Jump on the Juicing Bandwagon!

Juicing is all around us! A few months ago I stumbled upon the film “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” It’s about an Australian man (Joe Cross) who was once obese and suffered from a skin condition. He was miserable and tired of the strong medication he was taking, so he decided to try a 60-day juice fast. He lost a ton of weight and no longer takes any pills! This film had such an impact on me that I got out my juicer and started juicing, then I got my whole family juicing.

Since fruits and vegetables are such a vital part of our diet and it’s not always easy to get in our daily five, so why not juice them? You can even juice a whole salad – it’s so quick! It is a simple matter of washing the veggies, throwing them into the juicer, and voila, a glass full of goodness. There is no easier way of packing in those daily vitamins and nutrients for you and your kids. We all know it isn’t always easy to motivate our youngsters to eat their fresh fruits and vegetables, and it doesn’t help that children are constantly bombarded with very clever and attractive advertising and packaging connected to processed foods. This makes it more of a struggle for us.

So let’s get back to basic, real, fresh whole foods!

When my grown kids are over and they hear me starting up my juicer, they immediately come over and want to make a juice, and they share with me their favorite juice recipes (they all have their own juicers by now). They’ve told me how much more vibrant and healthy they feel since they’ve been juicing. My young grandchildren will pull up a chair and climb up beside me, wanting to help … so cute! And boy, do they drink every drop. Of course, they have their own special juice glasses and fancy straws.

Let’s get you started: first, you’ll need a reliable juicer. Juice extractors in Switzerland range from SFr. 70 to 1000. I found the Gastroback Juice Fountain (it’s branded as Breville in the U.S.) to be really solid. It’s reasonably priced at around SFr. 180 and has excellent ratings; Cooks Illustrated had it on top of their list. You can order it at the Galaxus website.

The rule of thumb with green juices is 80% veggies to 20% fruit for adults. For the kids, I’d start with more fruits and go slowly with the greens. Baby spinach, kale and Swiss chard juice well and don’t taste too strong.

Here are some seasonal juice recipes for fall:

(“Juicing sweet potatoes or squash – what? Really?”… “Yeah, you bet, and why not?”)

Sweet potato juice: 2 peeled and chunked sweet potatoes; 6 carrots washed, no need to peel; 2 oranges peeled but leave a little of the white and a bit of skin on; 2 Granny Smith apples, a small bunch of grapes (and you can add a thumb-sized piece of ginger)

Sweet potato and pear juice: 2 peeled and chunked sweet potatoes, 2 small pears, 2 peeled oranges, 1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger and a sprinkle of cinnamon (serve over ice).

Kale and pineapple juice for kids: a bunch of kale (Federkohl); ¼ of a fresh pineapple, peeled and chunked

Go green for kids: 1 head of broccoli, a couple handfuls of baby spinach, 2 small pears, 1 handful of grapes or blueberries

Ian’s beautiful red: 1 to 2 beetroots, raw and washed well; ¼ of a pineapple, peeled and chunked (or 2 apples or 2 oranges instead of the pineapple). You can add some kale or spinach here, but it will lose its beautiful color!

Butternut squash juice: about a kilo of butternut squash peeled and chunked; 4 small apples or 2 big Granny Smiths; handful of grapes; sprinkle with cinnamon (delicious over ice)

Some juicing tips that I’ve collected along the way:

• Juices taste better cold, so refrigerate your fruits and veggies or serve them over ice.
• It is best to drink your juices immediately, because they lose their nutrients quickly.
• If you juice in advance, fill up your bottle to the rim and close tightly to retard oxidation. Airtight glasses or mason jars are perfect. Keep juices refrigerated.
• You can start buying kale (Federkohl) from mid-summer through fall. If you can’t find it, you can grow it! I get my seedlings at Landi. Kale be can be replaced with Swiss chard (Krautstiel) or romaine lettuce (Lattich).
• Spice up your juices with fresh ginger or curcuma roots. No need to peel if buying organic!

References:

• Joe Cross on kids and juicing
• Kid-friendly juice recipes
• More juice recipes, by Cherie Calbom
• Juice recipes by Joe Cross
• What’s better, juice or smoothies?

Happy Juicing, everyone!

Photos and text by Lisa Leutenegger

Lisa is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and has been living in Switzerland for many years. She raised three children here and has two toddler grandchildren. She’s an English teacher and is passionate about cooking healthy, wholesome food.