The “Whats,” “Hows” and “Whys” of Green Juicing

By Sherold Barr
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I’m thrilled to introduce you to my friend Tina Pruitt, The Healthy Lifestylist, and a three-time cancer survivor and living foods advocate. Tina will be a guest blogger here once a month to share with us her tips on green juice.  She has learned so much from her journey living with cancer and is a powerful advocate of food as medicine.  If you enjoy this article by Tina, share your comments below at the end of this article.   Sherold

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”  ~ Hippocrates

By Tina Pruitt

What?
Green juice, in essence, is a juice made primarily of vegetables and sometimes a small amount of fruit made in a juicer. Green juicing is more than just a trend, it’s a healthy way of adding much-needed nutrients into your diet.

How?

A juicer, unlike a blender, extracts the liquid juice — the liquid nutrition — from the vegetables and leaves behind the pulp. The result is sometimes referred to as “plant blood.” A blender, on the other hand, creates a thick, blended beverage with all the solids in a pureed form. High-speed blenders, such as the VitaMix, are super great for smoothies, and they can be used for juices if you strain out the pulp.  But, this is extra work, so why not just purchase a a high-quality juicer to rock your green juices?!  I personally own three different juicers made by different companies, but my favorite by far is the Breville (just in case you were wondering).

The juice produced by the juicer creates a wonderful medley of tastes, even though you may not think of the combination as appetizing when you get out your assortment of vegetables. You may even notice that what you are putting into the juicer as far as vegetables goes is much more than you would care to eat in a serving or even a day.

My favorite vegetables to put through the juicer for my green juice include kale, romaine lettuce, broccoli, parsley, sprouts, cucumbers and spinach. Occasionally I’ll throw in brightly colored peppers, garlic, a single carrot, ginger or garlic to give my juice an extra pop. If you want the “zing” of fruits, remember that lemon and lime are always acceptable. Apples, melons and pears are also go-to fruits for added sweetness — but always keep the fruit to one piece to keep the sugar level down. The nutritional benefits and alkaline perfection of the green vegetables is all you need for a wonderful daily juice!

Why?

The nutritional benefits of vegetables are undeniable, and green juicing highlights the following benefits in an easy-to-swallow form:

  • No bulk equals easy digestion
  • Liquid form allows your body to consume the nutrients quicker
  • Juice allows you to consume more vegetables than in other ways
  • Healthy weight-loss and weight management because you are getting the nutrients you need (curbs your appetite!)
  • Supports your immune system with the additional pure nutrients
  • Alkalizes your body which prevents disease commonly associated with an acidic diet
  • Great tasting recipes!

So if you’re new to green juicing, or haven’t even began yet, I hope this post answers your newbie questions and gets you on the road to green juicing success!

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  1. Great article Tina! I love juicing – but not the mess. Does the juicer matter? I heard some juicers throw out more than they juice.

    Thanks
    Christine

  2. Hi Christine!

    Yes, you do want to get a good juicer for sure! Masticating juicers are known for getting every last drop out of produce, but I still love my Breville the best (and it is a centrifugal juicer), and I have both kinds of juicers!

    I have done my own “testing” of this theory and in two different “juice off” challenges, it was honestly so close with regard to the yield that came from the Breville and my Omega (masticating). Bottom line is….go with the juicer you will use!!! I like to save time, and my Breville rocks with helping me do that!!

    Stay tuned….this may be the NEXT great topic!
    xo, Tina

  3. Christine and Tina – I learned a great tip from Kris Carr’s (crazysexylife.com) cute hubbie Brian Fassett. After I have put all my veges through my Breville juicer, I put them back through again and get at least a 1/4 cup more of juice. My body loves the PH of alkaline green juice. Hope this helps too.

    1. Awesome Sherold! Yes, I do this on occasion as well. And if I have both juicers cranked up (which I do if I am doing wheatgrass at the same time), I will actually run the pulp through the Omega juicer (masticating)….Hopefully, that makes sense as I don’t want to confuse anyone with all that, as it may be TMI!?? 😉

      xo

      1. Tina – when I get back to Portland tomorrow night, on Wed. I am starting your 10-day green juice cleanse. I was going to go back and watch your videos so I can do it correctly.
        Do you have any words of wisdom? I started adding cucumbers after watching your videos.

        1. YAY! I love having a base of cucumbers and usually celery too…they give off some much liquid and really give an amazing foundation to add a wide variety of flavors to!!

          One of my biggest tips for a fast, is to make a large amount all at one time in the morning, so you can drink from it throughout the day! Herbal teas and water are also a treat.

          Take a couple vital measurements, like waist, hips, etc and weight. Retake them at any intervals that feel good to you. You will be shocked what a ten day green juice fast can do for you!

          xo

  4. Great article Tina. Thank you so much. I have a juicer and a vita mix and I go through phases of using them. Right now they are both sitting on the counter without much use. Time to break out the veggies and rev them up! xo

  5. Love green juicing!!! Thanks so much for this post. Hadn’t thought to put garlic in my green juice but I LOVE the idea. It’s like cooking with a juicer. Little pinch of this here…little bit o’ that there, and voila! Yum! 😉
    Gotta get more wheat grass in me though!

