Berries get their deep color from the large amount of phytonutrients packed into them that act as antioxidants.  These antioxidants (as stated before) boost the immune system and fight of dangerous free radicals from the body.  These same nutrients also are commonly linked to fighting many types of cancer.

Berries are great sources for Vitamin C and manganese, both of which aid the bodies’ protective systems that fight free radicals.  Each type has its own unique benefits as well.  Strawberries are great for fighting heart disease and inflammation.  Blueberries have been linked to improving night vision and brain functionality.  Raspberries have antimicrobial properties that fight bacteria growths in the body.

It is always a good idea to go organic when fruit juicing.  Berries usually contain traces of pesticides and chemicals – especially strawberries.  Do yourself a favor and spend the extra money for organic berries to prevent these compounds getting in your juicer recipes.  At the very least, get organic strawberries, as they are the worst offenders when it comes to chemical traces.

A great thing about berries is that if you don’t use them, you can freeze them before they go bad and use them on another day.  They’re small and easy to store in your freezer.  Fortunately, freezing berries does not alter the antioxidant content much, so you still get significant nutritional value.

In the next post, I’ll give a list of some great berry juicer recipes!

Berry Blast Juice Recipe

• blueberries
• raspberries
• strawberries
• blackberries
• soy milk to thicken (optional)

Citrus Berry Juice

• 1 grapefruit
• handful of strawberries (about 7-8)
• 1 orange
• 1/2 lemon

Grapple Berry Juice

• handful grapes
• 1 apple (don’t use a tart apple)
• strawberries (use an amount equal to the amount of grapes used)

Tropical Juicer Recipe

• handful of strawberries
• 2 oranges
• 1 kiwi
• 1 banana
• Note: You must juice the first 3 ingredients, then blend the juice with the banana.  Don’t forget that the banana is unjuicable and should not be juiced for all juicer recipes.

Apple Berry Juice

• 2 apples
• handful of strawberries
• raspberries (add to desired taste)

Berry Cucumber Juice

• handful of strawberries
• raspberries (about 1 cup)
• blueberries (about 1 cup)
• 1 cucumber

Watermelon Berry Juicer Recipe

• 1/4 watermelon
• strawberries (about 1 cup)
• blueberries (about 1 cup)
• 1 lemon

Berry Smoothie (Must use blender)

This is one of my favorite recipes I have used many times, though it is not a juicer recipe.  You will need a blender.

• frozen strawberries
• frozen blueberries
• frozen raspberries
• frozen blackberries (optional)
• cranberry juice
• ice cubes (about 3 or 4)
• Add an equal amount of strawberries and blueberries.  Add fewer raspberries and blackberries.
• Blend all the ingredients.  I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of adding a little bit of chocolate syrup too.  It adds a subtle chocolatey taste.  You probably shouldn’t add any though if health is a concern…

Besides vitamin C, grapefruits with a deep pink or red color contain lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes.  This antioxidant does wonders against harmful free radicals in the body.  Studies have also shown that it can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

In addition, grapefruit juice can aid digestion and constipation.  It also helps to reduce appetite, making it a popular choice in weight loss programs.  Many have probably heard of the “Grapefruit Diet“, which revolves around small meals and eating (or juicing ) a grapefruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I’m not quite sure how well it works, but seeing as how you consume so few calories on the diet, it’s hard to believe that you wouldn’t lose weight.  I would rather encourage a healthy diet that incorporates grapefruit juicer recipes as opposed to a full fledged diet based solely on one fruit.  It does not seem healthy to limit yourself to such a little caloric intake.

CAUTION: If you are taking medication, consult a doctor before you add grapefruits to your juicer recipes, as grapefruit juice can mix dangerously with certain meds.  Grapefruit juice will release enzymes that increase the absorption rate of medications and can effectively cause an overdose.  Learn more about grapefruits and medication here.

Try out some of these grapefruit juicer recipes:

Blueberry Grapefruit Juice

• 1 cup of blueberries (a handful will do)
• 1/2 cup of grapes (small handful will do)
• 1 grapefruit

Citrus Juice Recipe

• 1 grapefruit
• 2 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 inch ginger root

Berry Grapefruit Juice

• 1/2 cup of raspberries (small handful)
• 1 cup of strawberries (about 7-8 strawberries)
• 1 grapefruit

Grapefruit Tang

• 1 large grapefruit
• 1/3 pineapple
• 1 watermelon slice

Pears have small amounts of vitamin C and copper, which boost the immune system to help fight free radicals in the body.  What makes the pear unique is that it contains the fewest allergens out of all fruits, meaning its one of the best fruits to stick with in your juicer recipes if there are concerns about fruit allergies.  Overall, pears have a decent variety of phytonutrients, though there are other fruits out there that pack in more nutritional content.   When buying pears, it is recommended that you buy organic, as they usually contain chemicals from being exposed frequently to pesticides.

