Juice detoxing – DIY vs ready made?

Juicing is a huge thing now, after celebrity endorsement and TV presence it has become an acceptable way to detox or lose a few inches before an event.

But which way is best?  We looked at home made juices versus the shop bought ready made juices.

Shop bought juice

We looked at Uncle Reg’s – a fresh juice company with three lovely offerings for your morning juice feast.  I wondered how they kept the juice fresh and from forming bacteria as that would be my major concern in buying such ready made, bottled juice but they assured us “First, we use a unique cold-press technique to juice our fruit and vegetables as this means you don’t lose any of the vitamins or minerals. Then we use a process called high pressure pasteurisation. The juice gets put into a big container and dunked into a tank of cold water. The pressure in the tank then shoots up and drops suddenly which has the effect of removing any harmful bacteria whilst retaining all the nutrients and giving the juice a longer shelf life”

Okay – sounds good to me.  What other positives come from ready made juice?

*No cleaning of the thingumujiggy.  Most juicers have the masticating or sieving part that needs a bit of a clean and it’s never a fun job.

*Ready made and seasoned – the right amount of ginger and lemon is added and you are benefiting from their initial taste tests.  No surprises when you glug it back!

*Time efficient.  Since there’s no chopping or cleaning then it’s very easy to fit a juice detox into your busy life

* Portable – ideal for swigging on the go, after sports, lunchtime in the park.

Juicing at home

When juicing at home you should really invest in a decent machine – you would be looking to pay a minimum £150-£200 to get something that really cold presses the juices out with their “goodness” intact.  But if you are serious about juicing this would be the way to go as it will last several years and you can do detoxes on and off maybe a few days at a time each month?  There are different types and methods to how the juicers work – it’s worth reading this article here

*Juicing at home (after the initial purchase) is much cheaper at producing the end item.  You can use left over veg and fruit or get the most economical for you

*Allows you to use organic fruit & veg of all varieties and colours.  Make yourself a rainbow drink!

*You can make it when it’s needed – if you have the raw ingredients no need to fear of running out of juice.

*Can be seasoned to your taste, including lemon, lime, tabasco, pepper.

So to review – if you are serious about juicing, keen to get organic ingredients and want to try out various recipes then we highly recommend you buy your own juicer and DIY at home.  Unless, you are a busy working mum, with a reasonable disposable income – then you could think about using the bottled juices to work the detox magic.

If you want to try out a juice detox and haven’t done so before – we would also recommend the ready made juices as it gives you a chance to try it without the muss and fuss.

There’s a good range of options to suit everyone – give juicing a go – most people report feeling fabulous afterwards and regular intake of certain veggies such as beets have been shown to affect blood pressure in a positive way.

Uncle Reg’s are currently available from the NutriCentre stores nationwide