I’ve always been a night person. I love to draw a bath, make a pot of tea, journal, and slowly soak my troubles away. Mornings have always felt like pure chaos: waking up to my cute baby kicking me, cooking breakfast while half dressed. But I recently started a breakfast ritual I never expected, picking up fresh vegetables and turning them into bright and colorful juices. I enjoy the element of slowness that juicing brings to my mornings, and even more surprising to me, I like the juices themselves, too.
My first memories of juicing involve my grandparents. I spent summers with them in upstate New York, where my grandmother made beet, carrot, and apple juice for my health-conscious grandfather every morning. I rarely tried what he was having, preferring buttery kasha and tea with milk. After that, I didn’t think about juicing again for a long time.
During the pandemic, Toms Juice began taking orders over DM, and as the world became more health-conscious, I was intrigued. My first order was for glass bottles filled with single-flavor celery, grapefruit, and watermelon juices—delivered to my apartment by bike—and I liked how the menu was simple, consistent, and seasonal. Founder Tom Wright now has an East Village storefront, where you’ll have to show up before 10 a.m. to snag one of the more popular flavors, like beet-ginger-lime, which is a favorite of Andre3000.
“I don’t use a commercial juicer,” Wright shared over passionfruit juices the other morning, “which is why my juices taste more homemade and have an amazing texture.” When people think of juicing, the first thing that comes to mind is another popular flavor on the Toms menu: vivid-green celery juice, which has acquired notoriety from the bold and questionable health column Medical Medium, which calls it “a miraculous superfood.” While many of these claims may be a little overreaching, celery is rich in vitamins A, C, K, as well as other minerals, and studies show it could help with inflammation and lower blood sugar. I'm surprised to say I find myself putting the stalks into my juicer rather frequently.
Celery juice falls into the category of green juices, referring to the juice of any green vegetable, like celery, spinach, cucumber, or kale rather than fruit juices or more colorful vegetables like beets or carrots. Daphne Javitch, the nutritionist behind the Instagram health account Doing Well, drinks green juice every morning and often walks clients through integrating it into their own routines. “Green juices are so amazing because raw fruits and vegetables are active cleansing foods, [meaning in part that they can help with digestion].” For her clients who want to start a juicing practice, Javitch suggests starting with eight to 16 ounces of a celery, cucumber, and apple blend in the mornings. “Add fennel, lime, or basil and then you’re hooked.” She also recommends starting simple “because it’s easy to get overwhelmed at first” and to make sure that it tastes good. “Even though green juice is medicinal, we want it to be joyful. People only repeat joyful practices for the most part.”
Javitch got into juicing herself a decade ago as part of her non-surgical approach to healing her Stage 4 Endometriosis. “Immediate benefits you might notice [from juicing] are a rush of energy and hydration.” Researchers are looking closer at the link between nutrition and mental health and are finding a positive correlation between high fruit and vegetable intake and mental health outcomes. According to the CDC, less than 10 percent of American adults are meeting the recommended daily vegetable intake. A home-blended green juice (not store-bought, which can be a source of hidden sugar and stabilizers) can be a step in the right direction of meeting those nutritional needs.
As for choosing a juicer, Javitch suggests a masticating juicer and something that is easy to clean. Her go to is the Omega Premium Juicer, which she calls “the Manolo Blahnik of juicers.” She added the caveat that “it’s not about having the best juicer, it’s about having a consistent routine,” and that for people starting out, she suggests trying out juices from a reliable shop before making the investment. Tom Wright recommends the Angel Cold Press Juicer, made in South Korea. The website describes it as “the Rolls Royce among the slow juicers.” For myself, I went with the Breville Juice Fountain, which I chose for the ease of not having to pre-cut vegetables into small pieces before juicing them. I also ordered a Smeg citrus juicer while I was at it because fresh orange juice is one of my simplest pleasures.
If you are getting into juicing for health reasons, there are a few things to keep in mind: While there are few studies in the medical literature on juicing specifically, there is extensive literature on fruit and vegetable intake improving health outcomes. One hundred percent juices are included when assessing fruit and vegetable consumption, but like we mentioned before: It's all about understanding the source and balance of what's in the juice. Another thing to keep in mind is that juicing (versus making smoothies) removes ever-so-important fiber from food. With the USDA recommendation of 28 grams of fiber daily, juicing should not replace whole vegetables during meals.
My perspective as a naturopathic doctor is that we are more inclined to change our daily routines when it feels simple and fun. I would recommend juicing for those looking for a healthy morning routine, for those who are looking for ways to include more vegetables in their diets, and for those who want a more creative take on seasonal produce. Yesterday morning, I started my day with celery juice. Last night, I noticed a bowl of pears in my kitchen, a day away from being over-ripe, so I ended my day with dessert of pear and lemon juice. I tell all of my patients to eat more plants—the foray into juicing is another way to do just that.
