Why Juice?
Juicing has been a game changer for my health. I no longer need to take a multivitamin because I am getting my vitamins and minerals through raw juice. I also have more energy and my skin is clear.

I watched a video from a hospital. I assume it was a nutritionist talking. She didn’t identify herself. She said juicing fruit is drinking too many calories and carbohydrates. She said you would be better off eating the fruit. I juice green drinks too. Usually all my juices have one apple. If you can’t handle apple try Jerusalem artichoke instead. I’ve had a couple of people tell me apple bothers their stomach. Also the lady mentioned babies drinking juice. Cooked juice cooks out the vitamins and minerals. Juicing is raw juice. Totally different. With juicing you’re removing the insoluble fiber.

Even though it only takes 15-20 minutes to digest juice give yourself an hour to digest your drink. Do not eat with your juice. Once I went out and ordered a carrot juice and a salad to hold me over. I was fine, but if I have a juice and eat a sandwich that cooked item blocks the benefits of the raw juice. The first week or two I was hungry and would eat something between breakfast and lunch that was like a breakfast. But my juice is my breakfast. And I learned you’re not supposed to chug the juice. Sometimes I crave the minerals or sometimes I am dehydrated and it quenches my thirst. If you chug the juice the enzymes in your mouth aren’t getting a chance to work.

If you are not used to eating veggies or eating healthy the juicing process might bother your intestines. Give yourself a week to adjust. For me it made my eczema show like never before for many months. I wasn’t willing to stop juicing because the skin on my face looked glowy and my bloating went away. I cut back on ginger. Most of my drinks have an inch thick piece of ginger. I tried a few days without ginger in my juice then gradually added a little. That solved the problem. It’s important to note that while I juiced last year I also quit eating soy, wheat, and corn for the entire year. Quitting wheat is what helped stop the bloating too. I will never go back to eating wheat again.

Another benefit is juice contains antioxidants to help remove free radicals, which are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. These molecules are very unstable and look to bond with other molecules and destroy your health. This is why raw juice is an anti-ager and disease prevention by removing these radicals.

What Juicer Should You Buy?
I bought an Omega MMV700 Series MegaMouth in January of 2019. It is a low-speed juicer, which slows down the oxidation process. With an Omega slow juicer you will digest and absorb 65% of the nutrients. If you eat raw fruits and veggies your digestion-absorption rate is 17%.

Deciding on what brand to buy was difficult because I wanted the cute juicer by Hurom, but I also wanted the best money could buy so I would get all my vitamins and minerals. I chose Omega because it is a trusted American brand. Though all juicers are made in South Korea. Omega is the closest to American made. I watched a lot of John’s DiscountJuicers.com YouTube videos using the same juicer I bought. Notice he puts the little cup on top of the feeder tube. I never use it. And note he leaves the peel on the lemon. I’ll have to try that and let you know if I like it. Also I rarely have to use a strainer like he does. This machine makes little foam.

It took about two and a half weeks to get my juicer. Once I received the juicer, I filled out the warranty right away. I was frustrated trying to put it together because it kept leaking just a little. I thought maybe I’m not putting it together right. I struggled. Finally, I called Omega and got someone in America. Basically it’s two ladies who answer the phone, which is nice. She tried to figure out what part was leaking then sent me a new juicing bowl. Good thing I filled out the warranty. The bowl was the wrong one. I called again and she sent out a different bowl and it was the right fit. By the way the ladies were really nice. And I didn’t have to mail anything back. I think the engineers tweaked the new model. Ugh engineers! But finally my juicer didn’t leak and I quickly became a pro at assembling the tiny beast.

So for a year I juiced every morning. It is time consuming. From setup, cleaning veggies, cutting veggies, juicing, cleaning juicer, and then finally drying and re-shelving it takes thirty minutes. Note do NOT peel your veggies, turmeric, or ginger because that’s where your minerals are. Buy organic so you don’t have to worry about peeling. I have bought ginger that wasn’t labeled as organic in the past. Maybe that is what irritated my skin. I do cut off peel of citrus like lemons. Also don’t rush putting fruits and veggies through the tube or you’ll end up with more pulp inside the tube to the screen.

Now I am into year two. I love my juicer and the tasty juice! The most awkward part is the base is eleven pounds. I never really put my juicer away. I store it on a metal rack so it’s not so difficult to get to. Also, it’s not as loud as I thought it would be.

This year I decided to change things up. I juiced three juices at a time. You can store juice for three days. I drink one juice a day for breakfast, but I did try other times. I wanted my juice fresher, but wanted to save time. So now I juice every other day three times a week. I have my second juice the next day not having to lug out the juicer. And it’s in a cute twisty mason jar that’s easy to hold. On the seven day, I enjoy my Coconut Milk Shake if I don’t feel like lugging out a juicer.

The machine makes about 12 to 15-ounces of juice. I drink that while I make the next juice for storage. I’m not drinking 32-ounces like a lot of people do. I’m a small person and 12-ounces a day work wonders for me. After emptying that then I can make a third juice. Then the machine needs to be cleaned. It does start to leak via the juice screen. There is a little rubber seal at the bottom of the screen that needs to be popped out and scrubbed once a week if you are juicing daily. In the box you will get cleaning supplies like brushes and a green basket with a handle that you turn the juice screen in to remove the tiny carrot pieces. My juicer is pretty clean after a year and a half. I can see some staining in the bottom of the bowl.

I take the pulp and make soil out of it. Sometimes I throw it directly in my garden. Yeah it attracts flies, but I don’t care.

For someone who is working 40-plus hours per week I would suggest drinking the juice when you come home from work. It will revive you and you will have the energy to make dinner. So the juice becomes your snack if you eat three meals a day. Or maybe it’s your late lunch if you skip lunch.

What Is The Cost Of Juicing?
Omega’s website says the MMV700 is sold out. The price is $449.95. I don’t recall what I paid, but I think I paid more since it was the latest model. I bought mine directly from Omega, which made life easier for when the leaking started. I’m sure their other slow-speed juicers are good. But do check out Hurom cause they are cute and made in the same factory as the Omega according to John.

In the beginning, I figured it was costing me about $6.50 for a 12-ounce juice. Depending on the juice I would pay anywhere from $6.25 to $7.50 for a 12-ounce juice at the health food store while I waited for my delivery. Plus I would tip the gal at the counter. I only juice organic produce. After a year of one juice a day costs about $2400. Think of it this way, I’m not running to the doctor. Renaissance Man pointed out to me that my juicer is better than the one they use at the health food store. It’s awesome to be able to buy a machine that is better than what they have at the store. I’m getting more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and with the green veggies chlorophyll.

I did find some used Omega juicers on Ebay. I have never bought from there. Honestly, I would want to see the juicer. Maybe you can find someone local who lost their job and needs to sell their juicer. It’s a big commitment to buy a juicer so watch those YouTubers juice. You can also call Omega for advice. They are super nice and helpful. Sign up for their newsletter or watch out for their next sale.

With my juicer, I also got an awesome recipe book. There are recipes on how to make nut milk, soy milk, baby food, and adult beverages. It tells you how many calories are in a recipe and the health benefits. How many calories are in juice really doesn’t matter because you are getting high nutritional value. And if you hate veggies the adult beverage recipes might get you into veggies. But I would suggest not adding alcohol. You might like some of my recipes. I think I’ll change your mind about vegetables.

I haven’t even used my juicer for anything other than juicing. I am going to have to change that so I can show you what else it does. I will give you my recipes in the next few posts. I hope you are as excited about juicing as I am.

Copyright 2020 Melissa Crismon