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    Get a blender instead! Then you get to consume all the fiber too and feel so much better than if you just juiced.

    Probably get about a $50 blender to start which will let you see if you like it. My husband loves it, I don't. I decided I would rather just eat my fruit and veggies. He blends up a giant smoothie everyday with all his veggies and fruit for the day. His next blender will probably be a pro grade blendtech as he just wears that thing out blending veggies.
  • Lynn_babcock
    Lynn_babcock Posts: 220 Member
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    Agree. I've used a juicer and a blender and for making something that's to be a 'meal' the blender is the better option. I have the juicer to make orange juice with the kids.. but really the majority of your fruits and veggies get wasted.. very little actually becomes juice. I've decided how much MORE I love my smoothie blender though rather that a traditional blender. It just has the spout at the bottom.. keeps the mess way down. Used my moms blender a few days ago and I was scooping smoothie off the counter. I usually do a mix of fruits. Lately I've mostly been using pineapple, orange, canned pumpkin, oatmeal, pears, mango, kale, ground flaxseed meal, almond milk and yogurt. I'd like to start adding more vegetables in there.. but for now these work well and a hunger fix.
  • zonah
    zonah Posts: 216 Member
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    Hi, I bought a Jack LaLanne juicer and I love it. I've lost 15lbs in 3 weeks. I'm eating as well I'm not fasting. I think blenders are a good idea as well. I would like to get a blender that can heat the food as well so you make soups. The point of juicing is that you give yourself so much nutrients without your body having to do any work. I have a lot of energy and my skin is looking so much better, and my headaches are almost gone.
  • sjeannot
    sjeannot Posts: 143
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    Since last week, I have been juicing almost every day and replacing a meal with it. I was concerned about it not kepeing me full too but I have to say it does. Depeds on the ingredients added I think. Protein is usually what sustains us. So add a good amount of protein to whatever you want to juice. This morning, I added walnuts and made a Banana Apple Walnut Smoothie. I don't use a fancer juicer either. I add things to my blender and blend. YOu can add all types of things like almonds, peanut butter, flax seeds if you like them, pumpkin seeds and use different ingredients to enhance it like beets, raw collard greens, carrots, berries or whatever you want to add tomake it to your liking. I never thought I would use peanut butter in my juices, but over seven days in, I can say it is a great thing to have. I hve my juices mostly for breakfast and usually I am a snacker while I work., but I have not really had much of a craving until it is time for lunch.

    I can be a little long winded so let me stop writing before it gets any longer. Hopefully this response helped. Happy juicing.
  • Christabelle79
    Christabelle79 Posts: 80 Member
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    We tried juicing. We lasted 12 hours. I was starving by dinner. To me it wasn't worth it. We use the juicer to make juice to add to our diet, not supplement it. Best of luck.
  • ebailey710
    ebailey710 Posts: 271 Member
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    I hear people like juicers because they can use up their extra produce without having it go bad and have to throw it out.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    I DO juice, sorta.... it's not exactly "juicing." With my Vitamix, I eat the pulp, the meat of the fruit, and all the goodies that add much more nutrition and less calories than straight juicing. I think that's important to note -- the skin of fruits/veggies is often where lots of the uberhealthy phytonutrients live.

    I find the days I juice, my fiber consumption is way up... and I feel full. I can drink a green smoothie (frozen grapes, an apple, spinach, kale, a couple frozen pineapple chunks, 1/2 banana, carrot, 1/2 kiwi, and 1/2 an orange) at 6 AM that will hold me until 11 AM with no hunger. When I swap that out for a bagel, I'm starving by 8.

    It's NOT low calorie... I can easily rack up 500 calories in my morning smoothie. But the calories are BIG bang for your buck in staying full and getting lots of healthy nutrition.

    The only thing I miss when I juice is the act of chewing. I do like to eat my food more than drink it. So while I'm physically full, sometimes I'm mentally craving something I can sink my teeth into.

    With that said, I try to make these 3 x week. It's definitely helped me with my weight loss goals.

    I mitigate the cost by selecting fresh fruits in season/on sale and supplementing with frozen fruits and veggies. I NEVER throw fresh fruit/veggies out - just clean, cut into chunks, pop into a Ziploc, and freeze.

