“I don’t have a juicer. Can I use my blender?”
blender, carrot juice, fiber, juicer, juicing, orange juice
Martha, a 7 day raw food diet starter course participant, asks this question:
“I have a question about juicing. I don’t have one of those juicing machines. Can I use my blender then strain?”
Guess what, Martha? I don’t have a juicer either! And here’s why.
First, good juicers are somewhat expensive. Cheap ones usually don’t last very long. Some types even end up heating the juice from the friction — definitely not what a raw foodie wants.
Most importantly, juicers tend to separate the juice from the fiber. (Guess that’s why they’re called juicers!) Our goal is fresh, whole fruits and vegetables — that fiber is good for you and your digestive system.
There’s a lot you can do with a blender. Peel an orange, remove the seeds, and put the whole thing in the blender for orange juice! Or add an orange to your next smoothie. It’ll have a bit more roughage than you’re used to for orange juice, but it’s very tasty and you’re getting everything that nature provides.
By now you’ve probably guessed what I’m going to say about straining your juices — please don’t do it! Imagine you’re a cave woman or cave man from 100,000 years ago, before the modern miracles of juicers, refrigerated trucking, and Safeway. You walk out of your comfy cave, go up to a fruit tree, pull one down, and eat it right there with little fanfare. This is the ideal. The biology of our bodies evolved to use such natural whole foods as fuel and nourishment.
Now if you absolutely cannot tolerate the fiber — if it means the difference between your getting fresh fruits and vegetables or not — then go ahead and strain. But I don’t recommend this. Whole foods were meant to be consumed as a complete package, ensuring you receive the natural balance of nutrients.
Of course there are some kinds of juice a blender won’t be able to make, like carrot juice. But if you have a powerful blender, you can experiment with adding some liquid. Chop a carrot into 1-inch or so sections, and add some liquid or a juicy fruit like an orange. You may find a combination you like.
Finally, be sure to drink your juice as soon as possible after making it. It starts to oxidize as soon as it’s exposed to air, which isn’t harmful but means the longer it goes unconsumed, the more nutritional benefit you’ll miss out on.
Raw Food Diet | Chuck June 22, 2009
2 Comments
Other Links to this Post
RSS feed for comments on this post. 
TrackBack URI
By Aran, June 22, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Unless you have a problem with digesting fibre I don’t see the point of removing fibre from juices/smoothies..
To me it’s such a waste of money to buy fruit and veggies simply for their juices. Also by keeping the fibre/pulp in it is more filling and you’re less likely to start binging.
For the harder veggies such as carrots or turnips etc, I always add a small amount of water to thin it down a little.
I don’t have a juicer either, I use my blender, they’re cheap enough to replace when they wear out…lol
Just my thoughts on the matter …lol
By Monica, June 22, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
I have both a juicer and a blender. I use both depending on what I want that day. I also use the pulp from my juicer to make other recipes, so I still get the fiber… just not necessarily with the juice. I would also agree with not getting a juicer if you don’t already have one. I use my blender much more often and the juicer is kind of a one trick pony, but I love it because I like juicing things that are difficult to break down in a blender without added liquid.