Juicing, Is It Worth It?

Juice

For my birthday I asked for a juicer. So far there are parts of juicing I like and parts I don’t.

Let’s start with the good. I typically use fruit that is somewhat past it’s prime. If I have a bunch of spinach in the produce drawer that is too wilted to eat, I throw it in the juicer. Instead of throwing away that core of a pineapple, I toss it in. Strawberry tops, peaches with lots of bruises, cantaloupe that’s turned a bit sour, all go into the machine. I feel like I’m wasting less of over-ripened fruit and vegetables when I juice. A lot of these things would naturally end up in the garbage, but thanks to the juicer I get to enjoy them.

I’m also ingesting a lot more vegetables. Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, carrots and beets all go into the juicer. Mix them with a few sweet fruits and you end up with a drink that is surprisingly tasty.

My son, who is just shy of two years old, loves when I juice. He stands on a stool at the counter and shouts “apple, apple, apple” and tries to say the words for all of the other fruits and vegetables that make our morning drink. The first few times I made a new concoction he showed little interesting in drinking it, but nowadays I have to wrestle him for a sip.

Now for the not so good. Every time I use fresh produce I feel like I’m wasting quite a lot of it. The apple skins are shredded by the machine and discarded along with the fiber from healthy fruits and vegetables. I scoop out at least a cup’s worth of pulp every morning. It would be a whole lot healthier to eat more whole fruits and vegetables, but of course it wouldn’t be as convenient. I’ve read about people who use the pulp in muffins and other baked goods, but if I’m not particularly interested in doing that.

It’s also quite expensive to make juice. It takes quite a few fruits and vegetables to make one glass. I buy all organic produce, which is typically quite a bit more expensive than the non-organic variety. I haven’t added up my costs for a week’s worth of juice, but I plan to take careful note at the grocery store next week. Just how much produce does it take and how much is each glass costing me?

Also, it takes at least five minutes to clean the juicer after making juice. I asked for a low end model, a pricier one might be easier, but it’s certainly not a five minute task. By the time I wash the produce, cut it to fit into the juicer and clean the machine I’m probably looking at ten minutes worth of time. That’s not a significant amount, and my son loves watching and helping, but it’s sure not quick either.

I’d love to hear from anyone who uses a juicer or anyone who has considered using one. What do you think of it?

5 thoughts on “Juicing, Is It Worth It?”

  1. I thought about getting a juicer, however I realized that I really like eating fruit – drinking fruit juice doesn’t fill me up. But if you know you will stick with juicing, a good juicer is a great kitchen tool.

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    • I really like eating fruit too. I’m trying to mix a healthy portion of real fruit and juiced fruit throughout the day. In fact, when I juice I miss the act of chewing the most šŸ™‚

      Reply

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