Want to get juicing but not quite sure how to go about it? From mental preparation to making space for your juicer, find out juice expert Jason Vale’s top five tips for juicing effectively.
1. Get the right juicer for your needs
It is important to buy a juicer that suits you. There are two main types of juicer- masticating (slow) or centrifugal (fast). A slow juicer tends to be slower to use and clean and more expensive, however, the big pro of a slow juicer and the reason many opt for it is the fact that the quality of juice it produces is better. If you opt for a fast juicer, the powerful motors cause the cutting blades to move at a faster speed. This creates heat friction which affects the nutrients, lessening the quality of the juice. If you have never done juicing before, then you may want start off with a fast juicer in order to be more likely to have the motivation to juice. It really depends on what you are most bothered about – quality, speed, simplicity, etc. However, you can now also buy the new Fusion juicer which combines qualities of both types of juicer. It allows you to juice fast but the low-induction motor means that less heat friction is created and so the quality of the juice is better. Whatever you choose, make sure it satisfies your needs.
2. Before all else you must be mentally prepared for juicing
Preparation is key to juicing effectively – you must be completely ready to juice before you actually start juicing. If you plan and organise your juicing (such as waking up early enough to make a juice before work) and have all the ingredients you need for juicing in advance, then you are more likely to keep juicing. By not being properly prepared you are more likely to come up with excuses as to why you can’t juice such as ‘I don’t have time to juice’ so make sure you organise yourself properly to avoid such excuses. Do not use ‘special’ events as excuses for reasons not to juice – if you know you have a lunch arrangement with a friend, instead of using this as an excuse to give up on your juicing, tell them in advance so they are aware of the situation. By having planned how to deal with the situation before it occurs, you are less likely to give in.
3. Never put your juicer in the cupboard
Consider your juicer like you do your kettle or toaster – a kitchen essential. It is only by thinking in this way that you will be able to make juicing become routine rather than something that requires effort. Just like other kitchen utensils, your juicer deserves pride of place in the kitchen. If you use your juicer once and then stick it in a cupboard, chances are it will never see the light of day again. In order to juice effectively, you have to give it a permanent space of display otherwise you are likely to forget about its existence. It also makes you more likely to actually use your juicer because it makes it easily accessible and therefore more convenient to use.
4. Use the ‘attitude of gratitude’
Be grateful that you are able to juice. You have everything you need that is necessary to juice effectively. Always think with a ‘get to’ attitude rather than a ‘have to’ attitude. Wake up thinking ‘I get to juice today’ and this will set you up with the right psychology to keep on juicing and doing so effectively. Remember juicing is entirely your decision. Do not think of junk food and say ‘I cant have that’ because there is nothing but yourself stopping you from having it. However, the fact that you stop yourself from having it shows that you don’t really want it. So when tempted to ditch a juice for your favourite biscuit really think about what you’re about to do and tell yourself ‘I can have that biscuit but I don’t want to have it’ and this way you stop your mind from telling you that you are depriving yourself.
5. Change your idea of normal
This tip is pretty straightforward. Always think of juicing as part of your lifestyle, not as part of your ‘diet’. If you consider it in this way then it becomes normal to you to juice. This makes it more likely that you will keep it up.
Jason Vale is the author of 7lbs in 7 Days: The Juice Master Diet
(published by Harper Thorsons, £4.99) as well as Super Juice Me!: 28 Day Juice Plan
(Juice Master Publications, £8.39). The Jason Vale Retro Slow Juicer is available at QVC from 27 September.
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