Let's try this - There's a plate of cheesy pav to your left and a glassy bottle of ruby red juice to your right. Take your pick. Ok maybe pitting cheesy pav against juice wasn't a fair game, but you know what I mean.
Shabnam Pal, fitness expert and cold-pressed juice convert tells us, "Juicing isn't as tough as it's made out to be. It's an excellent way to detox without losing your energy. And take it from someone who's been doing it for almost a year now - juicing will leave you feeling lighter, rested, bright-eyed and with lovely looking satin skin."
According to the authors of the book 'The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet', "A juice cleanse can reset the system by clearing the body of toxins and acidity to reduce cravings and promote lasting weight loss and improve overall health."
What does 'juicing' really mean?
'Juice does not have to be part of your diet. It could be your diet.'
Let's be clear about one thing, juicing does not mean that you gulp down a carton of packaged juice for lunch. It involves drinking juice that's been extracted from fruits or vegetables and abstaining from food. It's like spring cleaning for your body. It helps you wash out dirty toxins, regain balance after a spree of unhealthy eating or give your body a jump-start to health.
Wouldn't it be easier to eat the fruits or vegetables whole, you ask? Juicing gives you a better hit of nutrition and it also lets you blend and balance different flavours. You can add an apple to spinach juice to cut down the bitterness which you can't do if you were to eat them whole. If weight-loss is your goal then maybe you don't want natural juices because they're high on sugar and slightly deceptive. They do make you feel healthy, oh yes, but do they really help you shave off the extra calories? Maybe not!
And we've got a few studies to show that we're not way off the mark. Fresh fruit juice ups the risk of diabetes yelled a study that appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Another one done by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey had a similar story to tell. 'Don't lap up those fresh fruit blends more than once a day as they've got way too much sugar. As much sugar as that found in fizzy drinks.
Dr. Simran Saini, dietician at Fortis Hospital agrees with these findings. "In the old way of juicing, the pulp is separated from the juice which means you're losing out on all important minerals and vitamins."
(Juicing: Should You or Should You Not?)
Different ways of juicing
In India, juicing goes hand-in-hand with a decade old machine that makes more noise than a concrete mixer. You can hear each carrot being smothered till it's dry. The old machines have a plastic body and a rotator blade that is sharp as a tack. It breaks down your fruit or veggie so that you didn't have to chop it. The other way of juicing is using the new high-speed juicer. These juicers have blades are so sharp and so fast that they get more nutrients out of the thing that is being juiced.
But the big debate we're really addressing here whether to go in for the juice that's made with an electric juicer or the kind which is made using a cold-pressed one.
What is Cold-Pressed Juicing?
'Cold-pressed juicing', the latest in-vogue way of juicing is when the vegetables or fruits are first crushed and then pressed to get maximum yield. This new wave of juicing that rides on a dated concept of cold-pressing where fruits or vegetables were pulverized in a permeable pouch, squeezed by applying tremendous pressure till every drop of juice seeped out.
1. Three things that sets cold-pressed juice apart from regular juice: Quantity of produce used, pressure applied and preservation.
2. The amount or quantity of produce used in one bottle of juice is way more than regular juice.
3. Another reason why cold-pressed juice is super pricey is the kind of pressure, and we're talking thousands of kilos that are required to squeeze those fruits or vegetables.
4. Storing the ingredients also makes it expensive. The cold-pressed juices go through the process of high pressure processing (or HPP). Each bottle of juice is made to float in high pressure water for about 80 seconds to restrict growth of pathogens. And when a product goes through HPP it lasts for weeks, not just days.
Dr. Simran believes that "in a technique like cold-pressing the fruit or vegetable is exposed to minimum heat, almost zero oxidation and thus the juice is more fresh, pure and nutrient-rich. The fruit enzymes are well retained and you have the actual goodness and taste of the juice as you would feel while eating the fruit."
Where can you get cold-pressed juice in Delhi?
Red cabbage, kale, broccoli, spinach, figs, tomatoes, cauliflower, lemon, ginger, carrots, you'll find all kinds of vegetable and fruit concoctions today. The only catch is that they'll put a dent in your wallet. But you've read the advantages of cold-pressed juices and so you know it's going to put your health back on the right track. Dr.Walker, the man who the concept of cold-pressed juicing said, "Eat your fruits and juice your vegetables." He lived till he was 99 so we think it's safe to assume he was right.
So if you decided to go ahead with a cold-pressed detox plan, here are a few brands you can get in touch with.
1. Antidote - Founded and managed by two young girls, Antidote offers five different kinds of cleanse. Each cleanse includes 4 bottles of juices and that's all you're supposed to drink during the day. Each bottle is 250 ml and priced at Rs. 900.
We spoke with Nadia Singh Bahl, one of the owners and this is what she had to say - "Cleanse are tailored to be an addition to your general lifestyle & food habits, they provide you with that extra energy & glow making the everyday tasks a lot less taxing! It enables one to detoxify & rejuvenate at your own convenience, like your very own retreat in the city."
They use ingredients like green coffee and peppermint that get rid of hunger pangs. Mangosteen, the Himalayan berry and nono the Indian mulberry for glowing skin. They also use wheatgrass and courgette for detoxification.
2. Just Pressed - Just pressed offers 6 gorgeous looking juices and a variety of plans. They offer a 30 days cleanse and even a one day cleanse. Rahul Monga, Director at Just Pressed tells us, "We take top notch fruits and vegetables, clean and chill them. We put it in a cotton bag and the juice is then extracted by cold pressing in a hydraulic press."
They give you the option for home-delivery but you'll also find their products in Food Hall or Natures Basket.
3. Tattva - Tucked away in Hauz Khas Village, this organic store has a lot of great food to offer along with a short list of cold-pressed juices.
Smita Beri, owner of Tattva-Art and Fresh Organic Kitchen says, "We make cold-pressed juices that are based on Ayurveda principles. We would never do orange and papaya but apple-celery. We make it for our walk in customers and deliver as well."
Here are some other popular brands in India:
- Juicifix, Mumbai
- Jus Divine, Mumbai
- Raw Pressery, Delhi, Mumbai & Pune