Question & Answer Time

Well. Color me surprised.

I had no idea you would be so passionate about this juicing thing. Seriously, I’ve actually been trying not to talk about it, so as not to sound like an infomercial. But now I’m realizing that you actually care… so here you go. Answers to your questions.

**OH! And the contest for the 10 free books is still open. I'll draw 10 names random from the comments from the last post, and this post as well. I'll do the drawing when the books arrive from the publisher, in about a week. **

Ok, question time.

What kind of juicer do you use?

Lots of you are mentioning your old juicer in the garage that you got for a wedding gift or from your grandpa. And I certainly don’t want to discourage you from using it. That being said, I must tell you that starting with a GOOD juicer is key here.

I use the Juice Man Pro. Cherie recommended it, and I love it because its powerful AND Dishwasher Safe. I never would have stuck with juicing this long if I had to wash by hand. Also, the feed-tube-thingy (technical term, I know) is large and so I don’t have to cut all the produce into minuscule pieces.

Malerie, this ones for you. Is it expensive?

Not at all. First of all, if you have a good juicer, then it doesn’t take much produce to get a lot of juice. So you’re not buying a whole bushel of apples. My friend Callie gets all her produce at Costco. I buy mine at my local grocery store and I try to buy organic when possible. Plus, we are just getting into Spring – when all the local produce stands open up! Also, try co-ops, Farmers Markets, and best of all – growing your own veggies.

Tara asks: Once you make a drink how long is it good for? Do I need to drink it right away?

Good question, Tara. I’m a big fan of drinking the juice immediately, because of all the healthy enzymes. Think of your fruits and vegetables as live foods – once you cut into them, the enzymes immediately start dying. The sooner you drink it, the more live enzymes you have which helps you digest. That said, you can refrigerate the juice for up to 24 hours if need be. You’ll know if it spoils.

Now for the questions that weren’t asked, but you might be thinking:

Why not just eat a carrot?

If you’re like me, then you have a hard time getting your daily dose of fruits and vegetables in. I was hardly getting anything! If you can eat 5 carrots, 5 stalks of celery, 1 Cucumber, ½ a beet, 1 apple and some ginger, then do it. But for me, I NEVER would have taken the time to sit down and eat all that. Juicing worked for me.

Aren’t I juicing out all the fiber?

Nope. Soluble fiber remains.

Why go to all the trouble of using a juicer? Can’t I just drink an Odwalla?

I’ll let Cherie handle this one. Fresh juice is a live food, like I mentioned earlier. Its full of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, enzymes and that living ingredient --light energy-- that revitalizes the body. You feel different when you drink raw juice! In contrast, commercially processed canned, bottled, frozen, or packaged juices have been pasteurized, which means the juice has been heated to high temperatures, and many of the vitamins and enzymes have been killed or removed. And the light energy is virtually gone.

Did I miss your question? Leave it in comments and I'll get to it.

And yes, the special juicing announcement is still forthcoming. It will make you laugh. And you will be able to see it at your local grocery store. Wait for it…….