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The carrot may not be the most exotic superfood. Even your grandmother liked to prepare it for you, cooked alongside a pile of peas. But don’t let its somewhat silly image fool you! The carrot is a rich source of vitamin A and other important nutrients. And better than cooked or in a pie consume it raw in a juice, of course! Carrot juice is delicious and has all kinds of unexpected health benefits. In this blog you can read everything you want to know about carrot juice, namely:

• What makes carrot juice healthy?
• What are the health benefits?
• What nutrients does carrot juice contain?
• How do you make carrot juice?
• Are there any side effects?

What makes carrot juice healthy?

• Carrot juice contains Vitamin A, an important nutrient for skin health and for the normal functioning of your immune system.

• Carrot juice contains several B vitamins, so it supports your metabolism.
  
• Carrot juice is a good alternative to alcohol and soda: it is filling, sweet and mixes well.

• Carrot juice contains a combination of many important nutrients that, when combined, contribute to a balanced diet [1].

• Drinking carrot juice increases the amount of antioxidants in the body [1].

1. Rich in nutrients

Who would have thought that the ordinary carrot would contain such a broad spectrum of vitamins and bioactive compounds? We list them for you. Carrots are rich in vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene and are also a good source of folic acid. According to science, this is a palette of nutrients that could make a good contribution to a healthy diet [1].

2. Promotes metabolism

Because carrot juice contains a good amount of vitamins B1, B6 and B11, it boosts your energy metabolism. This is because these vitamins play a role in the activity of many different enzymes in your body that are involved in energy metabolism. In this way, drinking carrot juice can support your energy levels.

3. Good for the eyes

You’ve probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. This is not just a myth. Carrots are in fact very rich in the substance beta-carotene, which can be converted in your body to vitamin A. This vitamin plays a role in the normal functioning of your eyes. It helps you keep your vision sharp and helps maintain normal moisture balance in your eyes.

4. Good for the skin

Vitamin A (or beta-carotene) is also important for your skin. It supports the skin’s ability to repair itself, so it helps keep your skin healthy. By drinking a glass of carrot juice daily, you support the skin’s ability to recover. Moreover, carrot juice contains a lot of manganese and vitamin C, which is important for a good condition of the skin

5. Good for the heart and blood vessels

Drinking a good glass of carrot juice every day can also support your cardiovascular health. This is because carrot juice contains nice amounts of vitamins B1 and C. Vitamin B1 has a beneficial effect on the functioning of your heart. Vitamin C contributes to the formation of collagen, which supports the condition of your blood vessels. In fact, collagen is important for keeping your vessel walls strong and supple.

6. Good for the immune system

Another, but by no means insignificant, health benefit of carrot juice is that it can provide additional support to your immune system. Due to its high content of vitamin A and folic acid, carrot juice has a positive impact on your immune system, helping to keep your resistance good. In addition, the antioxidants vitamin C and manganese help protect healthy cells and tissues. So the ideal way to support your resilience.

7. Good for brain and mental health

The B vitamins (1, 6 and 11) in carrot juice not only help maintain your energy levels, but are also involved in brain function. In fact, they contribute to the ability to concentrate, and contribute to brain and nerve functions involved in learning performance and memory functioning. In addition, B vitamins contribute to mental resilience, resistance to stress and are good for mood.

8. Good for digestion

Because carrot juice contains calcium, it can support your digestion. This is because calcium plays a role in the action of certain enzymes involved in releasing energy from your food. As a result, calcium supports digestion.

Nutritional profile of carrot juice

Nutritional value of our Fresh (per 100 ml)

Vitamins and Minerals (per bottle of Fresh)

How do you make carrot juice?

It is easiest to make carrot juice with a (slow) juicer, but it can also be done with a good quality blender. Here’s how to proceed:

– Take two or three medium-sized organic carrots. Wash them and scrape or peel if necessary. Chop them into small pieces and put them in the juicer one at a time or in the blender all at once.

– If you use a blender, add some water. You can also add juice from other vegetables, or, for example, ginger or elderflower lemonade or kombucha.

– Carrot juice is delicious in combination with all kinds of vegetables and fruits! Try and vary. Carrot is sweet, but low in fructose, so can be added well as a sweetener to a green juice or detox juice. It is delicious with celery, fresh ginger, apple, lemon or beet.

– If you use a blender, strain your juice through a cheesecloth. You can also leave the fibers in and eat them while drinking.

– Drink your juice as soon as possible after you make it!

Other ways to include carrot juice in your diet:

– Try it as a low-fat salad dressing

– Use it as a liquid in cake recipes

– Use it as a cooking liquid for grains or rice

Keep in mind that you naturally get the most vitamins raw.

