By: Carly de Castro, Co-founder Pressed Juicery
New year -- time for a renewed effort to take good care of ourselves. We've hit the gym (they missed us) and now it's time to get our nutrition back on track (we do love a cookie/cake/doughnut). We turned to the experts at Pressed Juicery to help us learn about juicing as an element of a healthful life. Xo, The RR team
WHY JUICE? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JUICING?
Juicing is a great way to conveniently and effectively supply your body with vital nutrients. When you juice fruits and veggies, you’re actually getting a much more nutrient-rich product than if you ate just the raw inputs. It would be very challenging to eat as many vegetables in one sitting as you can drink in juice form! The end result is a nutrient-dense product that helps boost immunity and improve energy.
The amazing power of juicing is something I have experience firsthand. In my early twenties, I paid very little attention to my diet and consistently felt sluggish and foggy. I tried various fad diets and nothing worked. After a friend suggested I try juicing, I started drinking a green juice every morning on my way to work. The results were nothing short of incredible—I lost about 45 pounds and gained a completely new perspective on health.
This realization is what led me to co-found Pressed with my childhood friends Hayden Slater and Hedi Gores in 2010. All three of us experienced the amazing healing benefits of juice in different ways, and we knew this was something we wanted to share with a wider audience.
WHAT ARE 3 THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE JUICING?
Take it slow: If you’re new to juicing, don’t feel a need to overdo it. While I personally enjoy having a green juice every morning, even adding in a fresh juice once a week is a great first step towards maximizing your health.
Don’t be afraid of greens: For many people, green juice can seem daunting, but don’t let that discourage you! There are easy ways to mask the flavor of healthy greens while still delivering the incredible nutrients these vegetables provide. For example, our Greens 3 contains tons of healthy green veggies with a touch of apple, which makes it a great juice for anyone new to juicing (or kids for that matter). I personally feel that consuming high-quality, nutrient-dense green juice can produce a kind of clarity that you can’t get anywhere else.
Cleansing is not for everyone: While cleansing certainly has its benefits, it’s certainly not for all of our customers. Personally, whenever I do a juice cleanse, I like to incorporate healthy soups and salads as well.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT JUICES FOR DIFFERENT END GOALS? ENERGY? SKIN? WEIGHT LOSS?
When you juice, you’re really supporting your overall health, which will in turn help increase your energy levels, beautify your skin and contribute to weight loss. There are certainly specific ingredients that can be particularly beneficial depending on your specific goals (i.e. charcoal is great for overall detoxifying; aloe is fantastic for digestion), but there’s plenty of room to get creative with ingredients and combinations. At Pressed, we offer a wide range of flavor options created with the whole spectrum of veggies, from nutrient-packed kale to hydrating cucumber to immune-boosting beets.
WHAT DOES THE PERFECT JUICING DAY LOOK LIKE?
It really depends on the person—there’s definitely no such thing as a “perfect” juicing day. For some people, maybe that means replacing their morning coffee or afternoon snack with a green juice; for others, it might just be adding in a weekly juice. Regardless of your preference, simply selecting that nutrient-dense juice means you’re on the right track!
WHAT FOODS SHOULD YOU EAT WHEN YOU ARE JUICING?
To really get the full benefits of juicing, it’s helpful to pay attention to the foods you’re eating on a daily basis. I’m a big believer that your daily choices have a profound effect on your overall health. At the end of the day, it’s all about how you feel. If you listen to your body and eat consciously, you’re headed in the right direction!
