Getting Juiced

Contrary to the “better living through chemistry” ethic that seemed to hold for many cycling legends, I adhere to: “when in doubt, eat a piece of fruit.” Or a vegetable.

I’ve condensed Michael Pollan’s dictum “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” to simply “eat food.” Or as Jack LaLanne said, “If man makes it, don’t eat it.”

Although this sounds simple, it’s apparent that most folks think that just because something can be chewed and swallowed it’s food. In fact too much of what we put into our bodies is former-food.

Essential kitchen tools for preparing food include a blender (I use a Vitamix), a dehydrator (I use a Nesco), and a juicer (I use a Champion).

There is nothing like the zing of fresh juice and you get the same zing whether you use a juicer or a blender. My basic concoction is a blend of apples, carrots, and ginger. Tasty additions (used sparingly) might include beet (rich earthy taste), celery (salty-bitter taste), or kale (strong earthy taste).

Kale chips are quite popular these days, but we avoid store-bought since they come in a package, are quite expensive, and it’s more fun to season your own. To prepare, de-vein and tear the leaves into larger than bite-sized pieces (they shrink when dried), then massage them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe some nutritional yeast. Some recipes call for briefly baking the leaves in an oven, but in the spirit of “raw” food, we opt for a dehydrator set to 115 degrees.

It’s getting to be the time of year when there are daily temptations to overindulge in sweets and highly processed former-foods; to optimize your fitness going into 2013 I’d recommend that when you do feel tempted…”eat a piece of fruit.”

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