Blog on juicing, super foods, tips for exercise and alternative health

I will never forget when I first started juicing. Feeling (and being) overweight and a bit lethargic Dr Gillian Mckeiths arrival on the telly spurred me on to consume piles of porridge, punnets of berries, pints of pomegranates immediately and I felt the benefit in body and mind. Shortly after I bought a centrifugal juicer, the starting point for many in juicing and found it functional but it is messy (there are other better options). This gave me free access to the benefits of eating loads of fruit and veg without any lengthy mastication. It would slip down to my stomach where the vitamins could be rapidly absorbed and virtually injected into my blood stream giving me a quick burst of energy and sense of wellbeing I had not experienced from fruit and veg before!! It tasted good it looked good and it was good too. I experimented endlessly to find that elusive zing delivered from using the correct ratio of berries and grapefruit.

And then came the Oscar. Recently I purchased an Oscar vital max juice extractor and personally I find it truly impressive, kitchen devices often being what I find truly impressive, this type of juicer uses an Archimedes screw like device to extract juice with such supremacy it is not in fact a juicer but a juice extractor, according to the sticker on its side and I agree. You get more juice with 90% of produce which keeps for around two days, not hours or minutes like with a centrifugal and is said to have up to double the amount nutrients in this more stable state. The colours of the juices are so vibrant they could be part of the next winning turner prize entry and they do taste considerably superior. It’s brilliant to take on holiday and if you show the locals they will probably take over the area in coming years. Why pay so much to go on a detox abroad? Known as a masticating juicer it will release the juice from the fibers of greens and even wheat grass (two of the best things nutritionally) excellently both a joke with a centrifugal.

Its downsides are that softer fruit sometimes needs to be put in with harder produce or the machine gets a bit clogged up with mushy fruit. Also smaller pieces of produce must be used and it takes longer. This is more than made up for with ease of cleaning, quality of juice and the almost actually quiet nice noise it makes which would probably even mix in with new age music in my opinion (not that I listen to new age music). It can also be used to mince meat and fish, make nut milk (inc soya), pasta, peanut butter, flour, Fc delish (sorry) healthy fruit sorbet, dense flavor packed purees or pastes to cook with and no doubt much more with ease.

It is pricey (still brill value) at around two hundred and a bit pounds but has a twenty year warranty on the motor and five on parts. Juices of this same design can be found from around a hundred pounds upwards and all but the very cheapest will be better than a centrifugal juicer. L’equip is a good brand for both types of juicers and kitchen appliances in general. The Oscar 930 Pro speaks for itself featuring the benefits of both designs, its revolutionary, (no pun intended) and is around three hundred and fifty pounds or cheaper. This seems the next logical step from a regular masticator. Citrus presses are also lovely things; I find grapefruit juice much better than coffee in the mornings and a good one can be used for pomegranates. Forgive me if this seems like an advert for juicers but I really can see people using their juicer on a daily basis if a more ergonomic model is used as I find the centrifugals can be a real mess. Combined with produce landing on your doorstep regularly so you can drink a few juices a day without becoming a bionic shopping bag this surely has to be one of the best if not the best initial step into boosting your health and energy.

The produce I have used from the fc deli has produced the best results and quantity of juice from produce I have tried so far. I will be testing this soon and figuring out just how much what juice costs me. There is a big difference between quality organic, low quality organic, quality conventional and low quality conventional produce. All the produce at The FC Deli has quality regardless of labeling. Top restaurants are using it and winning awards. As Organic produce has to be certified I would not be surprised if much of the produce is grown using more traditional methods considering the quality but has not received this certification. Buying certified organic food is very good for health, the environment, keeping natural fertility in agricultural (it takes a long time to recover) and for the welfare of poorer nations. The whole nation of India is becoming organic due to a farmer led movement. The suicide rate in some parts of India has been as high as forty percent among male farmers at times, similar to how foot and mouth made farmers here feel helpless they felt the control of large agricultural companies was ruining their lives. The FC Deli provides both organic and quality more conventional produce which is probably more ethical in this way but not certified.

