I have been going to various sites and trying to compare them and it seems that the most reasonable one is the Green Life Machine. It rated the second best to the $2000 + dollar Norwalk press machines in regards to its ability to retain nutrients.

I will post some URLS for anyone interested; some of them have some very interesting things to say; others are just retailers. Some feedback would also be great.

Greenpower homepage
Retailers
Kitchentools Retailers
Bestjuicers webpageVitalityPlus

The last link has some comparisons in terms of enzyme retention of different juices, which is quite interesting. I'd like to know what you guys think.

Sincerely,
Seth

[ August 16, 2001: Message edited by: Del ]

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Del wrote:
Didn't Wai say also that the pulp slows down the digestion?

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What I meant was that the pulp is very hard to digest and this requires a lot of energy, while the pulp does not contain much energy or other nutrients; all the goodies are already in the juice. not that the pul is completely useless, but relative to the trouble the body has to go through to digest it, consuming the juices is far more effective.

Also, the pulp contains all the fiber, and fiber can only be bacterially decomposed. And this originates gasses and a swolen tummy. So it is not only more effective to drink just the juices, it also keeps your tummy flat and prevents gasses

[ August 16, 2001: Message edited by: Wai ]

The Green Life is a very high quality machine, and juices incredibly well, at very low temperature, no foam, so the enzymes are preserved (also, no dirty protein!). The juice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. It even juices wheatgrass, not that we need that any more! The machine is easy to clean. You can also make raw nut butters and fruit leathers from dried fruit with it, yum! Even baby food. The only downside is it takes up more counter space than the Juiceman type.

This is where I bought mine, it was the cheapest at the time, now I see their price is even lower: http://www.2-life.com/glform.htm
Just get the basic juicer, you don't need any of the attachments. I liked dealing with this company, the service was excellent.

Hope this helps!
Veronica

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I have an electric juicer. I cut the orange in half and then hold one of the halfs down on it to squeeze the juice out then I manually strain it.

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that works fine indeed, but only for the oranges...I personally would like to have most fruits juiced instead of blended; apples, pears etc.

I am real close to ordering the juicer you have and thanks for all your comments; they really helped! Do you clean the fruit with anything special? Did you get a brush to clean the unit with and does it do a good job? Another company told me they have a brush that works better than the one that comes with the unit you have. Do you put the whole fruit into the unit (not peeled, cut up or the pit removed)? Thanks a bunch for all your help!

One more thought, Del. I bought my juicer from that company three years ago (for $25 more!). You might want to confirm with them that they still include the same accessory package.

[ August 22, 2001: Message edited by: Veronica ]

I figured I would add one more testimony for the Green Life Juicer. It is absolutely incredible. Easy to clean, juices just about anything and the pulp comes out nice and dry (more juice extracted). I got mine for a great price from http://www.discountjuicers.com.

For anyone out there looking for a great fat to eat, try juicing coconuts. It makes a thick cream that lasts for a few months in the fridge. An incredible chocolate substitute is to blend the coconut cream with a few tablespoons of some raw, unheated honey and add a few tablespoons of raw carob powder. Totally delicious and a great way to get a load of good fats.

mike

Wai wrote: I added the link, so that people only need to click on it

[ August 22, 2001: Message edited by: Wai ]

Wai, I don't know too much about carob, except it tastes kind of like cocoa. A lot of people substitute it for cocoa because, I think (?) carob does not contain theobromides or caffeine.

You caught me just in time. I was going to order mine today. I checked your site and found them to be 30 bucks more than Veronia's site so I just ordered from Veronia's site! But thanks anyway! Also I appreciate all those comments about your juicer and of course I like the coconut suggestion. I am pretty new to raw foods way of life but I am really getting an education here. You will love this site...great people...caring!

So tell me how do you keep all that brown stuff out of the coconut juice and coconut? Talk about a brazil nut being hard to crack! A coconut is impossible! I have read how but it's still greek to me!

I have a Juiceman juicer (actually I own two, one for home and one for school) and it works fine. I'd never seen or heard about a Green Life juicer, although it looks great, the price difference is very large! Wow, that's expensive, my Juiceman was only $60. Anyway, if anyone else is thinking of buying one, I found some cheaper on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1266852422 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1266940590

$280 and $290 respectively.

I read that the Green Life Juicer makes nut butters, wow! Have you tried making Brazil Nut butter?? Also, does it juice very soft fruits like papaya and mango? My Juiceman Jr. refuses to juice papaya. What about bananas?

Yup, any kind of fruit. I have done papayas and mangos. If your juice is a little tart, you can throw in some grapes to sweeten it (although plain sugar is fine,too). I've even made tomato juice - it's nothing like what you buy in the store - that is all really cooked. I never tried bananas because it didn't seem like they would have much juice? You can even make baby food with it. I had a bunny that had dental problems and you'll kill them if you give them food that isn't raw so I made bunny baby food for him!

Thanks so much for the info. Wow! Now I really want a GreenLife Juicer, but they're so expensive!! I was just curious about the bananas b/c it seems like the GreenLife can get juice outta just about anything. Oh well, guess I'll just hafta dream about having a greenlife juicer...

Del, being new to the whole raw foods thing you'll find all kinds of fruit you never new existed. For instance, if you can get a hold of a young coconut (sometimes called a thai coconut), you'll be in heaven. The water is super sweet and the meat is soft, like jelly. Absolutely incredible!! The trick to opening up mature coconuts (the ones you usually see in stores) is to first drain the water by hammering a screwdriver into the 3 wholes on top of it. Then go to town on it with a hammer. Viola, you've got coconut. When you juice them, you don't have to get the brown stuff off of the meat, but DO get all of the shell off.

Good Luck
mike