Does carrot juice also have side effects?

Carrot juice has the very noticeable but harmless side effect that it can turn your skin orange! The orange pigment in beta carotene, when taken in moderated amounts, makes your skin glowing, but be careful not to overdo it!

Conclusion

Carrot juice may not be the most spectacular superfood, but it is certainly a nutritious and healthy addition to your daily diet. A daily glass of carrot juice can help support overall health, digestion, skin and eyes, brain and cardiovascular health. Making your own carrot juice is cheap and easy, and you can keep varying and combining it with all kinds of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. Don’t have time to make your own carrot juice? Then order organic carrot juice at Sapje. Enjoy!

Sept. 21, 2020

We eat only organic and don’t pay attention to price when shopping – as long as it tastes good. We should not spray the planet with pesticides. By doing so you destroy biodiversity and ingest toxins yourself. When I am free, I love to walk in the woods: peace and quiet, mind at zero, fresh air, exercise. Your stress level drops immediately. I also do a lot of yoga. Read the full article on their website.

Sept. 5, 2020

From Red Bull to vegetable juices: ‘Chewing gum is pure plastic, that doesn’t come into our house.’ His girlfriend studied dietetics. That’s how Joel Goudsmit (34) discovered the importance of vegetables; his inhaler could go in the trash. Now he preaches his new lifestyle by selling green juices and a health book. Read the full article on their website

More and more people are using plants and herbs to stay healthy. For example, ginger has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many cafes have ginger tea on the menu, and ordering ginger juice or a ginger shot is also becoming more common. But is a ginger shot really healthy? And does consuming ginger carry any risks? In this article, we describe what scientists know about the health effects of ginger anno 2020.

In this article you can read more about:

• Scientific research on the health effects of ginger
• Is ginger safe?
• Ginger for your energy metabolism
• Ginger for your blood vessels and blood pressure
• Ginger for your joints and muscles
• Ginger against oxidative damage
• Ginger for your immune system
• More research
• How can you use ginger for your health?
• Recipe for ginger juice
• Recipe for ginger tea
• Recipe for ginger shot
• What should you pay attention to when preparing ginger?
• Conclusions
• Resources

Scientific research on the health effects of ginger

In recent years, more and more research has been conducted on the health effects of ginger. Among other things, the vitamins and minerals in Zingiber officinale, as ginger is officially called, are being studied. The compounds Gingerol and shogaol from ginger are also getting a lot of attention. However, less than 40% of the studies on ginger are of sufficient quality to draw sound conclusions[1]. The studies are often conducted with too few people. Moreover, a fixed dose of ginger is often not used when people take a ginger shot, ginger tea or ginger capsules. As a result, the absorption and effect of the active ingredients in the body cannot be reliably determined[1, 2].

Is ginger safe?

Many people think that herbs are harmless because they are natural products. This is not necessarily true. Fortunately, ginger seems to be generally safe. For example, in the elderly, ginger does not appear to have any effect on the medications they take[3]. However, some people do experience unpleasant abdominal symptoms such as heartburn, nausea and diarrhea when using ginger excessively[1]. You also notice when you take a ginger shot that it tingles a bit or if the concentration of ginger is even higher, it can even cause a burning sensation. So a ginger shot on an empty stomach is not a good idea if you know you are sensitive to it.

Sometimes there are rumors that pregnant women should be careful with ginger. In large studies, ginger during pregnancy did not increase the risk of pregnancy problems and birth defects in the child[4-7]. However, there are some small studies in which babies had lower birth weight and a slightly increased risk of congenital anomalies or stillbirth if the mother had used a lot of ginger during pregnancy[6]. However, the quality of these studies was poor.

Ginger for your energy metabolism

Drinking ginger shots not only provides a nice spicy taste, it also helps your body release energy from your meals. This is because the mineral copper in the shots plays a role in the activity of various enzymes involved in your metabolism. In this way, by having a nice shot, you can also directly boost your energy metabolism.

Ginger shots and the effect on your joints and muscles

Copper from a shot of ginger helps maintain cartilage in your body. Cartilage is an important part of your joints. For the movement of your body, of course, your muscles are also incredibly important. In the muscles, it is precisely the mineral potassium from ginger that can benefit you. In fact, potassium plays a role in maintaining supple and strong muscles.

Ginger shots against oxidative damage

The antioxidant copper from the shot helps trap free radicals. Free radicals are substances that can cause damage to your cells and tissues. You do not want too many of these free radicals in your body. By getting enough antioxidants through your diet, you ensure that your body is better protected against this damage. Drinking a shot of ginger regularly is one way to do this.

