Juicing Gains in Popularity

How do you get your daily dose of fruits and vegetables? Do
you prefer to eat them whole or make your own juice? If you answered that you
don’t get your daily dose of fruits and veggies, perhaps you should consider
investing in a juicer.

According to a recent article
in the Wall Street Journal, juicers
are flying off the shelves as consumers have decided they would rather provide
their family homemade fruit and vegetable juices rather than store-bought
juices that may have additives and fewer nutrients. In fact, making your own
juice gives you the freedom to add what vegetables, fruits and seasonings that
fit your taste buds.

The WSJ states
that the market research firm NPD Group estimated that juicer sales hit 215
million for the year ending in November – a 71 percent increase from the year
before.

As the WSJ
reports, “Hoping to slim down, detoxify or just be healthier, more Americans
are buying juicers. Some want to boost their fresh-produce consumption in a
time-efficient, taste bud-friendly way. Others are going on a multiday juice
cleanse, a diet composed of solely fruit and vegetable juice, to jump-start
weight loss or a lifestyle change.??

The article continues by noting
that, “Juicers generally fall into one of three categories: ‘fast,’ ‘slow’ and ‘whole
food.’ The fast kind, also known as traditional or centrifugal juicers, are
loud machines that grind produce to a liquid in a few earsplitting seconds.
Fans like the thin-textured juice these machines produce, leaving the solid
‘pulp’ behind.??

Some parents have even found juicers to be an easier way of
getting their children to eat their veggies. Rachel Johnson, a 32-year-old
health coach in Billings, MT, uses says that she’s able to get her young
daughters to drink healthily without them knowing. “I put it in sippy cups so
they couldn’t see the color,?? she says.

Do you like to juice? What are some of your favorite
recipes? Tell us!