Juicing: How to get started, and how to do it right

Registered dietitian Meridan Zerner says that anyone considering juicing should watch for total calories and balance that burst of carbohydrates and sugar with healthy fat or protein.

She also recommends investing in one of the higher-quality juicers so you can extract as many nutrients as possible from the fruits and vegetables.

Nutritionist Lauren Talbot says she likes the Breville line of juicers, specifically the Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus. Priced around $150, it's a smart buy for someone starting out, she says. It's also easy to clean, which might encourage more frequent use.

She doesn't juice berries, because they yield little juice for what they cost, or bananas, which don't have enough water.

She says drinking juice right away is ideal, but you can make your juice about three days out, as long as you put it in the freezer immediately.

Another option is to buy cold-pressed juices.

Talbot says to look for ones with no more than 10 to 12 grams of sugar per serving.

"You want more nutrients, but you don't want to spike your insulin level," she says. "You want that concentration to be those really alkaline, anti-inflammatory greens that don't have that sugar but have calcium, amino acids and protein."

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GREEN LEMONADE

4 cups kale leaves and stems (about 1/2 bunch)

4 cups baby spinach

3 stalks celery

1 cucumber

1 apple

1 lemon (see Note)

1 inch fresh ginger root (see Note)

Scrub and wash all produce (organic fruit and vegetables are the best option for juicing). Cut each ingredient into pieces that will fit and put them through your juicer. Typically greens should be juiced on low and harder-skinned fruits and vegetables on high, but it will depend on your machine, as will the amount of juice yielded.

A Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus made about 3 cups.

Note: Feel free to add more or less lemon or ginger, depending on your preference for the taste. If not organic, the lemon should be peeled, which will reduce the flavor.

SOURCE: Lauren Talbot

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