[StereoNut]

Any suggestions on an inexpensive (under $100.00 if that's possible?) juicer that's worthwhile?  Besides doing a good job of what it's supposed to do, it MUST be a real easy cleanup, otherwise I'll get tired of cleaning it and stop using it!  Other than seeing a late night info-mercial on the "Magic Bullet", I really don't know what's on the market and what features/capabilities are important vs. marketing hype.

Thanks!
SN

[macrojack]

Keep in mind that, if you get caught, they will take away all your rings, trophies and records.

[RDavidson]

You might take the quotation marks out of your subject header, as I don't think "juicing" is a slang term in this particular case.

[Doublej]

I don't know if these Ninjas are any good. Why juice? Go straight to the nutrient source. Drink Soylent! Darn expensive though at $4ish per drink.

 http://www.qvc.com/Ninja-Storm-Designer-Series-400-Watt-40-oz.-Food-&-Drink-Maker.product.K39392.html

http://www.soylent.me/

[busterfree]

Breville BJE200XL was really good (@$99), but it is a pain to clean. So much so, that I just gave it away...I have been just eating my vegetables since.

[johsti]

I am currently using this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MDHH06/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687422&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B003R28HWQ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0T4WQ67KD8HRMM1CB9KM

My old Breville used to have a separate canister for catching the pulp.  When it stopped working a family member gave me the one linked above.  I'm not sure if there is much difference between the two when it comes to cleaning.  Plan on spending 20 minutes or so if you plan to prep the veggies, juice them and then clean up.

Not sure where you live, but there are more and more companies offering juice delivery in certain areas.  Not a bad deal after you factor the price of organic veggies and the time it takes to prep and cleanup. 

[Mark Korda]

Hi Stereonut.....forget the juicers, get a Hamilton Beach blender, mines 30 years old and I use it daily. It has about 10 solid push button settings and breaks down real easy to clean everything. I put some soy protein powder,cold skim milk, frozen berrys,blue,black and straw...throw a handful of phislium husks,the ultimate fiber and you got a tremendous meal...Mark Korda

[dB Cooper]

Masticating juicers (like the Omegas, the Champion and some Brevilles) cost more than your stated price point ($200 and up) but produce a higher quality juice since they operate at slower speeds and do not introduce lots of air into the juice the way high-speed pulp-ejection juicers do. This makes the juice "keep" longer; many juices (carrot in particular) have to be consumed immediately after preparation using a high speed juicer. So you can "batch" prepare juices and consume them throughout the day if desired. Also, these juicers tend to break down (for clean up that is) quickly compared to other types. Might be worth nudging the budget up a bit.

[RDavidson]

I must ask : What's the goal of juicing? I don't really understand it and I'm a bit of a health nut. I guess if you're doing it for easy, on-the-go, nutrition then OK. If you're not doing it for the convenience factor, just eat a balanced diet and include fruits and veggies with your regular meals. Do juicers get rid of one of the most beneficial nutrients in whole produce, ie fiber? I don't drink store bought juice for that reason. If I'm buying fresh fruit and veggies, I'm buying it for the whole benefits whole foods provide, not just the liquid vitamins.

[dB Cooper]

Juicers allow easy absorption of nutrients without the digestive system having to do the work to break down the whole foods. Digestion takes more energy than any other bodily function according to some sources. So juicing is, among other things, a rest for the digestive system. Fiber is still a good thing though.

[Folsom]

Juice one meal, a pizza the other 2? What's the plan?

I recommend starting by eating real food first. Juicing is great, sure, but you are best to develop better habits.

Blenders and cheese cloth or something can get you more juice, easy clean up. It's not slow though, and the good blenders cost a lot more.

[RDavidson]

Juicers allow easy absorption of nutrients without the digestive system having to do the work to break down the whole foods. Digestion takes more energy than any other bodily function according to some sources. So juicing is, among other things, a rest for the digestive system. Fiber is still a good thing though.

I guess I can understand the usefulness, if you're hard on your gut as many Americans are with all the processed foods and junk people eat daily. If you already eat a healthy balanced diet the benefit is likely less or not even necessary.

But, if you're like many Americans, you're probably better off just eating more fruit and veggies and cutting down the junk food as a start, then look at juicing if you still feel it is necessary. Just my $.02

[StereoNut]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. 

The reason that I started the thread was to find out what machines people were using and consensus-wise learn what were the best "bang-for-the-buck", easy to clean machines.  As far as my dietary situation goes, I am not the healthiest eater on the planet by far.  What's worse, is I go most days with out eating breakfast and lunch, which is really bad for a diabetic.  (I am diabetic.)  Running on coffee all day until dinner isn't really good for me, so I thought juicing or making a smoothie in the morning would be a quick way to get some nutrition in my system to start the day.

SN

[Folsom]

Depending on some things, you may be able to reverse if you'rd type 2.

