Juicing basics with Currys

A couple of weeks ago, the day after a few too many cocktails in Leeds, I went to a blog event about wellbeing, juicing and yoga.

I’d spent much of the afternoon and evening before working through the impressive drinks menu at Manahatta with my old work family. As I woke the next day I couldn’t help but wish the event was set to be about full English breakfasts or fish and chips.

Still, probably some real nourishment was what my body needed, despite what it was telling me.

I don’t own a juicer but am open to the idea so was keen to learn about how to use them, understand more about the nutrition of juicing and come away with some good recipes.

When I walked in to the event space at Lambert’s Yard the sun was streaming in through the old industrial building’s windows, and all the colours of the rainbow were on show in fruit and veg form.

I do love healthy, fresh food, although it tends not to be the food I want when I’m hungover. I snack on fruit, love meals packed with vegetables, and crave them both if I have a day or two when I don’t get enough, usually when I’m away from home.

The nutrition of juicing

Juicing is a great way of packing nutrients into your diet, because you use raw ingredients and your body finds juice easier to digest. Important to point out though, as Natalie did, that you should combine juices with healthy meals, rather than replacing the latter, which would slow down your metabolism.

The event organisers were Joe Blogs working with Currys. This was a busy blog event with more than 50 of us, and we were split into five groups to rotate through different stations. First up, my group was with nutritionist Shakela Shan.

She taught us that supplementing your juice with a ‘superfood’ – like matcha powder or chia seeds – is an easy way to get goodness that can cleanse the digestive system, boost energy and help you lose weight. Adding a protein, healthy fat or fibre boosts your juice and helps keep you fuller for longer. Turmeric is a good one to add and can help joint pain, according to Shakela.

It was the first time I’d seen matcha in the flesh. Although this green powder is unappetising to look at, I added it to my juice and couldn’t tell the difference taste-wise.

A recipe for radiant skin

Here’s a recipe Shakela gave us which is her favourite and a good one for radiant skin:

♥ 2-3 carrots

♥ 1 apple

♥ 1 red pepper (seeds removed)

♥ ½ inch ginger root

♥ ½ teaspoon flaxseed oil

It seems juicing is really simple, which is great news for someone like me, who a) is quite lazy in the kitchen, b) is quite crap at cooking, and c) rarely has time for breakfast at home. I’m always too hungry to skip breakfast, so that means I usually grab a couple of crumpets or slices of bread and toast them at work. A shot of juice before I walk out the door would give me a much better and healthier start to the day.

At the other stations, we had the chance to put together our own juices, and it turns out that – short of remembering to take the stalk off an apple, remove the stones from plums etc and take the skin off oranges – you can basically just throw the whole fruit in and the machine does the rest.

I drank several different concoctions and although some were better than others, there wasn’t one that was bad.

Beetroot is brilliant

Beetroot is a really good vegetable for energy, the immune system and lowering blood pressure and while they’re not easy to incorporate into every day meals, they’re a great addition to juices. Try them combined with apple, carrot, cucumber and a nub of ginger.

Rocket yoga

Next up, we were onto a ‘rocket’ yoga class, led by Amanda. With its beginnings in San Francisco, rocket yoga is quicker than the typical variety, so improves stamina as well as strength and flexibility. I’d been really looking forward to the yoga section as I’ve been wanting to start going to a class for ages. (If anyone knows of a good class in Wakefield please let me know!)

Though only a 15 minute-or-so session, I could feel my heart rate had increased and my muscles were beginning to feel tired. I was super proud that I could still do ‘the crow‘, something I haven’t tried since I was a gymnastic kid.

However, the ‘downward dog’ brought my headache right back, with a vengeance. By now I was craving carbs, and we didn’t hit the soup and bread station until last. Finally, we got there, and I have to say the mushroom and truffle soup was delicious, and filled me up. But not enough to stop me grabbing a bar of chocolate in the train station on the way home. Oops!

Have a look at Currys’ write-up of the event on their blog.

Are you into juicing and do you find it helps you have a better diet? Care to share your favourite recipe?