Pears are a great source of fiber which studies have linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer.  Unfortunately, by juicing pears you will miss out on this fiber (unless you eat the pulp afterwards.)  Because of this, pears are a fruit better eaten whole than to be added to your easy juicer recipes, though this isn’t meant to detract you from juicing pears at all.

Pears have a gritty, even buttery texture which can make it problematic for juicing.  If overripe and soft, they will be a real pain for your juicer and essentially unjuicable.  You want to juice them when they are ever so soft, indicating that they are just ripe.

Try out these easy pear juicer recipes:

Pear Watermelon Juice

• 2 pears
• 1/4 watermelon

Apple Pear & Celery Juice

• 2 apples
• 2 pears
• 2 celery stalks

Pear Orange Soda

This is one of the juicer recipes I have been experimenting with, so feel free to change it up.  When making it your first time, I suggest leaving out the ginger and seeing if you like the base.

• 2 pears
• 1 orange
• 1/4 inch ginger
• Seltzer

Pear Blend Juicer Recipe

• 2 pears
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 cucumber

Pineapples are a tropical fruit and are used often to make “tropical” juicer recipes.  They are sweet, and have a tangy taste that goes well with fruity drinks.  Recognized by their prickly rind, pineapples are very popular and can be found at any local grocery store.

Pineapples are rich with bromelain, a mixture of sulfur-containing, protein digesting enzymes.  It helps the body by reducing inflammation, making it good to fight swelling from physical injuries.  This is good for people suffering from conditions such as spinal stenosis that can be aggravated by inflammation in the spinal cord.  Research has shown that bromelain can help reduce coagulation and blood clots in arteries.  Pineapples also contain manganese, which is important for bone metabolism.  There is also a small amount of vitamin C in pineapples to boost the immune system.

The rind of the pineapple can be juiced, despite its unappetizing look.  Like most produce, the rind contains plenty of nutrients.  It is not necessary to buy organic pineapples, as the rind usually carries very little pesticide residue.  Therefore, you are safe when juicing non-organic pineapples for your easy juicer recipes.

Another option if you do not want to buy a whole pineapple is to buy canned pineapples or frozen pineapple concentrate.  These two options will never be as nutritious as using a fresh pineapple though.  They do have the advantage of being easier to handle and easier to store for longer periods of time.  If all you are interested in is the taste of the pineapple juice for your juicer recipes, then these two options will suffice.  The best method by far would be to buy fresh pineapple, use what your juicer recipes call for, and then freeze the rest.

To juice a pineapple, cut off the leafy crown.  Cut off the rind, and then slice up both the center of the pineapple and the rind.  Throw the pieces of rind and pineapple into the juicer.

Try out these easy juicer recipes:

Pineapple Watermelon Juice

• 1/2 pineapple
• 1/4 watermelon
• 1 celery stalk

Pine-Apple Ginger Juice

• 1/2 pineapple
• 2 apples
• 1/2 inch ginger root

Pineapple Carrot Juice

• 1/2 pineapple
• 2 carrots
• 1 apple (optional)

Tropical Blend Juicer recipes

• 1/2 pineapple
• 5 strawberries
• 1 kiwi
• 1 orange

We’ve all been told that an apple a day keeps the doctor away since throughout our childhood – and rightfully so.  Apples are packed with antioxidants that are vital to maintaining a healthy heart.  In addition, there is an abundance of flavanoids that lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and boost the body’s immune system.  Also important is the small amount of vitamin C present.  All these health benefits make apples an amazing fruit, and have even been linked to reducing the risk of cancer.

The great thing about apples is that there are many different kinds of apples and allows for much experimenting.  The appealing taste allows apples to blend well with many different fruits and vegetables in many juicer recipes.  Their sweetness mixes well with all fruits, while it can be used to sweeten vegetable juice that would be bitter on its own.  You can then tweak those easy juicer recipes by trying out the different apples.

