Juicing recipes that will help you fight the bulge this summer – and the best juicers you need to make them

Summer is upon us and if you’ve been over doing it on the booze and unhealthy foods, why not give juicing a go?

There have been a number of celebrities, trainers and fitness experts evangelising the benefits of juicing , claiming it is good for everything from weight loss to improving digestion and boosting energy.

So ‘what is juicing?’, I hear you say.

In a nutshell, it is simply extracting all the liquid from fruits and vegetables to get the concentrated nutrients.

Below we’ve outlined the kit you need and some recipes. What are you waiting for?

What kit do I need?

You’ll need a decent juicer to make tasty, smooth and nutritious juices.

The most popular types are by far the nutriblend models that are built with powerful motors, which extract nutrients from your ingredients without discarding the fibrous skins and seeds.

Here are a few great value models to invest in:

1. Cooks Professional Nutriblend 700w Blender

Price : £39.99 (was £99.99)

Why it is good?

• Powerful 700w motor

• Compact

• Easy to clean

• Comes with handy accessories

2. Cooks Professional 1200W Nutriblend Pro

Price : £89.99 (was £299.99)

Why it is good?

• 1200w motor will break down the hardest of ingredients

• Has the ability to dice, chop, blend and heat

• 2 litre capacity means you can juice more fruit and veg in one go

3. Cooks Professional 400W Slow Juicer

Price: £59.99 (was £129.99)

Why it is good?

• The slow juice mechanism crushes fruit and veg for more effective juice extraction

• Designed to produce 30% more juice than traditional juicing methods

• Quieter than bladed blenders

Juicing recipes to try

Antioxidant Overload (serves 1)

Ingredients:

60ml coconut water

1/4 tsp probiotic powder (optional)

1 tbsp dried acai powder (optional)

1 tsp maqui powder (optional

320g mixed berries (fresh or frozen) or 80g each

of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and

strawberries

40g seedless red grapes

1/2 pear, unpeeled, cored and diced

1/4 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp finely grate orange zest

60g ice cubes

1/2 pitted date, soaked and chopped

Method:

Add all ingredients, in order, to the tall tumbler, attach the cross blade and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness, if necessary, by adding more soaked and chopped pitted date.

Orange Vitamin C Burst (serves 1-2)

Ingredients:

180 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 tsp probiotic powder (optional)

1 orange, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

80g roughly chopped strawberries

35g diced red pepper

35g roughly chopped & peeled baked or steamed

sweet potato

30g frozen uncooked cauliflower florets

30g firm silken tofu

17g blanched, slivered raw almonds, soaked

1 tsp finely grated orange zest

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of turmeric

1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup

125g ice cubes

1/2 tbsp dried goji berries (optional)

1/2 tsp ground flaxseeds (optional)

Method:

Add all ingredients, in order, to the tall tumbler, attach the cross blade and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavours and consistency, if necessary, by adding more turmeric, maple syrup or ice cubes.

Coffee and Banana (serves 1)

Ingredients:

2 sliced and peeled banana

1 cup of skimmed milk

1/2 cup of cold black coffee

2 tsp of sugar or sweetener

1/2 cup ice

Method:

Add all ingredients to the tall tumbler, attach the cross blade and blend until smooth.

Raspberry and Avocado (serves 1)

Ingredients:

150g peeled and cubed avocado

1 cup orange juice

62g raspberries

Method:

Add all ingredients to the tall tumbler, attach the cross blade and blend until smooth.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Pick up the Cooks Professional Easy Smoothies and Juices Recipe Book, £7.99 (was £9.99) from Mirror Readers Offers.

Mirror – Health