    1. Lazarus – how’s that foot? I love that all of you B School friends are here cheering on Ms. Pruitt. Isn’t she the best? I too want to learn how to cut the wheat grass and work with it. Tina – can you give us pointers? I bought some and just cut it and put it in. Wasn’t sure it really was the correct thing to do.

    2. Oh Laz…you are so fun! It is EXACTLY like that….a little pinch of this and a little pinch of that – do you mind if I use that for an upcoming blog post? Just. Love. It.

      Yes, wheatgrass (WG) is a bit more on the hard core side. I mean, I am hard core, and it is still seriously hard core for me. I never have got used to the taste….and even afters YEARS of doing 2 oz in the morning (and I used to do 2oz in PM), it still makes me …….well, it is hard for me to keep down. BUT….this is GOOD. Honestly! I still hang in there as it is so good for us. If you are like me, the best way to drink it is to chase it with water or cucumber juice. I usually do the latter.

      Shot of WG, chaser of cucumber juice. Belly up to the juicer, ladies!
      xo

  6. Tina & Sherold – thanks for the great info for newbies like me! I still haven’t take the plunge, but Tina’s posts are pushing me along and giving me a solid base of knowledge. Love the clarification of the differences between blenders and juicers. Very helpful.

    1. Christie – thank you for supporting Tina and coming over here. I am in love with my Breville juicer. I like to make enough juice for my morning glass and noon glass. Once you start drinking it, it becomes a habit quickly. I hope you try it even in your blender.

  7. Tina, thanks for writing such a simple “easily digestible” post! I read Kris Carr’s book and completed her 21-day challenge last year. I own a Blentec blender but haven’t invested in a juicer. Since I’m perpetually on the road, traveling to over 22 states in the past 7 months, do you have any ideas or advice? What is the minimal recommended amount of juice you should have each day? week? I just watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and want to jump back onto the healthy lifestyle bandwagon. Thanks a million — xoxo

    1. Kerrie – fantastic! If you are able to take your juicer on the road, then I would go with the Breville Compact one – here is a link http://amzn.to/BrevilleCompact. No mistaking, it is still “big”, but smaller than the normal ones. I travelled frequently to Alaska, and would often take either my juicer or a small blender and then strain out the pulp!

      If you can’t take your juicer with you, then do some searches ahead of time about your destination – http://www.happycow.net is one of the sites I check out for juicing and healthy eating away from home.

      Minimal amount – around 16 ounces. Better – 32 ounces. Optimal – 48 ounces (drank at 3 different intervals during day).

      Thanks sweetie! Hope that helps!
      Tina

  8. Love the article Tina. A great reminder of the amazing value of juicing in our lives. I myself love the feeling in my body after juicing. It just feels right. This feeling good inside allows me to stay away from other foods that are not serving me. I am glad I learnt about Breville juicer. Will look into it!

  9. Tina, you – and all you do! – are fantastic! Raising a great big green glass of goodness to you!

  10. As always, Tina, your posts get me thinking about how I need to take the plunge into juicing! The thought is much more at the forefront this week as I am struggling with a nasty cold 🙂

    What I do know for certain is that you are my go-to gal for all the juicing basics. Your videos are so easy to follow and love your suggestions for us newbies. So glad that you are going to be featured here regularly (thanks, Sherold!)

    Jennifer Peek | Small Business Strategist
    Find Your New Groove
    The Freedom to Build Your Business Your Way

  13. I love this pots because since I have met Tina I have become a fan. I know deep down that I need to change my eating habits and when I met Tina and she explained to me what she ate, with a twinkle in the eye and perfect skin that glows. I knew she is right. I have been eating way more veggies in the past two years and have changed a lot of my eating habits the next step for me will be getting on the juice wagon. I know where I live (in Dubai) we have tons of fresh juice stands (but this is mainly fruit) I am hoping to learn more about the green juicing and I know this will be the year where I go from simply juicing into the more complex ones. Ahhhh, a Breville, I am going to look into that.

  14. Very informative post. Thanks!

    I appreciate your take and willingness to discuss other juicers and blenders outside of VitaMix. I know those who have one are evangelistic about the merits of it yet it can be cost prohibitive, especially when just dipping your toe into the pond.

  15. Tina- You make juicing sound fun & rewarding! I’ve been considering buying a vitamix blender however after reading your post I’m thinking a juicer is the better choice (I like simple- less work).

  16. Tina! My Green Queen! Yes, my experience of you is deep embodiment of this profound wisdom of healing. Healing that goes deeper than the tissue… yet is held by the cells of our body. Healing that is transformative of disease in bodypsyche! Your glowing countenance of elegance and joy, your kind and generous heart… all of these come from this exquisite journey into the Self you have made… now gifting us with its Jewels.

    Green Juice Jewels in your crown… gifted so freely to us to make our own. I am sooooo grateFULL for your presence on earth at this time.
    LOVE you!

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