    Kids and picky eaters alike will eat the green smoothies in my house. The drinks looks like hell, so I've been known to disguise in an insulated cup with a lid and straw.

    Give it a whirl. I tried it for a week to ensure I enjoyed it before purchasing the Cadillac of blenders, the Vitamix. But I AM SO GLAD I DID.

    One other note on the blender - if you can, buy from Costco. Wait for a sale... about twice a year these go on sale for like $50 off. CostCO is also SO good that if you buy full price and they run a sale in the next year, they WILL refund you the difference. I also had my first Vitamix for 11 months, then one morning it suddenly stopped working. (Day before Thanksgiving to be exact). I threw it into a bag, just rinsed but not clean... tossed in all the accessories, sped to CostCo.... and they gave me a BRAND NEW MACHINE with no questions asked.

    Love, love, love juicing!
  • womaniam
    womaniam Posts: 104 Member
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    Me too!!!
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
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    I had a juicer for a while and got rid of it after the novelty wore off. Get a blender (I personally recommend the Ninja Master Prep) and make a smoothie instead. It's so much less wasteful, nutrition-wise and usually tastes better, plus you can add stuff like yogurt, milk, chia seeds, oatmeal, protein powder, etc..
  • cachergirl
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    A caution for everyone..if you smoke do not do the carrot jucing..A study was done in England w/doing the carrot juicing to see how it affected people who smoked and cancer..well when the facts came out my brother called me and said stop doing the carrot juice..all the particpants got cancer.. they stopped the study immedi....so please do not do the carrot juice when jucing..you can Google and see the facts from this study..the effects of smoking and increasing A vitamin.....i have since stopped smoking..One year and 3 months...but still not wanting to do the carrot juice....but i have heard many good experiences from people who juice...but i always choose the blender to get the much needed fiber in my diet...
  • Midget_86
    Midget_86 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm glad you stopped smoking cachergirl. We have a juice press that produces less waste, is quieter and easier to clean than the cheaper high speed centrifical juicers. I use both fruit and vegies depending what is in season. A piece of ginger or a few mint leaves makes a nice change. I also make smoothies, mainly from fruit and yogurt. We have one or the other nearly every day. We find both quite filling and use them as a meal replacement. One other tip. The residue from the juicer is normally fed to the worm farm but sometimes is added to minced meat to make a great meat/veg loaf. Happy and healthy juicing!
  • Akarenlincoln
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    I recently decided to juice and bought, on Amazon, a Hamilton Beach, highly rated, about $50. I chose free shipping and got it 3 days later. I am not overly fond of veggies, and feel by juicing I'm getting a lot of nutrients I'd otherwise miss. I don't use juice to fill me up!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    In my opinion, you should just eat the food. When you turn things into juice, you lose some of the fiber and nutrients that are in the pulp you throw away.
  • AmberSpamber
    AmberSpamber Posts: 391 Member
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    I bought the Breville from Amazon and the next day started doing a juice cleanse ( as seen in fat sick and nearly dead). The first 3 days were a struggle but since then I have felt fantastic. A lot of my "health problems" seemed to vanish over night. I am now on day 8 and have lost 7 lbs. I plan on doing this for 15 days and then juicing once per day after that point. I have been very pleased with how I feel. It is nice to feel rested when I wake up in the morning. Also- it is expensive, so only buy fruits and veggies you know you will eat so you don't waste money. It costs about 14 bucks per day, but I figured I eat about the same in price anyways, especially if I go out to eat.

    Good luck!!
    :smile:
  • corn63
    corn63 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Don't juice. You lose most of the nutrients in the pulp. Buy a blender. Have a smoothie!
  • alexisjungdahl
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    I LOVE my juicer. I have the Jack Lalanne power juicer and could not be happier with it. When I juice, not only do I feel great but my skin and hair improves too. Juices are rich in nutrients and filling. Downside? Kind of a pain to clean without a dishwasher and can be a little expensive, as it takes a lot of fruit and veggies to make one glass of juice, but the benefits definitely out way. Try it!
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
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    we bought one, and would love to use it more, but for the amount of juice you get from most fruits makes it too expensive per glass of juice, but the biggest pit fall it the amount of cleaning time every time you use it .. so make sure whichever one you pick its easy to clean. ours breaks into about 5 parts and some bits are a real pain to clean ...