Juicers and jug blenders are becoming big business, partly thanks to an American documentary charting the weight-loss of a man who lived on juice alone. But can juicers and jug blenders live up to the hype?
We’re forever being told that we all need to have our five-a-day of fruit and veg. Well, I don’t know about you, but I often find this tricky in an average day.
However, juices and smoothies seem to be a great way to bump up your fruit and veg intake.
And the idea seems to be catching on, as more people take to picking up a daily juice drink from the local café or making their own at home.
Shop-bought or homemade?
You may have heard of the show Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead in which Joe Cross, an average guy from America, tries to get healthy and lose weight by going on a 60 day plant-based diet. No junk food, just juices.
And what has Joe used to help his juice diet? The Sage by Heston Blumenthal Nutri Juicer Pro, which we recently reviewed to see if it it’s really worth its £299 price tag.
Although you can get cheaper juicers and jug blenders, there is a debate as to whether you should make juices and smoothies yourself, or buy them ready made. At least when you make your own juices or smoothies, you can choose the fruit and veg that goes into them. Ultimately, making your own could save you a lot of money.
Weighing up the options
So which type should you get? Before working on juicers I had no idea that there were two main types: masticating juicers and centrifugal juicers. Centrifugal juicers, like the Sage juicer, extract juice by spinning it rapidly in a sieve containing sharp teeth.
Masticating juicers on the other hand make juice by crushing the fruit and veg, therefore keeping more of the nutrients. Therefore, these types of juicers are often preferred by those wanting to juice for health reasons, but they can be more expensive.
And juicers aren’t the only option – there are jug blenders too. These are especially good if you want to make smoothies and soups. Some versatile models can even make dips and crush ice, perfect for a party.
So are you tempted to buy a juicer or jug blender? Do you prefer to buy juices at the local supermarket? Or do you think it’s all just a fad?
Which of the following do you use to make juices / smoothies?
None of the above (33%, 67 Votes)
Juicer (21%, 42 Votes)
Jug blender (20%, 41 Votes)
Hand-held blender (10%, 20 Votes)
Manual fruit press / juicer (9%, 18 Votes)
Food processor (7%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 185
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