Compared to apple juice found in grocery stores, apples run through a juicer is a lot healthier.  Clear apple juice lacks many of the nutrients and enzymes originally found in apples, and may contain extra unwanted ingredients.  Cloudy apple juice refers to apple juice that does not have its pulp filtered out, which has a lot more nutrients.  Regardless, it is still processed and will not have the nutritional value of apples run through a juicer.  Apples are inexpensive, so juicing your own produce will not hurt your wallet at all.

To juice an apple, first you need to core it and remove the seeds.  You should not peel the apple because the peel contains many of the important phytonutrients.  However, apples are exposed to many pesticides that linger in the skin, which is why you may want to consider organic apples.

Here are a few great apple juicer recipes:

Simple Apple Juice

• 3-4 apples
• 2 tsp. lemon juice (optional)

Apple Carrot Juice

• 2 apples
• 3 carrots
• 1 cucumber (can be replaced with another carrot)

Apple Pear Juice

• 2 apples
• 2 pears
• 1 plum

Apple Blend Juicer Recipe

• 2 apples
• 1/2 pineapple (or 1 can of diced pineapple)
• 1 kiwi
• 1 mango

A lot of orange juice you find at your grocery store are made from concentrate and packed with preservatives.  Processed orange juice can lose some of its nutritional value when it’s made.  Oranges are not expensive fruits, so you certainly won’t have to break the bank to juice oranges.  You could even save some money just using some of your own easy juicer recipes.

Oranges are best known for being an excellent source of vitamin C.  This vitamin is very important for your body’s immune system.  It is also an antioxidant which fights against free radicals in the body responsible for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and several other ailments.  There is also a variety of phytonutrients (mostly in the rind) that also fight against ailments such as high blood pressure.

A citrus juicer is all you’ll need to start juicing oranges.  It can extract much of the juice for a hearty glass of orange juice, or to be used in other drinks.  For juicer recipes that use non-citrus fruits, or if you want to be able to juice the rind as well, you will need to upgrade to either a centrifugal juicer or and auger juicer.  The outside of the orange can’t be eaten (the orange zest), so either grate away the zest, or peel it off, leaving as much white pith as possible.

Try out some of these easy juicer recipes:

Simply Orange Juice

• 2-3 oranges
• For citrus juicers, cut into halves and juice
• For centrifugal/auger juicers, grate away the zest (or just remove the peel completely).
• Remove seeds before juicing.

Orange Carrot Juice

• 2 oranges
• 4 carrots
• 1 red pepper

Orange Ginger Ale

• 3 oranges
• ½ inch fresh ginger root (the amount you use is more about preference)
• Seltzer or sprite
• Juice oranges, then ginger.  Add seltzer or sprite to juice afterwards.

Fruity Delight Juicer Recipes

• 2 oranges
• 1 grapefruit
• A handful of strawberries (about 5-6)
• 1 banana — adding a banana tastes really good, but soft fruits like bananas can’t be juiced.  If you want to add banana, you will have to juice the other ingredients, then put it in a blender with the bananas.  It tastes great, but you may find it to be not worth the trouble.

Watermelon is a great source of vitamin C and vitamin A, both of which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.  It has a high concentration of lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes that have been linked to reducing the risk of prostate cancer.  Watermelon juice is one of the best natural diuretics around and wonderful for cleansing the body and is also vital keeping the prostate healthy.

When you juice a watermelon, do not cut off the rind.  The exception to this is some juicer recipes rely on the red fleshy part of the watermelon to sweeten the juice, and the rind tastes a little bitter.  However, it is HIGHLY recommended that you always juice the rind.  There are so many nutrients in the rind that would be shame to miss out on.  Also, leave the seeds when juicing the watermelon.

Try out these watermelon juicer recipes:

Watermelon Ade

• 1 lemon
• 1/2 watermelon
• 2tbsp honey (or sugar) – add according to your taste.
• I advise NOT to use sugar since too much is unhealthy.

Watermelon Punch

• 1/4 watermelon
• 2 oranges
• 1/2 pineapple

Apple Melon Juice

• 1/4 watermelon
• 1/2 cantaloupe
• 1 apple (preferably golden delicious)

Ginger Watermelon Juicer Recipes

• 1/2 watermelon
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root
• 2 tbsp honey
• Try adding sparkling water instead of honey to make a ginger ale