Ginger for your immune system

Last, but certainly not least, we want to talk about the positive influence on your immune system. This is because copper from ginger shots supports your body’s defenses and therefore helps to ensure a good resistance.

More research

So ginger shots have all sorts of positive health effects, with generally minimal side effects. Much research continues to be done on the benefits of ginger. We will therefore update this blog regularly as new insights emerge.

How can you use ginger for your health?

The recommended dosage is about 1 gram of fresh ginger per day. You can, of course, incorporate this into your food. For example, there are all kinds of delicious Oriental dishes that use ginger. Do you prefer to drink ginger? Below are tasty recipes for ginger juice and ginger tea. Want to give your health an extra boost without too much fuss? Then try a ginger shot.

Recipe for ginger juice

Ginger juice can be drunk with water or fruit juice, but is also very suitable as a sauce in Oriental dishes or as a salad dressing. For half a liter of ginger juice, mix 6 cm of peeled and chopped fresh ginger root with the lemon juice of 1 or 2 lemons. Mix the ginger and lemon with 1 teaspoon turmeric and half a liter of water in the slow juicer or blender. The more ginger you use the sharper the ginger juice becomes. You can also order ginger juice with turmeric, lemon and black pepper from us. We also wrote an article with several recipes on how to make ginger juice yourself.

Recipe for ginger tea

Making ginger tea is very simple. Put some thin slices of ginger in your teacup and pour hot water on top. Or dissolve ginger powder in hot water. Add lemon and/or honey to taste. Easy to make and super healthy for you.

Recipe for ginger shot

A ginger shot has many benefits. Of course, you can order your ginger shot, but did you know that making your own ginger shot is also very easy? The ingredients for a ginger shot are ginger root (2-3 cm) and half a lemon. Cut the peeled lemon and ginger root into small pieces or slices and blend them in a juicer or slow juicer until you have a cloudy ginger juice. You can also use a blender or hand blender. Optionally, you can add a little maple syrup or honey. Drink the ginger shot in one sitting. Of course, you can also vary: replace the lemon with tangerine, orange, pineapple and/or apple. And add turmeric, cayenne pepper or cinnamon to taste: just what you like in your ginger shot.

What should you pay attention to when preparing ginger?

You can store ginger shots in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can also freeze them by the serving, such as in an ice cube mold. That way you only have the work of the ginger shot once while the effect remains. Dry ginger is best stored at room temperature in a shady area. Then you can certainly enjoy it for several weeks.

Conclusions

In short, although it has not yet been conclusively proven, ginger seems to be good for your health and you can use it safely. With our recipes for ginger juice, ginger shots and ginger tea, you can easily and tastefully add a healthy ginger shot to your diet. Enjoy!

Resources

1. Ahn NH, et al. Ginger on human health: a comprehensive systematic review of 109 randomized controlled trials. Nutrients 2020;12:157. PubMed ID: 31935866. Article
2. Vázquez-Fresno A, et al. Herbs and Spices- Biomarkers of Intake Based on Human Intervention Studies – A Systematic Review. Genes & Nutrition 2019;14:18. PubMed ID: 31143299. Article
3. Agbabiaka TB, et al. Concurrent use of prescription drugs and herbal medicinal products in older adults: a systematic review. Drugs Aging 2017;34:891-905. PubMed ID: 29196903. Article
4. Ahmed M, et al. Safety classification of herbal medicines used among pregnant women in Asian countries: a systematic review. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2017;17:489. PubMed ID: 29137614. Article
5. Stanisiere J, et al. How safe is ginger rhizome for decreasing nausea and vomiting in women during early pregnancy? Foods 2018;7:50. PubMed ID: 29614764. Article
6. Lindblad AJ, et al. Ginger for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Canadian Family Physician 2016;62:145. PubMed ID: 26884528. Article
7. Viljoen E, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutrition Journal 2014;13:20. PubMed ID: 24642205. Article

Making celery juice is actually very easy. Basically, all you need is a stalk of organic celery and something to press it with. Organic celery is preferable because non-organic celery generally contains a lot of pesticides. Can’t get that? Then make sure you wash the celery extra well before making celery juice. Optionally, you can add some organic lemon juice for flavor, as we do in our Support juice. If you want to make celery juice of the best quality, you need a slow juicer. Then you can be sure that all the beneficial nutrients from your stalk of celery actually end up in your glass. Want to know even more? Then you can read all the benefits of celery juice with scientific evidence here.