Next in line is an easy green automatic sprouter which I hope someone will give me as a Christmas present. I would recommend a sprouter as the next addition to any health improving regime. They can be very cheap or home made if non automated and this is the first thing I would do if little money were available. Sprouts are packed with nutrition and very similar micro greens can even be bought at the FC Deli, being one of the few places in the country supplying them. I’m getting my automatic so I can have a reliable wheatgrass supply which really is number one in the whole area of improving your health. You can grow it outside a bit before summer or indoors all year round on a windowsill. It can be a little tricky but if you go through the motions accurately you should be fine. You then need to juice it, a manual masticating juicer from around thirty pounds is good and fine for wheatgrass but I’ve never had any joy putting anything else in them. Most powered masticating juices will do wheatgrass don’t even try with a centrifugal. I have chewed it up in my mouth to get the juice but this is really hard core as it tastes very strong. You can have much more daily wheatgrass than the shot you get for a few quid at the juice bar and the benefits keep magnifying but you have to let your stomach get used to larger amounts. If you grow it yourself it will cost pennies not pounds a shot. Things that have been said about wheatgrass are that it’s the most powerful health tonic on the planet and its even recommended in the bible by none other than Jesus, if I’m failing to persuade you.

I don’t think he might not have had a go on a rebounder yet but I think he might recommend those also. Nasa say this miniature trampoline workout is the most efficient form of exercise invented. Exposing yourself to different g forces bouncing has unique effects and you can do it gently if you’re worried about getting dizzy. It can improve your lymphatic flow giving a unique detox and is pretty much the only way to do it. Every cell in your body is exposed to zero gravity at the top of your jump and this makes them happy somehow apparently. Increased gravity exposure can efficiently help make your body stronger as the force of gravity is huge. Don’t buy one for cheaper than say a fifty quid rebok, as inferior models jar too much and can hurt your back and knees. I’m only twenty five and it did this to me with one I bought for £30. I play football with a guy who is 62; he uses one everyday and is very fit so the better models are much improved. They can go right up to three hundred plus with makes such as Bellicon. These models have an extremely soft bouncing action and can be brilliant further into old age as the bounce can be performed very gently as well as other moves such as swinging which is basically shifting your weight letting your feet sink into the tramp. A big outdoor trampoline is good too just look at how they have swept across the quaint gardens of Britain in recent years. Having a rowing machine at home which costs more than a grand, infuriates me! I much rather prefer my rebounder which seems to give me a better workout and feel a good buzz. If you had some boxercise equipment; a skipping rope and running shoes you could have a very good circuit with the rebounder. My personal favorite is bounce, box, run, row, cycle and skip which im considering painting on the wall of my gym and I use a kettle bell also.

Following the advice in this article can produce amazing weight loss quickly yet healthily and is the best way to go about it in my opinion. If you wanted to take supplements to aid this, the skinny water brands seems excellent. Go for it if you’re not going to juice.

 If you want to take pills its best to start with a multi vitamin from a good brand such as solgar, higher nature or bio care and an omega 3 supplement such as Eskimo. Don’t buy pills with omega 3, 6 and 9 it’s the three that’s important initially and the brand is very important for any supplement as sub standard stuff is out there. This advice is from personal trial and error and I have nothing to gain from sending you down a particular route and could even be more helpful than going on a regime of supplements recommended by a nutritional therapist. Pills are very good for making sure you don’t miss nutrients out building your nutrient levels and specific things like magnesium for muscle recovery or restless legs (the list is endless) but from my experience the biggest difference comes from improved digestion and intake of lots of quality fruit and veg as well as super foods like wheatgrass sprouts and good grains such as brown rice.. These are genuine superfoods and wheat grass really is king, after that juice. Vitamins can have similar effects to medical drugs in high doses but will not do you any harm if you’re sensible. If you were to take all the advice in this article you would have a massive boost in health and energy I promise.