Are you like so many folks out there who have already been blessed with a juicer but have it tucked away in a cabinet, garage or such?
And, like so many others, perhaps you haven’t ever used that tucked-away juicer!
Sound familiar?
I heard my friend Shakaya Leone from EarthEmpress.com once say, “When people ask me what’s the best juicer to use, I tell them, ‘The one in your kitchen that you’re not using!'”
Getting Started…
Until recently, this out-of-sight juicer situation was the case with a participant who attended a Fall Juicing workshop I taught at Life’s Journey Yoga & Wellness Center in Florida. She had a spankin’ new juicer at her house with no interest whatsoever in using it. However, her intuition must have known something ‘juicy’ awaited her, because even with her lack of interest in her juicer, she decided to come along with a friend and try out the juicing workshop.
Still, though, she wasn’t sure she’d find a juice combination that would please her “picky” taste buds.
Well, I’m happy to say that her juicing apprehension is certainly a thing of the past! Her juicer is now in her kitchen — not stored away somewhere — and she’s happily juicing, daily — day and night!
Additionally, she has gotten some of her family members hooked on juicing!
So, how can you get yourself hooked on juicing to increase the nutrient absorption of your produce-intake that, in turn, will increase the overall quality of so many areas of your health?
1. Get inspired.
If you can find a juicing workshop to attend, great. If not, simply do some online research and scout out an inspirational juicing advocate who “speaks to you.” Jason Vale (aka “The Juice Master”) from TheJuiceMaster.com certainly inspires me.
How can he not? Have you seen that man’s juicing energy and vitality?
After watching his videos, I almost always want to run to my juicer and help him “juice the world.”
2. Keep the concept of juicing simple.
You really don’t have to mix 10 ingredients in the juicer at once to start reaping the health benefits of this lifestyle. I have found that my body prefers less mixture at a time, but more juices throughout the day. For instance, I’ll make a 3-ingredient juice, such as kale/apple/lemon. Then, a little later I’ll make another simple juice, such as carrot/apple/lemon/ginger, and so on.
Here I am at the Fall Juicing workshop demonstrating one of my all-time super-simple favorites. You can make this juice in under the time it takes to watch the brief video clip.
Simply juicing two to three apples and half a lime is incredibly tasty, too. Or, a couple to a few apples and half a lemon!
While I like to spread my juices out with simple combinations, it may be more convenient for you to put more variety into one or two juices and do less juicing throughout the day.
Define your version of keeping it simple!
3. Decide on a juicer that suits your lifestyle.
While masticating juicers are known to extract more liquid from greens and other produce, and the juice made in these juicers stay fresher longer, the fact that a slower process of juicing is involved along with a little more work of cutting produce to fit into these juicers, this may — or may not — be the initial way for you to get hooked on juicing.
A juicer with a wide-mouth chute that works more quickly may be your preference when starting out.
Simply select a juicer that makes it easy for you to keep on using it.
While I absolutely love masticating juicers at this stage of my juicing journey, honestly, I’m not sure the wonderful features of a masticating juicer would have initially ‘hooked me’ when I first ventured into the world of juicing. I had to grow into it, so to speak. Now, I can’t say enough about the benefits of masticating juicers!
In any event, selecting a juicer that is simple for you to use and clean will increase your chances of getting you hooked on juicing.
4. Arrange your kitchen in a way that will inspire you to use your juicer.
Finding clutter-free counter space where you can beautifully set up your juicer will invite you to use it more. You can also place one or two of the placemat-style cutting boards near your juicer. (They look more like cutting sheets versus a board and will look like a covering over a section of your counter.)
I also like to keep a large bowl handy.
After rinsing the produce, I carry the produce in the bowl to the juicer; this keeps me from having items spread out across the counter. It just works better for my “mental” space. Then, once the bowl is emptied after juicing the ingredients, the bowl becomes available for anything I need to carry back to the sink, fridge, etc. It’s my little transport-bowl of sorts.
5. Re-arrange your juicer space when necessary.
Recently, I decided I wanted to change around my at-home “juice bar,” so I did some rearranging and felt re-inspired in such a big way. It feels good to “refresh” your juicing energy and give your kitchen a new look, if necessary.
6. Prepare your juice items in advance.
While I am grateful for the times when I have produce abundance in my fridge, sometimes, too much in my fridge at once really does overwhelm me.
I’m realizing that I while I enjoy variety, I prefer seeing ‘manageable’ amounts of produce at a time.
In any event, whether your fridge is overstocked or not with produce, a good idea to make juicing simpler is to sort combinations of what you will juice and then store your selections in baggies, small bowls or such. This is a great time-saver, because you can simply grab your ‘organized produce’ from the fridge, take to your juicer, and juice!
Simple, right? This makes it easy for your family members to get juicing, too.
7. Just do it.
Don’t dissect the thought of juicing too much. Learn as you go!
It’s no secret how quickly we get nutrition from juicing fresh produce, so simply make a choice to add it as another health tool in your life. Then, do it.
I recently heard someone say something like: Don’t think twice about something you know is good for you. Instead, just do it after thinking about it once! Once that liquid nutrition hits your cells, you won’t have to think, you’ll just know!
You can begin your juicing journey with nothing other than a juicer, a few ingredients, and a desire. Having a juicing recipe book handy will prove to be helpful, too. But, if not, you can find tons of juicing recipes online. Soon enough, though, you’ll be creating your own juice specialties and sharing them with your family and friends.
The more you juice, the more your knowledge and understanding of juicing will grow. And, my goodness, not to mention what it will do for your health.
Before long, you’ll soon discover that you, too, will be hooked on juicing!
Happy Juicing!
I’d be happy to assist with your juicing questions. And, if I don’t have the answer, I will surely help you find it. Feel free to e-mail me at penny@lifesjourneywellness.com.