Christine Bailey – Advance Nutrition LTD :
Christine is a qualified leading Nutritional Consultant, Chef, Journalist and Media Expert. During her extensive training she gained a First Class Honours degree in Nutritional Therapy at the renowned Nutrition Centre CNELM. She is also qualified to MSc level and holds at PGCE for adult training and lecturing. An experienced Food and Health Writer Christine regularly contributes to national and local Magazines and Newspapers on Food, Health, Nutrition and Fitness. She has appeared extensively in the media including radio and television. She is author of several health and recipe books.
The Optimum 9400 is designed to bring professional level specification into your own home. I use my blender several times daily and it comes with me on my nourishing cookery days. This is one of the most powerful blenders on the market and I have really put it through its paces. Whether you want to make super healthy smoothies, dips and spreads, soups, desserts, nut milks, nut and seed flours, nut butters, instant healthy ice cream and sorbets this will do it all for you!
The Optimum 600 Juicer is a fabulous higher quality masticating juicer. Not only is it fast with minimum preparation time thanks to the large chute & Auger but it can handle a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including my favourite - leafy greens. Whether you are new to juicing or a juicer convert you will find this juicer produces exceptional smooth juice in minutes.
A comprehensive summary of why Juicing and which juicer to use :
Why Juice ? :
- Many nutritionists recommend getting at least 6-8 servings of vegetables and 2-3 portions of fruits per day, which very few people actually get.
- Juicing is an easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for fruit and vegetables.
- Juicing encourages you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner.
- Juicing allows you to absorb nutrients from vegetables / fruits more easily especially if you suffer with poor digestive health
- It provides you with an easy way to add a variety of vegetables to your diet and a fabulous way to try new vegetables
- Juicing can also be targeted towards your own health needs –e.g adding in ginger for digestion or turmeric for inflammation, betacarotene rich sources for healthy eyes etc.
- Juicing is a very powerful tool that you can use to accelerate your progress towards optimal health. Many people start juicing to kick start a new healthier eating programme
- Fresh juices also have remarkable cleansing powers – their high water content is essential for hydrating and cleaning the body of waste and they contain a range of compounds such as citric and malic acid, pectin and chlorophyll known for their ability to absorb fats and toxins from the digestive tract. Green vegetable juices (e.g. broccoli, spinach, kale, wheatgrass) are rich in chlorophyll, and magnesium to support energy levels.
- Optimise nutrients – an easy way to cram in essential nutrients esp if you struggle eating platefuls of vegetables
- Maximise nutrients with minimum of fuss – Some micronutrients become damaged when you heat foods. Cooking and processing food destroys these micronutrients by altering their shape and chemical composition e.g phytonutrients and vitamin C. Juicing ensures high levels of these valuable nutrients
Which Juicer to Use?
There are two main types:
Centrifugal – These are often cheaper (they grate, chop then spin to separate the juice from the pulp). They generally cannot handle a lot of produce in one go and cannot process leafy greens, wheatgrass. Some are very noisy. A spinning basket shreds the fruits and vegetables using a sharp disc, pushing the juice through a fine strainer by centrifugal force. Depending on brand/model, the juice may get foamy and thus oxidize more rapidly – this may deplete the levels of antioxidants present.
Masticating – (Also known as Slow Juicers, Cold Press, Single Gear, or Single Auger). Masticating juicers “chew,” or masticate, your produce by grinding (like teeth) and then squeezing the juice out. These are ideal if you really want to maximise the benefits of juicing and like to try an incorporate juices into your diet on a regular basis. Good quality masticating juicers produce a high juice yield and less pulp. As they generates less foam the juices oxidize slower which maximises their nutrient content. These types of juicers can juice most fruits and vegetables including wheatgrass, leafy greens, herbs and berries. While old models used to be harder to clean the modern juicers are now designed to be easy to clean and have minimal preparation time – large shutes mean no cutting up etc.
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