Nicole Loomis
For those familiar with the fitness craze gripping the world, the benefits of juicing are no surprise. Even 100 ml of a fresh fruit juice like orange juice provides countless vitamins, minerals found in whole fruits, and only cost you 47 calories of your day. Countless vitamins necessary to healthy growth, bone density, and organ function can be easily ingested using a simple juice bar recipe or two every morning. Whether you have an automatic juicer at home or prefer to visit a professional juicer at the gym or juice bar, the benefits of juicing can be easily accessed in any setting. What many avid juicers may not realize is that many of their beloved juice bar recipes and commercial juice extractors were inspired by juice maker practices worldwide.
Take, for instance, Peru. Where a professional juicer in the United States may run you $10 for a glass of fresh fruit juice, a Peruvian juice maker will charge anywhere between $.50-$3 for an equally good glass of fresh fruit juice. The access to a wide variety of local ingredients amplifies the benefits of juicing in Peru and the vast majority of South America by providing organic produce attained through sustainable agricultural practices and pairs this with creative juice bar recipes. What better way to meet your vitamin C requirement than through a glass of local papaya, orange, and mango juice with a touch of wheatgrass? South Americans have perfected how to get juice from wheatgrass, and understand that the benefits of juicing wheatgrass makes the effort worthwhile. Commercial fruit juicer practices in the United States can take some inspiration from the creative juice bar recipes found down south.
Around 70% of Americans don’t meet the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily by The Dietary Guidelines for Americans standard, but there’s no better way to sweeten the dosage than with sugar cane. The benefits of juicingsugar cane are varied, though the delightful taste can’t be ignored as a primary factor in adding it to your favorite juice bar recipe. In fact, that’s exactly the practice in many South American and African countries. Many juice makers have a sugar cane press for exactly that purpose. Just one stalk of sugar cane run through the grinding of a sugar cane press can yield more than 8 ounces of sugar cane extract. Investing in a sugarcane juicer at home can offer a myriad of health benefits beyond augmenting your juice bar equipment. Creating your own sugar cane extract can kick your fresh fruit juice game up a notch, as well as eliminate a need for refined and processed sugars in your pantry. Not to mention it’s a great juicing tip to keep tucked in your back pocket.
As of 2016, over 40% of millennials crave unique flavors and customized products when it comes to their fruit and juicing needs. The benefits of juicing don’t have to be solely health related. Juicing can be a fun and delicious way to add variety to your diet and experiment with different products and recipes. Even if you’re new to the craze and wondering how to start a juice bar in your kitchen, doing some research on what commercial juice machine may be right for your needs begins with a simple google search. And remember, the whole world has recognized the benefits of juicing and expresses them through their culinary and cultural practices, so stay inspired and pay tribute!