Juicing Tips for Healthy Aging

Fresh juice has nutritional benefits for all ages. For those of us over 40, it is the perfect way to boost the nutrients that support aging bodies and health concerns. Whether you have juiced before, or are new to the game, here is some insight into juicers and juicing with special insights for older adults.

Finding the Right Machine: Centrifugal or Cold Press?

One of the first places to start with juicing is to find the right machine for your lifestyle goals. There are plenty of quality juicers on the market and looking for one can seem like wading in the void if you don’t know where to start. One of the first and possibly the most important questions is what type of juicer, centrifugal or masticating?

Centrifugal juicers have sharp blades and spin at high speeds and are probably what most of us are familiar with. You can get fast and easy fresh juice from a centrifugal machine and find them for a reasonable price. Centrifugal juicers are also LOUD, and due to the high speeds, some of the raw nutritional content is lost. Typically, these are your machines like your Breville’s and Hamilton Beaches.

Masticating or cold press machines, like the popular Omega juicers, make juice by slowly turning a large auger to grind the produce. The extra slow movement means cold press juicing is almost silent while preserving almost all of the raw nutritional content. These juicers will usually cost more and take up more space, but come with excellent warranties whereas most centrifugal juicers have little to no warranty.

Nutritional Considerations for Healthy Aging

As we age our bodies typically need more of certain nutrients, most notably calcium, potassium, iron, and vitamin D. Our aging bodies also need more nutrients, while at the same time, fewer calories.[1] 

Each person and their health is different. Be wise and speak with your Doc for individual concerns. Fresh vegetable juice is the perfect low-calorie nutrient-dense source for these and lots of other vitamins and minerals but there are things to consider.

Go easy on the fruit juices

Fresh fruit is delicious and makes refreshing juice, but beware this can also be a blood sugar bomb! It might be natural, but fruit is full of sugar that is especially impactful in juice because of the lack of fiber. If high blood sugar is an issue it might be best to follow the, ‘juice your veggies and eat your fruit” rule. 

Special dietary needs

Nutritionally dense juice is one reason we love it but it can be potentially dangerous for some health conditions. Some of the high mineral content that is good for most, can have a negative effect on others. For example, for those with Kidney disease, high potassium is dangerous and some juice, celery, for example, is high in it.

Anti-Aging Juice

Here is my basic morning juice. It is packed with lots of nutrients good for all ages but adds antioxidants, calcium, potassium, and others that are particularly good for older bodies. This makes 1-2 servings depending on the juiciness of the produce. 

Ingredients

1 Green apple

½ Beet

3-5 ribs of Celery

2 handfuls of Leafy greens (spinach, kale, bock choy, etc.)

Optional: 1-2 herb stems, 1” piece fresh ginger, squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Gather all ingredients and set up the machine for juicing. Wash produce and cut it into pieces suitable for your machine, 1-3” will depend on your individual juicer. Juice the produce alternating the leafy greens between other pieces. 

Fresh is the best! Drink your juice right away if possible or refrigerate for up to 24 hours for centrifugal or 72 for masticating.