juicing

More and more people are turning to the juicing trend to get more fruits and veggies into their diet. While the ingredients alone are fairly inexpensive, some juice bars charge almost $10 a pop for just a few sweet sips. If you're considering doing the dirty work in your own kitchen, make a well-researched decision before the splurge.

What to juice: The types of produce you plan on juicing make a big difference in the purchase. The two types of juicers primarily used in homes are centrifugal and masticating. Centrifugal juicers are great for someone who is looking to juice fruits and vegetables, but not leafy greens. Once produce enters the chute, a centrifugal juicer spins at a very high speed to separate the pulp from the juice. If you're trying to get more greens in your diet through juicing, a masticating juicer (while pricier) is most likely your better buy. Just as the name implies, this kind of juicer grinds (or chews) the produce at a low speed to remove the juice from the pulp.

Beyond price point: A juicer with a hefty price tag doesn't make it the best buy. Be sure to do research, and figure out your juicing budget. Remember the equipment can be cumbersome — especially for a small kitchen. If you're not going to be using it every day, do you really need the top-of-the-line model? Consider how powerful the juicer is, how noisy it will be, and how easy the juicer will be to take apart and clean efficiently. Don't get blinded by flashy designs or pushier salespeople.

It takes time: Juicing offers plenty of healthy benefits, but it's also a huge time commitment! Healthy people find they start spending more time at the grocery store, but if you're going to start juicing, get ready to shop, chop, and shop some more. Keeping a stocked refrigerator with a bounty of fresh produce is necessary, and you need more than you may expect for each glass. Cleanup time also needs to be included in this time equation!

Have you recently purchased a juicer or started a cleanse program? What do you wish you would have known before you made the purchase?

Juicing can be a miracle worker when it comes to upping your daily fruit and veggie intake. Before you start a new recipe or revert to your old one, learn the basics on what to put into your drink for a fresh start to your juicing regimen.

Sweeten it up: Beets, apples, and carrots are all sweet additives to any juice recipe, especially one that is heavy on greens. Add one or all of the above for a juice that tastes just as good as it is healthy. Try to make the ratio even to vegetables if you use a lot of fruit, since the caloric value can be almost three times higher with fruit compared to most vegetable juices.

Spice it up: Ginger, horseradish root, and cayenne pepper can help give you that flavor and health kick that you need. Cayenne pepper can actually burn more calories and curb appetite and boost endorphin levels. If you enjoy stomach-soothing ginger, then try adding a slice like this detoxing recipe does. Avoid adding anything artificial like hot sauce, as you want to keep the juice as clean as possible.

Learn how to save calories and add fiber after the break!

If you're a juicer, you'll want to read this veggie pulp cracker recipe from pure2raw, who posted it in our Healthy Recipe group.

Do you enjoy freshly made juice, but never know what to do with the leftover pulp? We have an easy cracker recipe that only requires three ingredients. The pulp crackers can be made in the oven or dehydrator.

Read on for the recipe.

Going on a juice cleanse, or drinking nothing but pressed juices extracted from fruits and vegetables, has been all the rage lately. The idea sounds like a good one — combat the effects of a wild night out or a life of indulgent eating with a few days or weeks of "detox" to rid your body of lurking toxins. Backed by celebrities and celebrity doctors alike, it's no wonder that drinking your diet has been gaining popularity. But is following a juice cleanse safe? Read on to learn more.

What's the Appeal?
Many of juicing's benefits are more anecdotal than scientifically based, but proponents of juicing are enthusiastic about it. Many claim that juicing vegetables and fruits allows you to absorb the nutrients easier than eating them since less digestive work is needed. Proponents also claim that following a juice-only diet can help your body detox, which may lead to more energy, clearer skin, and fewer digestive and other health issues. With high-profile juicing fans like Nicole Richie, Salma Hayek, and Gwyneth Paltrow and filmed testimonials like Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead — a documentary about a man's 60-day all-juice diet and his subsequent healthy transformation — the popularity of going on an all-juice diet has only grown.

Does It Work?
The lack of peer-reviewed studies on the effects of juicing has led to conflicting information about whether it's a do or don't. Most scientists, however, agree that going on a juice fast is unnecessary for ridding your body of toxins. Our liver and kidneys are already effective at eliminating any unneeded waste, so following a liquid-based diet won't help any more than normal.

Find out more about going on a juice fast after the break.