Juicers... Are they worth it?

thomcand
thomcand Posts: 23 Member
So I have seen a lot of juicers being pushed lately. I don't know much about them so tell me your opinion. Are they worth it? What is so great about them? What kinds?
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Replies

  • uthatswho
    uthatswho Posts: 34
    Juicing is great. I was addicted to adding a cucumber to every kind I blended.
    Nowadays I'd rather eat it, than drink it though because it takes a lot of fresh produce to make juice.

    My advice is don't invest in a Vitamix until you go a few rounds with blender.

    Are you planing on trying wheatgrass? Some juices take ...getting used to :D
  • itsCheek
    itsCheek Posts: 104
    I got a Jack Lallane juicer on Craigslist for $40 and juice twice a day!

    I got started because of the movie "Hungry for Change" and am a huge fan of Jason Vale (7 lbs. in 7 Days)
  • janimei
    janimei Posts: 105 Member
    My Vitamix leaves no pulp behind--everything gets liquified, so there is no loss of fiber. However, I do leave apple and pear cores on the cutting board (just my preference). The only thing I'm not satisfied with is the way it handles dehydrated granular coconut. I've stopped adding that because the smoothies are grainy.
    My most common smoothie is 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of skim milk, 1 cup of chard, 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt, 4-5 ice cubes, and a small squirt of agave syrup to cut the tartness of the yogurt.
    Vitamix soups and frozen desserts are so easy to make (my machine has a separate setting for each, so I don't have to do any pulsing--the machine knows which speeds to use, how fast to accelerate, and when to slow down, then stop).
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
    Depends.

    Do you like juice?
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    I rather eat the whole fruit.
  • Christie0428
    Christie0428 Posts: 221 Member
    I also got started juicign becasue of the hungry for change movie. I like the veg juice and love how it makes me feel, but it is time consuming and expensive so I dont do it every day.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    No, eat food.
  • FootballGamer58
    FootballGamer58 Posts: 1,310 Member
    I would eat food instead
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    So I have seen a lot of juicers being pushed lately. I don't know much about them so tell me your opinion. Are they worth it? What is so great about them? What kinds?

    Juicers are worth it. They give you a lot of nutrition that you otherwise could not get. You cannot eat as many fruits and especially vegetables as you can juice. The nutrition goes right into your bloodstream and is very easy to digest. I feel very good when I juice. I feel more satieted. It has been hard to do it because of cost but I hope to get on it more. I am going to try a local farmers market for fresh fruits and vegetables. Juicing is not the same as eating the whole food. You can get more nutrients from fresh vegetable juices and you don't have to deal with the fiber which would be eliminated from your body anyway. Most people who juice say to eat your fruit but juice your vegetables and I would tend to agree, but fresh fruit juices are very good! You would be surprised how good they taste.

    I have a Champion juicer and it makes this fresh sorbet like ice cream from fresh frozen fruit that is so good. It does not juice greens very well.
  • kimmie185
    kimmie185 Posts: 550 Member
    I used my juicer once and then never used it again.
    It was a pain and you don't get a lot of juice from 1 or even a couple of fruits. :/

    I would rather eat the fruit instead and get all the nutrients I can get.
  • md3b3tt
    md3b3tt Posts: 8 Member
    Depends on what you are looking for. If you are considering juice, you might want to consider smoothies instead.
  • md3b3tt
    md3b3tt Posts: 8 Member
    I personally would go for smoothies over juices. I, like a few others who I saw posted, would advocate whole food. You can make lots of different types of smoothies and add things that juices just won't do for you, (like Flaxseed, chia, etc). Also, you can make smoothies in a regular blender, or a Magic Bullet, or the like.

    Don't get me wrong, juice is great! But there are nutrients in the other parts of the fruits and vegetables that you won't get in the juice!
  • Yooperm35
    Yooperm35 Posts: 787 Member
    I like my juicer, but it's one of those things that I go through spells. I saved the pulp and tossed it into banana bread. The best part is apples and pears make my gums itchy and my throat itchy, but I have no reaction when I juice it (yes, I do peel them before I at them too) - this is the main reason I use it
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    I personally would go for smoothies over juices. I, like a few others who I saw posted, would advocate whole food. You can make lots of different types of smoothies and add things that juices just won't do for you, (like Flaxseed, chia, etc). Also, you can make smoothies in a regular blender, or a Magic Bullet, or the like.

