The Juicer Comparison and Optimization Study

The Juicer Comparison and Optimization Study

A Follow-Up blog to webinar on August 25, 2020

Making fresh vegetable juice is a key part of the Hallelujah Diet. It is easier to absorb nutrients from juice and you can easily consume more vegetables by turning some of them into a beverage. People who drink vegetable juice regularly tend to have lower inflammation and higher levels of carotenoids. So, which juicer to choose?

In last month’s webinar, Michael Donaldson, PhD, Director of Research at Hallelujah Diet shared the results of his recent juicer comparison and optimization study. He shared results from comparing 6 different juicers—the Green Star Elite, the commercial Champion classic, the NuWave vertical auger, the LaLane centrifugal juicer, the Norwalk and the PURE juicer. The Norwalk and PURE juicers are two-stage juicers, with the PURE Juicer being an updated and optimized version of the two-stage process.

The juices from carrots, apple, celery, spinach and a combination juice of carrot / spinach / celery / lemon were tested four times each for yield and quality, using enzyme levels as a sensitive marker for heat damage or oxidation.

One of the key takeaways from the webinar was that the PURE Juicer is the best juicer on the market for an experienced, committed person who makes a lot of vegetable juice. But the 2-step process can be intimidating when starting out. A solid choice for starting out is the Champion classic. The yield of vegetable juice and quality of juice, judged by enzyme levels in the juice, were very similar to the Green Star Elite juicer.

A second takeaway is that the initial juice from all of the juicers was of high quality. The LaLane centrifugal juice wasn’t quite as high in enzymes, but still it was not significantly different from the other juicers. It turns out that the worse juicer is the one you don’t use.

A third takeaway from the webinar is that there is as much variation between different batches of produce as there is between juicers. So, when looking at enzyme levels in juice, using high quality, fresh produce can be more important than using the very best juicer.

We all want to know which juicer works best for making juice that stores well. When enzyme levels were examined there was no clear winner in this contest. The Champion juicer did better in head-to-head testing for the combination juice. For carrot juice, only the LaLane centrifugal juicer was significantly lower than the other juices up to 3 days after making the juice.

Finally, if someone is interested in optimizing the whole juicing process, it is important to understand the two stages of juicing. The first stage is grinding the produce. A fine grind is essential to extracting the nutrients from the pulp into the juice. The second stage is pressing the juice out. Every juicer has these two stages in them, usually combined into one continuous operation. Only by optimizing each stage can the whole process be optimized.

For example, the Champion juicer has a finely ground mash (stage 1) but it does not press the pulp very hard to extract the juice (stage 2). So, the Champion juicer lacks stage 2 efficiency. The pulp from a Champion juicer will feel wet. On the other hand, the Green Star Elite juicer does not grind the pulp very finely (stage 1), but it does press hard so as to extract most of the available juice from the pulp (stage 2). The pulp from the Green Star Elite will feel dry because the remaining juice is still inside the plant cells that did not get ruptured in the grinding stage. See the table below for a complete comparison of the efficiency of the six juicers.

An optimal way of juicing would be to use a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec blender as the first stage, and then use a hydraulic press as the second stage. No juicer homogenizes as well as a blender, and no extraction is as efficient as the hydraulic press.

Testing of this optimized method did show an increase in yield, especially when carrots were included in the juice, as well as an increase in enzyme activity. The use of the blender increased the extraction efficiency of the whole process.

In conclusion, we encourage you to buy and use a juicer with confidence. There is no supplement that can replace the nutrition and vitality you receive from regular consumption of freshly made vegetable juice.

The post The Juicer Comparison and Optimization Study appeared first on Plant-Based Diet - Recipes & Weight Loss Supplements | Hallelujah Diet.

from Healthnews – Plant-Based Diet – Recipes & Weight Loss Supplements | Hallelujah Diet https://ift.tt/2S2YwX2
https://ift.tt/33YKZWi https://www.myhdiet.com