What I’m about to tell you may sound like one of the most obvious things in the world, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the key to staying healthy. It’s a sentiment that’s likely been instilled in you from the second you began eating solid foods up to whatever age you’ve reached, whether from a dietician, your doctor or your family. So why is it then that if everyone knows how good fruits and vegetables are for them, so many people still fall short of eating their daily share? I can’t speak for others, but for me, it boiled down to one simple thing: time.
Eating fruits and vegetables requires a significant amount of prep work. You have to wash them, peel them, chop them, then make sure to store them in a way to preserve their freshness. So while I knew I should be eating fruits and vegetables, when I was short on time, I’d simply grab something less healthy and head out the door.
The problem was, the more I did this, the worse I felt. I lacked energy, I lacked focus, and I just didn’t feel one-hundred percent throughout the day. As someone that loves the outdoors and loves being active, I knew I had to make a change, and figure out a way to incorporate fruits and vegetables back into my diet, but in a way that fit my busy schedule. The answer, as it turns out, was juicing.
When you hear the word juicing, the first image that probably comes to mind is one of those high-speed juicers you see in late night infomercials promising everlasting vitality. Look at the science, however, and you’ll discover that high speed juicers destroy many of the very vitamins you’re trying to benefit from, due to the high amount of heat they generate. In addition, high speed juicers waste significantly more than they need to. As it turns out, the secret to juicing and gaining the full range of vitamins and minerals lies in slow juicing, which uses a masticating process to crush and press the juice out with no heat generated and greatly reduced waste. And at the forefront of slow juicing is a brand called Hurom, whose proprietary slow juicing technology has revolutionized the way juice is extracted.
Hurom offers several juicing models, all of which utilize slow juicing technology, with my personal choice being the Hurom HH Elite Series Slow Juicer. It’s Hurom’s newest model, offering 2nd generation slow squeezing technology, and simply put, it’s the best looking and easiest to use juicer currently on the market.
What makes the Hurom HH Elite Slow Juicer so fantastic? You first have to understand slow squeezing technology works. Firstly, don’t let the name fool you – a slow juicer doesn’t mean it takes forever for juice to be extracted, it simply means the auger spins at a slow speed (43 revolutions per minute, to be precise). You begin by inserting your produce, and the heavy duty auger crushes and squeezes the juice out as quickly as other high speed juicers, but it does so without harming or destroying any vital nutrients. And because your produce is never cut or shredded as it is in traditional high speed juicing, your juice won’t oxidize nearly as rapidly, keeping it fresher, longer.
A second key benefit to the Hurom HH Elite’s slow juicing technology is that it allows you to extract juice from foods that you can’t with a traditional juicer – think wheat grass, kale and the like. You can even use the Hurom to make almond or soy milk. And thanks to the included strainers, you have complete control over how thick the juice is. Use the fine strainer for traditional juices like apple or orange juice, or switch to the coarse strainer to create more smoothie-like drinks with bananas, tomatoes, avocados or strawberries. The possibilities are endless.
Then there’s the age-old debate: pulp or no pulp? For me it varies depending on the type of juice I’m having. Thankfully, Hurom lets me make that decision quickly and easily each time I make a juice. The new HH Elite uses Hurom’s 2nd generation pulp extractor and allows you to easily set your pulp level with the Auto-Pulp lever. If you choose to have perfectly clear juice, open the pulp lever and once all the juice has been extracted from your fruit or vegetable, it will be ejected out. For more pulp, slide the pulp lever to your desired setting and the Hurom will do the rest.
Having owned several juicers in the past and seeing the amount of wet wasted pulp left over, I paid particular attention to the extracted pulp to see just how much was being wasted. To my surprise, the pulp was perfectly dry, and you honestly couldn’t squeeze a drop of juice out of it if you tried.
Not to be overlooked in the design of the Hurom Juicer is the cleaning of it. Consisting of five main parts that all fit perfectly into one another, the Hurom HH Elite is easy to take apart for cleaning and then reassemble, with no tools required. Because I use it daily, I’ve tried a few different methods for cleaning to see what worked the best, and I’ve found that once I’m done juicing, the quickest and easiest way to clean is to pour a glass of water in through the top while the machine is running and set the pulp lever to “clean”. Virtually all of the residual pulp is extracted from the machine, and all that’s left to do is give the parts a quick rinse in the sink. Compared to other juicers I’ve used, the Hurom HH Elite is without question the easiest to clean.
And finally, it’s important to note the impressive build quality of the Hurom HH Elite. Weighing in at 13.6 lbs, the HH Elite is built to last you through years and years of juicing, and its modern and handsome design means you can leave it out on your counter when not in use. It’s the perfect compliment to virtually any kitchen.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably giving serious thought as to whether or not juicing, and the Hurom HH Elite in particular, is right for you. My advice: it is. In today’s busy world, getting the right amount of fruits and vegetables is nearly impossible, but with the HH Elite, you can and with very little effort or time. A glass or two of juice a day and you’ll get all the vitamins and minerals you need, and the Hurom HH Elite will create the juice for you in the quickest and easiest-to-make way possible. It’s without a doubt the best juicer I’ve ever used, and I guarantee it will make a huge difference in how you feel and your overall well-being.
You can learn more about the Hurom HH Elite at the official Hurom website, including finding a list of authorized retailers.
