Taking Juicing for a Cold Spin with the Breville Juice Fountain

We all know that fruits and veggies are an integral part of a balanced diet, but incorporating them into our daily meals isn’t always the easy thing to do when we’re surrounded by so many other delicious (albeit unhealthy) options. Eating a salad at your desk every day can become mundane, and roasting veggies, while absolutely delicious, can take up a lot of time during your Sunday meal prep. I have been looking for new ways to add a vast range of nutrients, antioxidants, and delicious flavors to my life, which is why I decided to give liquid lunches a try—and I don’t mean martinis!

Even though there are a few key reasons why you shouldn’t adopt an all-juice lifestyle (eg, it can be hard to reach the correct amount of fiber, sugar, and calorie intake on juices alone), the plethora of other health benefits are stacked in favor of working juices into your daily routine. Cucumbers (which are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K, B vitamins, potassium, and electrolytes, and can help reduce cholesterol) and carrots (containing vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene, which promotes healthy eyes and vision, a strong immune system, and healthy skin) act as great “base veggies” while ingredients like apples (which have many detoxifying properties) and lemon (an anti-inflammatory agent) help to punch up flavor.

Keep in mind, one of the most important parts of juicing is maintaining all of the nutrients that are packed into your vegetables and fruit. I had no idea that even the most nutritious of power foods can actually lose nutrients if they’re exposed to heat or air when they’re being blended, defeating the purpose of juicing to begin with. Cold pressing juice allows you to extract the maximum amount of liquid from each ingredient while protecting and preserving all of the valuable enzymes and vitamins. In an effort to combat this issue, I was recently introduced to the Breville Juice Fountain™ Cold, which boasts an innovative cold extraction system that transfers less than 1.8°F while juicing.

This has quickly become my favorite kitchen appliance! I was hesitant at first to give this a try, when intuitively it seemed like a blender could do the trick. However, in addition to all of the benefits of cold pressing mentioned above (which a regular blender cannot provide), I soon realized what a time saver this appliance would be. Slicing and dicing is a tedious part of any meal prep, but I was impressed to learn that the Juice Fountain can actually juice whole fruits, shaving so much time off of my meal prep and eliminating the need to break out my cutting board and knife. The 70 oz jug also allows me to truly prep my juices ahead of time rather than making them fresh every day. This is another convenience that sets cold press technology and proper storage apart from my old blender-to-bottle routine. While my old juices and smoothies used to start going bad within a day, I can now make enough juice to last me 3 days.

The time saving and ease of use has allowed me to experiment with other ingredients that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought about using before. Some of my favorites include:

• Coconut Oil: Remember a few years ago when we started using coconut oil for everything? Our hair, our skin, our teeth, and everything in between? Well, it’s 2019 and we’re still all about it! Its many benefits include antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that can kill infections, as well as medium chain triglycerides, which have been proven to have therapeutic benefits for brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s, and can also increase energy. Be sure to incorporate coconut oil with thicker ingredients.
• Ginger: The most popular use for ginger is settling an upset stomach or nausea. It can also aid in digestion, boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and add a sweet and spicy kick to your juice that you never knew you needed!

• Collagen: Specifically, collagen hydrolysate is a convenient form that not only mixes well, but also promote joint, bone, skin, and muscle health due to its glycine content. My absolute favourite collagen formula is from Total Body Collagen as it consists of hyaluronic acid and glutamine for full hydration and joint support as well as 10 grams of protein!

Are there any fruits or veggies you’ve been meaning to incorporate into your diet, or do you have any go-to favorites that you think would be tasty in a juice? There are many great options for juice presses out there, and knowing what will work best for your lifestyle—while maintaining all of the health benefits you’re looking for—can be overwhelming. If you’re interested in finding the best juicer to fit into your everyday routine, I encourage you to head over to Breville’s Colour Me Happy site to learn what type of juicer is right for you.

Blues Beets [Recipe available at https://colormehealthy.breville.com]