Juicing 101: Is Cold Pressed Better?

Who doesn’t love a cold glass of juice? Specially in the heat of the summer! There is a lot of buzz these days about juicing and specially, cold pressed juices. But are they worth it? Is Cold Pressed Better than regular, refrigerated juice?

First, let’s talk about juicing! Juicing can be very healthy and nutritious if done the right way. The Idea is to take raw produce (veggies and fruit) and juice or blend using a machine to extract the “juice” from fruits and veggies. Juicing is a delicious way of getting vitamins and minerals and great for those who cannot handle high fibre due to digestive issues.  

You can create juices in a number of ways using juicers, including centrifugal and cold pressed juicers at home or  purchase them from a store. As far a as store bought juices, you have the option of buying the typical brands (aka Tropicana) in the refrigerated aisle, unrefrigerated ones or cold pressed.

The typical store bought juices (think Tropicana Orange juice) are made using the traditional centrifugal juicers. Centrifugal juicers cut the cell wall of fruit using a fast spinning blade, essentially killing it! This process also creates heat and friction which destroys all the good vitamins and enzymes found in veggies and fruit. To preserve the juice, additives (including food dyes and what is known as flavour packs)  are added to centrifugal juicer. As you may have guessed it, this process is not the healthiest for creating and consuming juice!

Cold pressed juice on the other hand is made using a hydraulic press to extract juice from fruit and vegetable. It is far more nutritious as produce is saved from the heat and sharp blade used in centrifugal juicer. Cold pressed juices can last 3 to 5 days (without preservatives)!

So which is better? Are cold pressed juices worth the higher cost?  If you are looking to drink juice for its nutritional benefits, then cold pressed is the way to go! The whole idea behind juices is to extract the vitamins, minerals and enzymes found in fruit and veggies. Cold pressed juicing is one of the only methods out there that allows for this. You should note though, cold pressed juice should not replace eating veggies and fruit. Produce in their entirety also contain pulp and fibre which are just as nutritious as the juice! A good meal plan (like the one here) will also ensure you are getting the right amount of nutrition for optimal health!