Lots of people on social media have been asking me about my juicer, what juicer I'm using, which juicers I recommend and why I'm juicing in stead of blending. I decided to share all here and invite you all to my virtual cafe, Kafè Kayo.
After my bowel obstruction operation and discharge from hospital, I was still suffering from sever gastric inflammation and it's accompanying pain. That part of my body was so inflamed. Even liquids caused problems as food and liquid would build up, presumably trying to get in. Eventually the intake would be allowed to pass through into my stomach but only with a series of loud whooshing and loud blubbing sounds. These noises were so loud that it was audible to my guests and carers...to my utter dismay. My friend Elisa joked saying that she thought it was my dishwasher making the noise. The noise would come with pain but would also ease the unbearable feeling of pressure and build-up inside of me.
After intestinal operations and obstructions it is important to avoid fibrous food. I learnt this the hard way in the hospital. On recovering from the resection operation I was told to eat soft foods. No guidance was given to me by the hospital. I had a tiny bowl of smooth fortified vegetable soup. I was so excited to be having food after 3 weeks. However, after eating this soup I became bloated for 3 days! I felt like I would explode. I begged the hospital for peppermint water. It was authorised but it never came. On day 3 of my discomfort, my friends Art and Helena brought me peppermint tea. We put 2 bags in a small cup of hot water. Minutes later I was able to bring up everything that had been trapped inside of me. Dark green, it looked like something from bottom of a swamp. So, lesson learned - low fibre foods after bowel obstructions.
Some weeks later, on discharge from hospital, my surgeon encouraged me to take some steps backwards. I was no longer vomiting but ingestion was highly uncomfortable. My nurse felt that things were still "tight inside", so effectively after 5 weeks of nil by mouth in hospital, I spent another 10 days at home, on fluids only. I went back to bone broth, miso soup, herbal teas and soy yogurt. The inflammation remained. I was still unable to lie down flat in bed due to the pain. Elisa had physically noted the inflamed gastric area visibly protruding through my worryingly thin body. Meanwhile. Due to this inflammation I had been sleeping upright since January 19th. It was now March!
Ice cream (even non-dairy ice cream), supplement shakes, and even smooth broths were a painful challenge. My stomach could barely let them in, yet I was so very hungry! Finally I tuned in to my gut. My gut provided the instincts I needed to follow. I did two things that helped me make huge advances. Firstly I bought a juicer. By this, I don't mean a blender or a Nutri Bullet. I bought a cold press, masticating juicer. These juicers extract all the fibre from fruit and vegetables, leaving only the nutritional juice behind. This method basically generates no heat, and therefore does not destroy nutrients. I knew that this way, my body would be getting the nutrients it so badly needed. I bought myself the very best juicer that I could afford.
Masticating juicers are also called "slow juicers". They make little noise compared to centrifugal juicers which use high speed. Centrifugal juicers heat some of the enzymes in your fruit and veg, thereby killing some of the precious nutrients that I was seeking to retain.
Below are 3 juicers that made the top of my list;
The Big Squeeze SJS700SIL from Sage by Heston Blumenthal.
I chose The Big Squeeze for it's price, effectiveness, quietness, ease of using and ease of cleaning.
Sadly the plastics are not BPA free, so avoid any heat treatment when cleaning.
This juicer cans squeeze whole apples and beetroots. Fun to watch the doomed fait of the poor apples! This machine is a monster! I love the ease of use.
Kuvings B6000. There are very slim differences between this juicer and the Big Squeeze. One difference is that the plastics are BPA free, however it's important to note that emerging science suggests the BPA-replacement chemicals may be just as harmful. BPA-free is still the acknowledged buzzword of choice for water bottles and plastics.
This juicer comes with many appliances. It was a tough call between this and The Big Squeeze. In the end I went with the very best that my finances would allow.
This juicer, The Angel has been easily recognised to be the angel of all juicers. The only reasons that I didn't buy it were linked to my financial budget and the space on my kitchen top.This juicer looks like the bee's-knees with its impressive stainless steel twin gears
What ever you put through this juicer, I feel very sure that that there will be nothing left but worthless dry fodder!
As it stands, I can vouch that the pulp extracted by my Big Squeeze is also nothing but useless dry fodder. This juicer is excellent for wheatgrass.
Getting a juicer in my life was one of the major turning points in my recovery. When I reported to my nutritionist that I had started juicing, she told me that I didn't need to but my body had told me otherwise. I was literally starving before it arrived. Sipping my first juice was so astounding. I knew I was receiving the real nourishment that I needed. So huge was my sense of physical relief and extreme physical weakness, my body shut quickly down into upright sleep and digestion.
Over the next months, eating would become easier. I still get pain which is being looked into. by the medics. After eating, I still have tight sensations in my stomach and there are still creaking-whooshing noises after eating, but now not so loud that the whole room can hear it.
I still can't eat fibre without it causing me pain so juicing has become a major part of my life. I'm loving the taste and the benefits it brings I'm also having fun creating my own juice recipes.
If you're contemplating getting a juicer for health reasons, to enhance your diet or increase your nutritional intake, it's important that you find the right juicer for you; one that suits your budget, home and lifestyle. Remember that whilst raw juices and smoothies are healthy, they can also be high in calories. I was underweight when I left hospital. I lost over 2 stones. My juices helped me to put some weight back on my bones.
