Juicing is not a new concept but with the popular documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" and other popular sites taking the world by storm, vegetable juicing has become quite the trend once again.

I too have jumped on the band wagon and have started including more green juices into my diet. 

They are incredibly refreshing and I encourage everyone to start juicing as a way to increase the amount of raw plant foods consumed. 

And it’s also never too early to get your kids addicted too!

Types of Juicers

The first step is to research the different types of juicers out there. 

The one that I have is a masticating type, which grinds food much like our teeth do. 

Masticating juicers are much more efficient, yielding more juice than centrifugal juicers. 

They are also more versatile and can juice a variety of vegetables, leafy greens, herbs and grass. 

The downside is that many masticating juicers have many little parts and makes cleaning the machine a major chore.

So while masticating juicers are preferable, make sure you choose one that is easy to clean or else you won't want to juice every day!

Juices vs. Smoothies

Some people are against juicing because of the fact that fiber is removed. 

While that is true, removing the fiber also makes the nutrients more readily available and are absorbed much quicker. 

In my opinion, why choose one over the other when you can have both! 

I prefer smoothies for breakfast and post-workouts and my green juice as a mid-day snack or when I need that energy boost.

Juice for Newbies

If you’re new to vegetable juicing, some juices might not appeal to your palette at first. 

It took me a while to find my favorites but it came as a result of just trying different recipes that I found online or using whatever produce I had in the fridge.

The following juice recipe is a good place to start if you’re new to juicing. 

If you don’t like the taste of celery, then add more apple or lemon juice. 

Lime can also be used instead of lemons if you prefer.

If this recipe fails to "tickle your taste buds", then try, try, and try again. 🙂

Start with the veggies that you do like and make simple combinations. 

As a general rule, carrots tend to sweeten the juice and lemons will lessen the “green” taste.

[yumprint-recipe id='18']