MAKE CELERY JUICE WITH A (SLOW) JUICER:

• Take one stalk (400-600 grams) of organic celery and cut the stalks loose from the base.
• Wash the stems and leaves carefully because of sand.
• Cut the stems and leaves into smaller pieces and put them in your juicer.
• Squeeze any additional ingredients for flavor, such as a little organic lemon.
• For additional health benefits: Drink your celery juice in the morning, on an empty stomach. Wait at least 15 minutes before eating or drinking anything else.

MAKE CELERY JUICE WITH A BLENDER:

Making celery juice without a juicer is also possible. Making celery juice with a blender is a pretty good alternative. Here’s how you do it:

• Take one stalk of organic celery and cut the stalks loose from the base.
• Wash the stems and leaves carefully.
• Cut the stems and leaves into smaller pieces (about 2 cm) and put them in your blender.
• Add approximately 60 ml of water.
• Blend everything until you have a nice even consistency.
• Place a cheesecloth over a (measuring) jug or bowl and pour your celery juice from the blender over it bit by bit, separating the fibers from the juice.
• Squeeze out any leftover juice with your hands, if necessary. For additional health benefits: Drink your celery juice in the morning, on an empty stomach. Wait at least 15 minutes before eating or drinking anything else.

DRINKING CELERY JUICE: HELPFUL TIPS AND FACTS

• Don’t always have time to make celery juice in the morning? Then possibly make several servings at once and put the rest in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator for the next day or store it in the freezer. Of course, the fresher your celery juice, the healthier it is.
• Does your body react sensitively to celery juice? Then start with a smaller amount than 500 ml and build up your intake slowly.
• Not fond of the taste of celery juice? Optionally, you can also add apple or cucumber to your juice to soften the taste. You can then gradually reduce the amount of flavoring until you get used to the taste. Note: According to Anthony William, pure celery juice is the healthiest.
• Does drinking celery juice daily change your bowel movements? That’s quite possible, because it has a strong effect on your digestion. Watch it for a while.

BUYING CELERY JUICE: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR?

Making your own celery juice is quite a chore. Maybe, despite the tips above, you just don’t have enough time for it. Buying celery juice is a good alternative, but what should you pay attention to? For celery juice to be truly healthy, it is important that it contains an optimal amount of the celery’s original nutrients. Therefore, choose:

SLOWJUICE CELERY JUICE

Slow juicing is the best way to extract as many healthy nutrients from vegetables as possible. So buying slowjuice celery juice is recommended.

PURE CELERY JUICE

Because pure and natural celery juice is the healthiest, it’s best to buy celery juice with as few additives as possible. That means not only without other fruits and vegetables, but also without preservatives. The method of preservation is also important for nutritional value.

FROZEN CELERY JUICE

Today there are several ways to extend the shelf life of vegetable juice. These include preservatives, HPP (high pressure treatment) or freezing the juice . At Sapje, we believe the latter option makes for the healthiest celery juice. Here the nutrients are optimally preserved, in an entirely natural way.

CELERY JUICE IN GLASS

Plastic bottles are known for their ability to release harmful substances into the contents. In addition, they are bad for the environment. That’s why it’s best to buy celery juice in a glass bottle. This is because glass does not detract from the quality of the contents and is endlessly recyclable. At Sapje, we also use bottles made of recycled glass.

ORDER CELERY JUICE

Want to buy celery juice from Sapje and prefer not to make your own? Then our Support juice is the purest option. The Wild, Reboot and Detox juices also have celery juice as an ingredient. In addition, our detox cleanses also include celery juices. Ordering our organic, slowjuice celery juice is easy. You specify when you want to receive it and we will come and deliver it frozen to your home at a time that suits you. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer the night before and you can drink delicious fresh celery juice the next morning.

March 17, 2020

In this review you will read about my experiences with Sapje’s vegetable juices. These are juices full of seasonal vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.I have been enjoying Sapje’s vegetable juices for some time now and I get a lot of questions about them. So I thought it would be easiest to write a review about it and answer all your questions. You will read everything you need to know about these vegetable juices and detox, how it works, my experiences and what the cost is. Read the full article on their website and find out if Sapje’s juices are worth it for you!

At Sapje, we make 100% organic juices. That means all ingredients are certified organic. But why would you actually buy organic juice? We’re happy to explain that, of course. Discover now the many benefits of drinking organic juice for you and the planet.

What is organic?