    Don't get me wrong, juice is great! But there are nutrients in the other parts of the fruits and vegetables that you won't get in the juice!

    I love smoothies but I love juice too. I can fit both into my daily food alottment thankfully. You actually do get most of the nutrients in the juice just not the fiber if it is a good juicer.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar, ounce for ounce, as soda.

    And as others have said, you are removing the best part of fruits and vegetables by juicing--fiber. The part that helps you stay full and that slows down the absorption of nutrients to keep you fuller throughout the day.

    If you like your food in liquid form, get a blender instead.
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
    Juicing is great but for me, it's too much work, it is too time consuming to clean and you throw away all that lovely ffiber! I bought a Blendtec blender, very expensive. I probably could have used a less expensive blender. I still get my fruits and veggies, but they're blended, not juice.

    Just make sure you don't spend a lot of $$ for something you uyse for one month then put away.
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
    I bought a cheap one (mistake number one?) and had to do a lot of the dreaded prep work just to get the damn fruit in the hole (that's what she said...hahaha). And cleaning it was a nightmare. I've considered something larger, with a bigger whole that I could juice whole foods with. But....I've realized I prefer blending when I want to, and I'm too lazy to get up and juice, then rinse or clean the damn thing.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    Y'all, you can drink juice AND eat food! No need to hate on juice. Juice is delicious!

    I got a free juicer from a friend and I really enjoy fresh juice. It's a pain to clean, though. I guess think about that when you are considering how much you'll use it.

    Sometimes I want a pile of veggies, and sometimes I was a tasty juice cocktail. They don't have to be mutually exclusive!
  • Kpablo
    Kpablo Posts: 355 Member
    I love juicing fresh fruit for my daughter and I! Taste so much better.

    I have the original model of Jack Lalanne.
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar, ounce for ounce, as soda.

    And as others have said, you are removing the best part of fruits and vegetables by juicing--fiber. The part that helps you stay full and that slows down the absorption of nutrients to keep you fuller throughout the day.

    If you like your food in liquid form, get a blender instead.

    There is a big difference between the fruit sugar that comes from freshly extracted fruit juice and the highly processed cane sugar in soda. I don't think you can compare the two, not that you should have a lot of fruit juice every day. If you are diabetic fruit juice should be limited.

    And just because you juice does not mean you cannot get enough fiber in your diet. You can still eat fruits and vegetables whole or blended or whatever.

    Whenever I drink fresh vegetable juice it makes me feel well nourished and my body feels very alkaline. It makes me feel healthy.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar, ounce for ounce, as soda.

    And as others have said, you are removing the best part of fruits and vegetables by juicing--fiber. The part that helps you stay full and that slows down the absorption of nutrients to keep you fuller throughout the day.

    If you like your food in liquid form, get a blender instead.

    There is a big difference between the fruit sugar that comes from freshly extracted fruit juice and the highly processed cane sugar in soda. I don't think you can compare the two, not that you should have a lot of fruit juice every day. If you are diabetic fruit juice should be limited.

    Oh really? Did you get that from Dr. Lustig?
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    Y'all, you can drink juice AND eat food! No need to hate on juice. Juice is delicious!

    I got a free juicer from a friend and I really enjoy fresh juice. It's a pain to clean, though. I guess think about that when you are considering how much you'll use it.

    Sometimes I want a pile of veggies, and sometimes I was a tasty juice cocktail. They don't have to be mutually exclusive!

    So true! When I was juicing regularly I was at the healthiest weight I have ever been. I have a Champion and it is very easy to clean and put together.
  • radradradradrad
    radradradradrad Posts: 101 Member
    The Nutribullet pulverizes the entire fruit/vegetable so you don't have any solid leftovers like in other juicers that just extract juice and remove pulp. When the pulp is removed you lose a lot of those nutrients you seek. You should check out some reviews on Youtube. As far as juicing goes, if you want/need a meal replacement and you don't mind spending a good chunk of money of fresh produce then give it a try! You can get the Nutribullet at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $100, but go online and print off a 20% coupon first and it's a WIN, WIN, WIN.

