Long before buying a juicer, we’ve all had orange juice out of a cartoon. Yet anyone who has ever made his own juice immediately notices how different the juice tastes and also how different he feels after drinking juice. Why is that?
Consider what happens when you make your own juice. You buy produce from a grocery store of farmer’s market. You run the produce through an Omega juicer or a Breville juicer. You either store the juice in your refrigerator for a few days or you drink it immediately.
You don’t put any chemicals or artificial flavors into your juice. You don’t boil your juice. Instead you consume 100% pure, raw, living food – just as nature intended.
Contrast your juicing method with the ones producers of “100% all natural orange juice” use:
Bob Cross of Revenue Analytics explained to Bloomberg Businessweek that Coke relies on a deeply complex algorithm for every step of the juice-making process…. Built into the model is a breakdown of the 600-plus flavors that are in orange juice that are tweaked throughout the year to keep flavor consistent and in line with consumer tastes. Coke even sucks the oxygen out of the juice when they send it to be mixed so that they can keep it around for a year or more to balance out other batches
The Atlantic, “Who Wants a Nice Tall Glass of Coca-Cola Algorithmic Orange Juice?”
After sucking out the oxygen, food scientists add “flavor packets” to the juice:
Once the juice is squeezed and stored in gigantic vats, they start removing oxygen. Why? Because removing oxygen from the juice allows the liquid to keep for up to a year without spoiling. But! Removing that oxygen also removes the natural flavors of oranges. Yeah, it’s all backwards. So in order to have OJ actually taste like oranges, drink companies hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that make perfumes for Dior, to create these “flavor packs” to make juice taste like, well, juice again.
Store bought juice is also pasteurized at high heat. Pasteurization destroys many of the beneficial enzymes and nutrients in the juice.
Skip the store-bought juice, which is really no different from junk food. Make your own juice using these juice recipes. Here’s a fantastic breakfast juice:
Orange Carrot Juice
- 6 carrots
- 3 oranges (peeled)
Run oranges and carrots through juicers and enjoy.
Don’t have a juicer? Check out our guide to buying your first juicer.