Before we get into the benefits of organic juice, let’s take a brief look at the meaning of “organic. What can you expect from vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices that bear the “organic” label? One of the most important characteristics of organic vegetables is that they do not contain chemical pesticides. Certified organic vegetables , for example, must not have been grown with artificial fertilizers. You also won’t find synthetic pesticides (pest controllers), herbicides (weed killers) and fungicides (anti-fungicides) on organic vegetables. But what does that mean for you?

Less pesticides

Crops such as vegetable plants or fruit trees can always be affected by pests, weeds and fungi. To ensure that these factors do not interfere with a good harvest, farmers choose to use different types of pesticides. These include pesticides, including herbicides and fungicides. For example, these kill insects, mice and rats, eradicate other plants and prevent the growth of fungi

Are pesticides harmful?

Several chemical pesticides are harmful to humans and the environment, according to several studies. They can chemically stress your body and lead to symptoms such as headaches and a weakened immune system. They are even associated with an increased risk of several types of cancer. On top of that, a mix of fruits and vegetables, as in a non-organic vegetable juice, also contains a cocktail of synthetic pesticides. How the various pesticides affect each other and your health has not yet been sufficiently tested to say that the combinations are safe. Some non-organic vegetables and fruits contain more pesticides than others. Vegetables and fruits with more pesticides on average include apples, cucumbers, celery, kale, pumpkin, strawberries and spinach. So it is better to eat these only in organic form. You can also find them in many of our organic juices.

Do organic farmers not use pesticides?

Organic farmers naturally also want to prevent their crops from being affected by pests or fungi, for example. They are not allowed to use chemical pesticides. However, they often use natural pesticides when necessary. Instead of synthetic (man-made) fertilizers, they use natural manure and compost to promote the growth and health of their plants. They also do this by, for example, investing in healthy soil and a combination or rotation of different crops. As a result, these grow more in harmony with the natural balance. The vegetables and fruits from organic farmers also tend to have better color, aroma and taste as a result.

Is organic tastier?

Non-organic cultivation of fruits and vegetables is usually aimed at making as much profit as possible. Everything must grow as big as possible as quickly as possible. Many organic farmers try to make the most of the organic processes inherent in nature. They work on their fruits and vegetables with more patience and attention, allowing them to ripen at their own pace. You can see, smell and taste the results. The color, smell and taste of organic fruits and vegetables are often much more intense. For example, they contain less water than non-organic fruits and vegetables. The taste is also better because no synthetic fertilizers are used; these weaken the taste. Organic fruits and vegetables also tend to be tastier because organic farmers are more in tune with the seasons. At Sapje, we therefore consistently choose both organic and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Is organic healthier?

Because the non-organic food industry is focused on profit, they often try to get as much as possible out of as small a piece of land as possible, in as short a time frame as possible. This usually depletes the land quickly, because it is not given time to recover. Growing the same crop over and over again on a given piece of land also contributes to the depletion of the life and nutrients contained in the soil. In addition, the natural balance of the soil is often seriously disturbed by the use of chemical pesticides. The result: the soil on which the crops are to grow is poor in nutrients and organisms and actually contains a lot of toxins. Organic farmers take good care of the earth and everything in it. Our 100% organic vegetable juices are therefore rich in nutrients such as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Here you can read more about how we make the healthiest juice and you can also order our 100% organic detox .

More benefits of organic fruits and vegetables

Besides being healthier and tastier, we at Sapje believe organic fruits and vegetables have more benefits. In our view, organic farming is also better forpeople and the planet. For example, organic farmers are not constantlyexposed to toxic pesticides. Especially in developing countries,this is a major cause of health problems and even death amongfarm workers. Moreover, with organic fruit and vegetable farming, nochemicals are released into the soil, air and water. In addition,more attention is paid to biodiversity than in non-organicagriculture, which is ultimately also better for nature in general. Reason enough, therefore, to choose organic as well!

At Sapje, we make every effort to get our vegetable juices to your home as fresh as possible. We do this by freezing the juice in the shock freezer soon after pressing . This best preserves the color, flavor and aroma, as well as the many nutrients. We have discovered that freezing juice produces the highest quality; even better than if we delivered fresh. Read on and find out why!

But first: what is conservation anyway?

Preservation is a name for various methods by which you make foods last longer, for example. To achieve this goal, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and yeasts must be controlled. This can be done in various ways, such as heating food (pasteurization), cooling or freezing it, adding preservatives or exposing it to very high water pressure (high pressure processing or pascalization). Other methods include adding a lot of salt, acid or sugar, but since this comes at the expense of flavor and health value, we rejected these immediately. In addition, we strive for the purest product possible, so adding preservatives was not an option for us either. Below you can read more about pasteurization, high pressure processing and freezing.

