Not all juices are created equal, according to a new health trend sweeping the US and Australia.
There's juice, and then there's cold-pressed juice. This new darling of the healthy set is wreaking all sorts of changes on kitchen benchtops and juice shops as people update their appliances. So what's so great about this kind of juice?
According to the cold-pressed converted, these juices contain morevitamins, minerals and enzymes than those made with a traditional centrifugal machine. It's all in the method, apparently, as the fresh fruit and vegetables are, as the name suggests, "pressed" so the maximum amount of nectar is extracted from the pulp and fibre, leaving a raw and fresh juice.
Heidy Jameel, of Sydney's Lucky You Juice Cleanse, says: "When fruit and veg is put through a cold-pressed juicer, the juice retains the maximum amount of nutrients."
She says that the other style of juicing, involving fruit and veg being sliced by spinning blades, can overheat and oxidise the juice, resulting in nutrient loss - and a less palatable end result. "
"Centrifugal juicers make juices that are frothy and even chunky," Jameel adds. "Cold-pressed juices are the beautiful raw and refined nectar without the fibre."
Jameel says that for many of us, green cold-pressed juices are the nutrient boost our bodies need because they're packed with "live, whole ingredients, so it's an instant health-hit to the bloodstream".
"It would be extremely difficult to eat enough greens to get the same nutrient impact," she adds.
"The chlorophyll contained in green juices helps keep your blood healthy. Green juices are very oxygenating and give you clear skin and bright eyes."
Jameel's own recipe contains a whopping 1.5 kilograms of green vegies, so drinking it is a lot easier than sitting down to eat the same quantity of raw vegies.
Another benefit of drinking green juices, she says, is that you eventually start to retrain your tastebuds and ultimately lose the craving for hot chips and other fatty foods.
"If you're new to juicing, a blend of cucumber, celery, spinach and lemon is a nice, easy way to start," she says. "A green smoothie with banana, mango, spinach and kale is great if you like a sweeter drink."