You likely need to improve cellular reception. Juicing doesn't help with that much. You can PM me if you wish. Be warned, I can give more info than many want, so they'll pretend it's not valid or whatever.

[srb]

I was going to recommend the Champion juicer, but now that you've indicated that you're diabetic I'm not going to recommend any.

dB Cooper indicated that juicing is easier on the digestive system, but for just the opposite reason it's not the best solution for you.  Breaking down the fruits and vegetables in a juicer results in a much higher glycemic load, and you would be better served letting your body break them down for a slower sugar release.

I'd recommend the smoothie over juice, blending whatever you like - unsweetened almond milk, lowfat or nonfat greek yogurt, flavorings, etc. (I always add a little cinnamon and vanilla), then add the fruit near the end of blending for a slightly chunky style drink.

Steve

[RDavidson]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. 

The reason that I started the thread was to find out what machines people were using and consensus-wise learn what were the best "bang-for-the-buck", easy to clean machines.  As far as my dietary situation goes, I am not the healthiest eater on the planet by far.  What's worse, is I go most days with out eating breakfast and lunch, which is really bad for a diabetic.  (I am diabetic.)  Running on coffee all day until dinner isn't really good for me, so I thought juicing or making a smoothie in the morning would be a quick way to get some nutrition in my system to start the day.

SN

That's not good ; Fasting your body for so long if you aren't a healthy person to start with. Coffee isn't bad to start your day, but you really should eat at least a little something within about an hour or so after waking. Around thereafter comes a point where not eating signals your body to store fat (for energy later). Not good particularly if you aren't an active person. Coffee (caffeine) can prolong the necessity to eat for a bit longer. The problem is, caffeine also has the affect of numbing hunger signals.......which probably is prolonging your feelings of needing to eat, and so you skip breakfast and lunch. So by the time you finally eat something, your body is likely in a very insulin sensitive state as it has been starving.

My honest advice is to just start some healthy habits. Don't get a juicer. You might use it awhile, bit it will end up gathering dust. The key is to do something easy that you know you can stick with. When you make your coffee in the morning, fix yourself something quick and healthy like some whole wheat toast and some peanut butter or almond butter. Quick. Easy. Healthy. Won't cause a big spike in insulin.
Once you start enjoying having a little something to eat in the morning, you'll probably start exploring other healthy breakfast options. Before you know it, you're in the habit of eating breakfast and are making strides toward being a little healthier.

[roscoeiii]

I was going to recommend the Champion juicer, but now that you've indicated that you're diabetic I'm not going to recommend any.

dB Cooper indicated that juicing is easier on the digestive system, but for just the opposite reason it's not the best solution for you.  Breaking down the fruits and vegetables in a juicer results in a much higher glycemic load, and you would be better served letting your body break them down for a slower sugar release.

I'd recommend the smoothie over juice, blending whatever you like - unsweetened almond milk, lowfat or nonfat greek yogurt, flavorings, etc. (I always add a little cinnamon and vanilla), then add the fruit near the end of blending for a slightly chunky style drink.

Steve

+1. I'd worry about rapid absorption and its impact on anyone who is diabetic.

[ctviggen]

If you're insulin resistant (as I am), juicing is one of the worst possible things you can do.  The blood sugar spike for me if I did that would be incredible.  I've been using intermittent fasting two days a week, where I skip breakfast and do not eat until lunch.  So, about 18 hours or so of fasting. If you're diabetic, though, fasting may not be for you.

If you're diabetic, you want to go on a low carbohydrate, high fat diet.  Here's a case report of a person who went off insulin by being on a low carb, high fat (and paleo) diet:

http://www.ijcasereportsandimages.com/archive/provisional_articles/2014-10/09_Z01_2014070118_CR_prov.pdf

More info:

http://vernerwheelock.com/?p=229

If you're afraid of eating fat because you think it might cause heart disease, the evidence for that concept is shaky and I believe completely wrong.  The easiest book to read on this subject is the following:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surprise-Healthy/dp/1451624425

The first book I read on this subject is now online for free.  It's a scientific look at the "evidence" that saturated fat and "high" cholesterol cause heart disease.  The online version seems to have more grammatical and other errors than the print version did, but it's still a very good analysis:

http://www.ravnskov.nu/CM

If you want more evidence, send me a private message.  I've read probably 10 books that have critically examined the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease (and "high" cholesterol, statins, etc.) and can give you additional examples.

Oh yeah, Sweden set up a committee that reviewed 16,000 studies in this area and now is AGAINST a low fat diet:

http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/

[ctviggen]

My personal opinion is that eating a high carbohydrate diet is slowly killing those of us who are insulin resistant, pre-diabetic, or diabetic. 

[FullRangeMan]

Any soy product decalcifies bones and is very bad for male virility.