All aboard the juicing train!

If breakfast is normally over in a flash and you often find yourself feeling flat by lunchtime, then it may be time you jumped on board the juicing train and introduced some natural goodness into your diet. More than just a passing fad, home juicing has become a simple lifestyle choice for those looking to boost their health and wellbeing in one easy fix. We love the fact that freshly-made juice not only tastes great but also leaves you feeling good. And who doesn’t enjoy feeling good?

Did you know that to get the same goodness as you’d get from a single glass of freshly-made juice, you would need to eat plateful after plateful of raw fruit and veg? And if you were to cook or even steam your veg, you would have to eat even more to match the number of nutrients you’d find in just one glass of juice. This is because juicing has better ‘bioavailablity’, which means the juicing process breaks down your fruit and veg into a more easily digestible format so that your body can maximise its nutritional content.

If you’ve decided to give juicing a try, the next stage is to decide what equipment to use to make your juice, and whether it’s made by Sage, Vitamix, Nutribullet or anyone-else, juicing appliances fall into one of two camps: juicers or blenders. Both are brilliant for anyone who struggles to squeeze five-a-day into their busy schedule, but there are points of difference to consider when choosing which type to buy.

Juicing or Blending – What’s the difference?

The most obvious difference between juicing and blending is that a juicer produces more highly concentrated juice as it extracts only the soluble fibre. This means that although you are left with a smaller quantity of liquid, every drop of is packed with precious nutrients which our bodies can absorb quickly and easily. For some people, reducing the bulk of their fruit and veg by removing the insoluble fibre can be a real advantage, especially if they’re trying to lose weight by cutting back on calories or their objective is to get a quick-fix of energy and nutrients. The downside of this approach is that it can prove expensive as it produces less juice from the same amount of fruit and each drink is not as filling as its smoothie equivalent – though it’s easy to add in extra ingredients such as coconut oil or flax seeds if you require a little more sustenance.

Taste, Texture and Volume

When it comes to comparing blenders and juicers, you really need to give some thought to the taste and texture of the juice or smoothies you’ll produce. This will obviously vary depending on the recipe you use, but crucially it will also vary depending on whether you use a juicer or a blender because the consistency and the flavour of your drink will also be different. The same quantity and selection of ingredients will produce a greater volume and a more filling blend of juice when you use a blender as you’re using whole fruits and vegetables, but this extra fibre does mean there are fewer nutrients per glass and these nutrients are released more slowly. Those with digestive problems may be better suited to the faster, more efficient release of nutrients which juicer-made juice allows, but for those wishing to avoid spikes in their metabolism, a slower release of nutrients will leave you feeling satisfied for longer.

Value For Money

Another thing to consider before you part with your cash is value for money. There are a great many juicers and blenders on the market and they vary greatly in price. Good quality blenders and juicers stay cool in order to preserve the nutrients in your fruit and veg and, though cheaper appliances may seem an attractive prospect, often their running temperature is higher and ingredients lose nutrients as a result. When choosing whether to invest in a dedicated juicer or a multi-purpose blender, you also need to weigh up what is more important to you in terms of functionality: a juicer which only juices, but produces the fastest and most efficient way to get more nutrients into your system, or a blender because it gives you greater flexibility when it comes to other ways to introduce vegetables into your diet, by also helping you to make soups and sauces.

Whichever juicing method you decide suits you best, here at Lakeland we have lots more detailed information about individual appliances as well as plenty of delicious juicing recipes to help you get started.

Andrew’s Story

If you still aren’t sure whether juicing is for you, let us tell you about Lakeland’s very own juicing star and what a huge difference juicing has made to him.

Andrew works at Lakeland’s head office and was determined to lose weight, improve his diet and start exercising. Like anyone struggling to make such a radical change, it wasn’t easy for Andrew to take control. Previous attempts to get in shape had always been unsuccessful because low energy levels had affected his motivation, but this time round juicing has really made a difference and has enabled him to undergo a thorough detox while also giving his energy levels a serious lift.

Over the last year Andrew has lost an impressive four and a half stone by exercising, carefully monitoring his calorie intake and replacing one to two meals a day with home-made, vitamin-rich, energy-boosting juices. He’s undergone a total transformation and now, having reached his target weight, he’s enjoying a much healthier lifestyle and continues to eat a more balanced diet, using juicing to supplement his everyday diet rather than as a meal replacement.

If, like Andrew, you fancy giving juicing a go, why not try some of his favourite recipes? You don’t need to be on a diet to enjoy these delicious and nutritious drinks and they’re guaranteed to give you a feel-good feeling!

Exercise, Power and Detox Juice