Juicers Galore! Where To Begin

by Heidi Khalil, August 14, 2022

Juicing has been such a part of my life since I was a child. (My Daddy was a health nut before it was cool. You know, when people who spoke a lot about health were looked upon as weirdos. They drank and ate strange looking stuff. Their juice was bright orange or bright green. They ate sandwiches with whole wheat bread, grated carrots and natural peanut butter in them. They took natural vitamins, power shakes and ate lots of over priced protein bars from Shaklee and such. They exercised religiously and talked about enzymes, nutrition, and wouldn’t touch any food with refined sugar or flour. My Dad was this. Some of my first memories of outings with my Dad were to a health food store in the Bronx, NY. He used to take us kids to a store called “The Purple Pickle”. It was full of all kinds of healthy food. We would get various items, but Dad always bought us sesame seed candy, sweetened with honey. It was such a treat.) However, something that was always present in my life was…..you guessed it…..carrot juice.

We have already established that carrot juice is a great asset to one’s diet. But, the big question is…..what kind of juicer do I buy? If you have ever tried to buy one, you know exactly what I am talking about! There are so many different kinds out there, each claiming superiority over the other. I do not claim to be an expert in this area, but I will share with you what I have learned.

The first juicer that I remember when I was growing up was something that was shiny stainless steel and a weird yellowish green color. It was big and heavy, and had about a gazillion parts to wash after the big juicing mess was completed. After time, my Mom hated it for that reason. At that time, my Dad was so busy with ministry and church work that he didn’t take it out very often. With thought in mind, let’s say that our first need in a juicer is…ease of use.

The next one I remember in my childhood was the Oster. It was much cheaper, and had plastic everything. So, it was lightweight, and had less parts to wash than the first. I think my Dad went through a few of those over the years. Its “ease of use” was by far it’s best attribute. It wasn’t very expensive, and provided lots of cold, glorious carrot juice. So, keep practicality in mind.

As the years went by, I was married, and had purchased an Oster myself. I starting juicing carrots often enough to come to enjoy the ease of using the Oster. After some years, a friend gave me her old Champion. I have mixed feelings about the Champion that many people rave about. The Champion is HEAVY, and odd shaped. The juice can become warmish if your blade gets a little dull, and they are not cheap to replace. The heat can kill some of the nutrients! It has even been warm enough at times to slightly change the color. Not good! But, if your budget allows you to keep up with the parts, and you have enough counter space to make a permanent home for your Champion, it may work just fine for you. It will work for years and years.

I have also received glowing reviews about the Nama from my oldest sister. She says it is the best juicer that she has ever had. You load it, and do something else in the kitchen, as it is doing it’s job. She has absolutely no complaints with it. She had a Jack LaLanne first…liked it just fine. Then a Kuving, and got many good years of service from it. When she updated, she gave the Kuving away to a family member who is still using it. Masticating juicers work at a slower speed and then push the juice through their screening…therefore retaining more nutrition….. or that is one school of thought. I think that these juicer brands should be studied out, and one should choose the model that would work best for what you do (whether it be juicing primarily either carrots or greens) and your individual budget. When making your decision, remember to look at the amount of parts to clean, and the weight…..especially if you don’t have counter space to keep it permanently set up. However, if you cannot afford or cannot find one, and just start with what you can. Don’t forget to check Facebook Marketplace or craigslist, estate sales, etc. You might also make it known in your circle of family & friends or group, that you are looking for a juicer. Sometimes people have them stored in their cupboards for donkey years and will just give them to you! If you don’t ask, you will not receive. I hope that this gives you a good starting point. CLICK HERE for great skin care products