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is a way of making juices last longer by heating. Usually the liquid is heated for a short time to a temperature higher than 72 degrees Celsius. This is a good way to kill fast-growing bacteria, but some bacteria can still survive the heating. As a result, pasteurized juice only keeps for a certain amount of time and must be kept refrigerated. Another disadvantage of this preservation method is that it changes the cell structure of the juice and leads to the loss of certain vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Since we want to preserve as many nutrients as possible from our fresh vegetables, we didn’t think pasteurization was the best method.

HPP (high pressure processing, or pascalization)

HPP is a fairly new method of preservation in which foods are exposed to very high water pressure in large machines. Most microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi cannot withstand this high pressure and die from it. The same may be true for healthy organisms, nutrients and enzymes. You can find more and more juices in supermarkets that have undergone HPP. These are touted as “fresh” and can be stored in the refrigerator for weeks. A disadvantage of this is that there can be a lot of time between the time of preservation and the time of consumption. During that time, the juice can still lose many nutrients due to exposure to light, oxygen and time. Usually the nutrients are greatly reduced after a few days. If you drink the juice even later, you are basically just ingesting empty calories. Although HPP produces better results than pasteurization, we at Sapje thought there was still room for improvement.

Freezing (Shockfreezing)

At Sapje, we believe that freezing our juices is the best way to keep them tasty and healthy for as long as possible. After we get the ingredients delivered fresh, we slowjuice them as quickly as possible. This is done in a refrigerated environment to prevent loss of nutrients. Then the juices go straight into the shock freezer. In there, they are deep frozen in just one hour. Freezing prevents microorganisms from growing: time actually comes to a standstill. When frozen, the juices can stay fresh for up to a year. In nature, frozen organisms also retain their life force. Therefore, once thawed, our juices are as tasty and healthy as just after pressing. Of course, it is important that you drink them as soon as possible after thawing to take full advantage of this. The only thing better than frozen juices are fresh juices that you have squeezed yourself at home and then drink immediately. If you don’t have time or energy for that, our juices are the best alternative!

What about fresh rendition?

When we just started making fresh vegetable juices and our detox, we delivered them fresh to a small group of interested people in the neighborhood. That went fine with the cargo bike, but when our customer base started to grow, we had to find another solution. Our customers are now spread all over the Netherlands and Belgium, so the juices take longer to deliver. If we were to deliver them fresh, they could lose nutritional value through exposure to light, oxygen and time on the road. Moreover, they would have to be drunk immediately upon arrival for the best results. But then you wouldn’t easily order several bottles at once, even though it would be so convenient and also more sustainable. After all, we would have to drive less often. You can keep the frozen bottles in your freezer until you have time to enjoy them. This way you always have fresh vegetable juice at your convenience!

At Sap.je, we are obsessed with the quality of our vegetable juice. That’s why we did a lot of research on the best method to get the tastiest and healthiest juice. Below we compare centrifugal juicing, slow juicing, blending and cold pressing. Important aspects are the price of the machine, the quality of the juice, the taste of the juice, the amount of pulp left, the ease of cleaning the machine, the noise level (some machines make a lot of noise) and the types of ingredients that can be squeezed. Find out below which method and machine produces the best vegetable juice!

Making vegetable juice: what are the actual methods?

Making vegetable juice can be done in many ways these days. In fact, there are so many machines available that you can soon lose sight of the forest for the trees. Fortunately, you can save time and effort by reading our findings on four well-known methods: centrifugal juicing, blending, cold pressing and slow juicing. We discuss each method separately and go over such things as the texture, nutritional value, color, smell and taste of the juice you make with it. We also discuss how efficient juicing is, i.e., how much food is lost with it.

Centrifugal juices

The first juicer we had – we didn’t know much about it at the time – was a standard centrifugal juicer. After a while we bought another juicer because a centrifugal juicer was very tedious to clean and, more importantly, it wasted an enormous amount of fruits and vegetables. The pulp remained very wet and leafy vegetables and herbs remained fairly intact, so it looked like not much juice had come out. In addition, the speed of the turntable was very fast which created quite a lot of heat and that heat could potentially cause important nutrients to be lost.

The Juice Extractor

In recent years, more and more people have had a juicer appear on their kitchen counter. The name refers to the way the machine handles fruits and vegetables. A juicer swings them around at high speed. This also produces quick results, which is an advantage for some people. But there are also disadvantages to centrifugal juicing. This is because the rapid swirling releases heat, causing the juice to lose nutritional value.