    Note, I don't have the Nutribullet myself, but I plan on purchasing one in the near future and giving juicing a try, too :)
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    I love my juicer... I just rarely have time for the cleanup involved so I don't use it as much as I'd like to.... but its a good way to get alot of vitamins in without having to eat veggies all day.... esp if you're not a fan of veggies in the first place.
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
    Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar, ounce for ounce, as soda.

    And as others have said, you are removing the best part of fruits and vegetables by juicing--fiber. The part that helps you stay full and that slows down the absorption of nutrients to keep you fuller throughout the day.

    If you like your food in liquid form, get a blender instead.

    There is a big difference between the fruit sugar that comes from freshly extracted fruit juice and the highly processed cane sugar in soda. I don't think you can compare the two, not that you should have a lot of fruit juice every day. If you are diabetic fruit juice should be limited.

    Oh really? Did you get that from Dr. Lustig?

    Well it is just common sense. Fruit is very healthy for you and has vitamins, minerals and antioxidants so why would freshly extracted juice be bad for you unless you are diabetic?
  • Putcake
    Putcake Posts: 93 Member
    We have the Ninja system - it does the "whole food juicing" - so I use fruits, veggies and liquid - usually dairy - to make smoothies.

    I love using this machine! I use it almost every day. I buy a big bag of spinach and juice it all at once - and then put that in a container in the fridge. We use that liquid for the next few days to add to our smoothies. I have a fussy toddler who is not interested in eating veggies right now, but he LOVES smoothies - so that's how I sneak some nutrition into him.

    My favorite combo right now is spinach juice with greek yogurt, frozen fruit (strawberry, pineapple, mango and peach) and some unsweetened cranberry juice. It's about 150 calories, and I'm getting a serving of fruit and veggie in each one.

    Instead of happy hour, we have smoothie hour.

    And since it's a blending "system" - the other attachments make it a food processor and a mixer. I haven't gotten that far yet - they had me at the word smoothie.

    I had a traditional juicer and it was too much work and clean up. It's in my garage waiting for the next goodwill trip.
  • bevmcarthur
    bevmcarthur Posts: 341 Member
    i have a Champion and i love it its a little big i like that you can also make Sherbet with it also. I also have a vitamix but use it for smoothies and other stuff but you can use it to juice also
  • FootballGamer58
    FootballGamer58 Posts: 1,310 Member
    Fruit juice has the same amount of sugar, ounce for ounce, as soda.

    And as others have said, you are removing the best part of fruits and vegetables by juicing--fiber. The part that helps you stay full and that slows down the absorption of nutrients to keep you fuller throughout the day.

    If you like your food in liquid form, get a blender instead.


    There is a big difference between the fruit sugar that comes from freshly extracted fruit juice and the highly processed cane sugar in soda. I don't think you can compare the two, not that you should have a lot of fruit juice every day. If you are diabetic fruit juice should be limited.

    Oh really? Did you get that from Dr. Lustig?

    Well it is just common sense. Fruit is very healthy for you and has vitamins, minerals and antioxidants so why would freshly extracted juice be bad for you unless you are diabetic?

    except its not common sense, the sugar is the same, you are referring to the nutrients not the sugar.
  • thomcand
    thomcand Posts: 23 Member
    Thank you all for your opinions! Some great points were brought up. I was just curious what others were thinking about juicers, not setting out to get one. I make smoothies currently and enjoy those but wasn't sure if I wanted to juice instead. I have heard rave reviews about the Ninja blender and am hoping to get one soon!!
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
    I used to have a juicer (actually I think it is in the basement now). I juiced carrots, but then I had kids and juicing and the clean up was too time consuming. I thought a long time about getting a vitamix and am so happy I did. I blend spinach and cucumber along with strawberries or blueberries into my protein shakes every day and it is awesome. I didn't experiment with under blenders b/c I didn't want to invest in them to find that I really needed the vitamix. I also make sorbets for my kids every day with frozen banana and frozen grapes and a splash of almond milk. They love it, it has all the fiber in it and none of the added sugars and they feel like they are eating ice cream. I also sometimes sneak spinach into their smoothies.