When Phyllis and I married we received a Braun juicer as a wedding gift. We used it a few times but eventually it found its way to the back of the appliance closet where it sat undisturbed for a decade and a half. This summer, during one of my cleaning jags, I re-discovered that dusty old juicer and put it out on the curb for someone to claim.
Fast forward six weeks. Phyllis and are watching Netflix and stumble upon the “documentary” Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. In it, our host and protagonist aussie Joe Cross, who is obese and suffering from an autoimmune skin disorder, travels across the U.S. on a 60-day juice fast, all the while evangelizing the benefits of juicing to anyone that will hear him. Along the way he meets an overweight trucker who suffers from the same skin disorder. Needless to say, Joe and the trucker bond, both lose gobs of weight and everything turns out hunky dory for everyone.
[ad#page-inline]
Featured prominently throughout the film are Breville juicers. Now I can recognize product placement from a good twenty paces and this film reeks of corporate support. Cynical, you say? A visit to the web site will only reinforce the notion that a backroom deal was struck. Regardless, I can appreciate the marketing skill that went into making a documentary to capitalize on the latest juicing fad. Breville, an Australian brand that few in the U.S. had heard of until recently, are now the most popular juicers sold on Amazon.
Needless to say, the film had its intended effect on us and got us excited about juicing, but we no longer owned a juicer 
. So I did my due diligence and searched the web for unbiased reviews. In the end we settled on the Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor
As avid gardeners, Phyllis and I are always looking for new ways to use the organic produce that we grow. The nice thing about juicing is that it’s a quick, easy and convenient way to use up vegetables without having to do a lot of cooking, canning or preserving. It’s also a great way to get a lot more veggies into your diet. Just clip a few tomatoes, some swiss chard, beets, carrots, broccoli, turnips, bok choi, whatever happens to be ready to harvest that day and pop it into the juicer. Voila, you have a fast and ultra-healthy breakfast, snack or pre-dinner aperitif.
You can juice just about any fruit, vegetable or combination with good results. We commonly add some onion or garlic (in moderation, of course) to our juices. And a little sweetness from carrot, apple or pear can offset the “grassyness” of spinach, chard or other leafy greens. We’ve also found that a little ginger or lemon can brighten the flavor. Just like in cooking, flavor combinations can be simple or complex. You’ll be shocked at how vivid and intensely sweet and refreshing a green apple, pear and ginger cocktail can be.
So has juicing changed our lives? Yes, in small yet significant ways. For example, Phyllis and I make an effort to juice at least once a day. At first, we were juicing for breakfast but I noticed that I was crashing mid-afternoon even with a good lunch. These days I make sure I have a good breakfast and lunch and we now do our juicing immediately after work. We’ve found that it takes the edge off our appetites so that we are snacking less and consuming less alcohol. As a result, we both have more energy and are gradually losing weight.
Disclosure
mediaOrganic is a very satisfied owner of two Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractors.
Finding a something that works for you matters huge. Havign been introduced to some of the end result on occasion has been priviledge.