The juicer suffers from oxidation relatively quickly: the ingredients are exposed to oxygen. In the process, important nutrients are also lost. Another disadvantage of a juicer is that it does not work equally well with all types of fruits and vegetables. In our experience, only tougher fruits and vegetables were suitable for centrifugal juicing. In addition, we were not satisfied with the efficiency. The pulp left over was still very wet, so we felt we had to throw away a lot of food.

Blenden

You will also find a blender in many kitchens. You can use it to make everything from juices to soups and sauces. In a blender, fruits and vegetables are basically pureed using sharp blades. The juice is not separated from the rest of the ingredients: you get out what you put in, just in a more liquid form. Because the result is usually a kind of mush, you will usually have to add liquid to get a smoothie you can drink. As a result, you can only use a limited amount of fruits and vegetables for a full glass. That also means you get fewer vitamins and minerals per glass than with other methods.

What you do get is a lot of fiber. Good for bowel movement, but it also makes you feel full. This makes a smoothie actually a meal in itself, rather than a supplement to your diet. Want to read more about whether a juice or smoothie is healthier?

Cold pressing (cold pressing)

Cold pressing is done with a machine that actually crushes or squeezes the ingredients between two plates. This method has its advantages. Cold pressed juice from such a machine is not exposed to heat like juice from a juicer. You get more juice and less fiber than with a smoothie, so you can also count on more nutrients. One disadvantage of this pressing method is that the juice is not optimal in terms of taste and texture. Often the result is a bit watery. Moreover, crushing vegetables and fruits is not the best way to extract all the substances from them. leafy vegetables, herbs and spices, cannot be juiced with this method, because the ingredients are not crushed, but crushed. Cold pressing is only suitable for tougher and more watery fruits and vegetables. In this area, this method falls short of our favorite: slow juicing.

Slowjuicing

Last but not least: slow juicing. As you probably know, at Sap.je we only work with this method. This is because our research has shown that it gives you the highest quality, delicious and healthy juice, in the most efficient way. Our stainless steel Angel slow juicer has a powerful screw press that grinds vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices and seaweed slowly and efficiently.

Slow juicing does not involve heat (slow juicing is also a form of cold pressing) and the ingredients are not exposed to oxygen. This machine imitates the chewing movements of your mouth, with this the machine extracts all the good nutrients from the ingredients. These are therefore easier for your body to absorb. The smell, color and taste of the juice are also better. Moreover, hardly any food is lost: all the juice is squeezed from the ingredients. The little pulp that remains is as dry as sawdust. By the way, even this is still good to use, for example in a homemade vegetable soup or vegetable omelet. Because you use up all the ingredients this way, you need to buy less. In this way, you will recoup the investment of the machine over time. What more could you want? Read more benefits of slow juicing here.

The king among slow juicers

After a long search, we changed our minds and bought the – in our opinion – king among current slow juicers: the Angel juicer. You can actually drink the divine juice from this device like water. The pulp that comes out of it is as dry as sawdust; even our rabbit won’t eat the leftover pulp. You get much more juice from fruits and vegetables than with previous juicers, which ends up saving money in the long run. The taste of the juice is also fuller and even more nutrients and enzymes are retained due to the unique grinding quality with stainless steel screws. This juicer can even juice hard tubers, herbs, spices, seaweed and all grasses. Ideal for high quality vegetable juice and to experience a detox . Also nice to know: cleaning this juicer takes as much time as cleaning a centrifugal or other slow juicer.

What should you look for when buying a slow juicer?

• The juicer should be able to juice grasses, leafy vegetables, sprouts, herbs, hard tubers and fruits.
• Look for a juicer that grinds ingredients slowly (slow).
• The temperature should not exceed 40 °C during pressing (cold pressing).
• The juicer should have a very dry pulp yield, preferably as dry as sawdust.
• The juicer should be easy to clean in five minutes.
• The device should not make too much noise.
• The juicer should be stainless steel and not plastic so that the ingredients do not come into contact with harmful substances from plastic.

At Sap.je, we consistently strive to make the best vegetable juice. To achieve this ambitious goal, we thought long and hard about every step of the production process. We weren’t satisfied until everything was right, from growing the vegetables to packaging the juices. Read on to discover what we do at Sap.je to make the healthiest juice possible!

How we make healthy juice

https://youtu.be/H0VHDrU8d4c

Selecting 100 percent organic ingredients 1.

If you drink vegetable juice for your health, it’s a shame if you get a dose of pesticides with every sip. That’s one of the reasons why at Sap.je we only choose organic vegetables. We have been SKAL (organic) certified for 6 years.

