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!

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

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.