2. Use as many local ingredients as possible

At Sap.je, we have a heart for nature. That’s another reason for choosing organic vegetables. We prefer to buy these from local farmers as well, to preserve the environment and ensure that the vegetables are fresh and truly organic. Some of our vegetables come from surrounding countries such as Belgium and Germany. Certain, more exotic ingredients come from France, Greece and Spain. By sourcing as much as possible from Europe, we try to reduce our CO2 emissions.

3. Opt for seasonal ingredients

We use as many seasonal ingredients as possible, grown in natural conditions. This is a way to do the planet a favor, but also to offer you as much variety as possible. Every vegetable has its own nutrients to offer. Therefore, it is a waste to eat the same vegetables all year round. Plus, variety keeps juicing exciting!

4. Making juices in all the colors of the rainbow

The colors of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices are partly responsible for the specific nutrients they contain. In short, a purple vegetable has different nutrients to offer than an orange one. By matching ingredients largely by color, we ensure that you can very specifically choose a juice that suits your needs.

5. Collaborate with healthexperts & Michelin star chefs

At Sap.je, we like to make vegetable juice that is both super healthy and super delicious. To achieve that, we work with experts as much as possible. These include health gurus such as Juglen Zwaan, David Wolfe, Joe Cross and Richard de Leth as well as top chefs such as Ron Blaauw, Jonnie Boer and Sergio Herman.

6. Use lots of vegetables

With one Sap.je, you get more vegetables in one go than you minimally need in a day. The nutrition center prescribes a minimum of 250 grams, but our juices often contain 370 to 420 grams of vegetables. And if you follow our detox you even get several kilos per day! Our vegetable juices consist of at least 85 percent vegetables, supplemented with fruits, herbs and spices. By using few fruits, we keep the fruit sugars limited. As a result, you won’t get a strong spike in your blood sugar after drinking a juice. It’s also better for your tooth enamel. Read about the benefits of drinking vegetable juice here.

7. Selecting freshly picked ingredients

Because Sap.je sources most of its ingredients from the Netherlands, we can better guarantee that they are freshly picked. We work with farmers who grow and harvest their vegetables with love and let them ripen in the open air and sunshine as much as possible. Their vegetables are picked within 24 to 48 hours, after which sand, insects and other debris are removed as much as possible. Then they go directly to our juice lab, where we further process the ingredients ourselves.

8. Washing, cutting and pressing vegetables by hand

Washing, cutting and pressing are all done by hand at Sap.je. This artisanal method allows us to guarantee high quality.

9. Using a slow juicer

After doing extensive research, we have discovered that we can use a slow juicer to make the very best juices. These are the richest in nutrients, but also excel in color, aroma and taste. Moreover, little food is lost with slow juicing. In fact, the relatively small amount of pulp that remains goes to the animals on a local biodynamic farm each week. We use a custom-made slow juicer that is made entirely of stainless steel. This prevents unwanted substances in the juice, such as plastic particles. Read about the benefits of a slow juicer here .

10. Not using plastic in production

You won’t find any plastic at all in our production process. Everything we use, from the slow juicer to the juice barrels, spoons and bottling equipment, is stainless steel.

11. Cool pressing the juice

We squeeze the juice in a closed kitchen, where it is 7 degrees Celsius. No heat is released during the pressing itself either. This way we preserve as many nutrients as possible from the ingredients.

12. Do not add anything to the juice

Our juices consist 100 percent of organic, raw vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices; nothing else. We use no preservatives, fragrances, colors or flavors and add absolutely no water to the juices. Also, the ingredients are not processed in any way; there is no HPP or pasteurization. As a result, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients are better preserved.

13. Bottling the juice in glass.

To keep the quality of the juice as good as possible, we bottle it in glass bottles. With plastic bottles you run the risk of toxins “leaking” into the juice, with glass you don’t. Moreover, glass is a much more environmentally friendly material. Ours is recycled and the caps are also recyclable. By the way, the labels and additional packaging materials are all FSC certified, meaning they come from responsible forestry.

14. Freezing the juice.

Immediately after pressing, our juices go into the shock freezer. This freezes the juices at lightning speed, keeping them fresh for as long as possible. If we were to deliver the juices fresh, they would lose their nutritional value before they reach you. With frozen juices, we don’t have that problem.

15. Use natural cleaning products

We clean all our materials with natural, plant-based cleaning agents. This prevents any unexpected harmful substances from reaching the juice. This is also better for the environment and our employees.

16. Running entirely on solar and wind power

At Sap.je, we like to look at the bigger picture. Then we can only conclude that what is good for the world is good for us and good for you. That’s why we run entirely on local sustainable solar and wind energy, directly from Zeeland.