I bought the Breville juice fountain ten years ago now and it is still going strong! Interestingly enough they have hardly even changed the design during that time. After this research I think I will upgrade to a slow juicer at some point the Breville I own just isn’t so good with greens! – B xx

Making fresh juice is great for busy lifestyles! Especially as a way to get more vital minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants into your diet. There is a lot of controversy over whether juice is good for you or not. Ideally, we would eat everything in its whole form but when we have busy lifestyles and are exposed to more environmental toxins than ever before it can be hard to meet all of our nutritional needs from our diet alone. A daily juice can be a welcome addition to make sure that we are getting everything we need.

That being said all juice is not created equal! The pasteurised orange juice that you buy pre-bottled from the supermarket is certainly not healthy and could be classed as a treat food. If you are buying juice while out try and look for raw cold pressed juice. The juice that you make yourself fresh at home should have a focus on organic veggies and only small amounts of fruit to sweeten. Since the majority of us a sorely lacking good quality organic greens in our diet making fresh green juice at home can be incredibly detoxing and beneficial to our bodies!

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1. BREVILLE JUICE FOUNTAIN (BJE200XL)
Breville seems to now be one of the leading juicer brands and have a large variety of model options. The Breville juice fountain is a hugely popular product at a great price point. It is also very easy to use and clean! Disadvantages are that quite a lot of pulp and fibre from the fruit can be wasted with this design. It can also be difficult to adequately juice greens and it is more suited to juicing fruit. With the centre feed design, whole apples can easily be feed into the machine to make it super quick and easy to use! Motor power is 700 watts. Another benefit is that it is very compact and can take up less counter space that other model juicers. $99.95 NZD (Amazon)

2. BLACK + DECKER JUICE EXTRACTOR (JE2200B)
The Black and Decker juice is a really economical, space saving design. Motor power is 400 watts. It has the option of managing how much pulp you want in your juice. You can also collect your pulp to use in recipes. All model parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. If you are looking for something small and simple to start juicing with this looks like a great cost effective option. $62.86 NZD (incl. shipping) (Amazon)

3. OMEGA JUICER (J8006)
The Omega nutrition centre is a masticating juicer which means the process of obtaining the juice is slower and kinder than the centrifugal juicers. More fibre, enzymes, vitamins and minerals are extracted and there is also less heat and damage to the fruit and vegetables in the process. This slow juicer also allows for less oxidation of fruit which means that juice can be stored for longer without going bad or losing its nutritional value. You can also use this model for greens and to make wheatgrass juice! (If using this juicer in NZ you will need an adapter plug). $242.89 NZD (incl. shipping) (Amazon)

4. BREVILLE SLOW JUICER (BJS600XL)
This is a slow, masticating juicer option from Breville. More nutrition is obtained from fruit and vegetables with this model compared with their cheaper, centrifugal models. Masticating juicers also mean more pulp and more fibre which make for a healthier juice. This model also claims to be very quiet compared to other juicer options in the marketplace. The vertical masticating design enables it to take up much less space on your bench top. (Amazon)

5. OMEGA SLOW JUICER (VRT330S)
The majority of the Omega juicers come in a horizontal design but this style is vertical similar to the Breville above. It has a two stage juicing system which enables it to get the most out of your fruits and vegetables. It is also easy to use and clean with dishwasher safe parts. It claims to be very quiet! $242.89 NZD (incl. shipping) (Amazon)

6. CUISINART JUICE EXTRACTOR (CJE-1000)
Cuisinart is a well-known juicer brand. This is a centrifugal model similar to the first Breville juice fountain. Like the Breville it has the capability to juice whole fruits and veggies – so no chopping! The motor power is 1000 watts. It comes with a five-speed control panel so you can choose how fast or slow you want your fruit and veggies to juice. It also comes with an easy catching pulp container and juice jug. $192.08 NZD (incl. shipping) (Amazon)

7. HAMILTON BEACH JUICE EXTRACTOR (67608A)
The Hamilton beach is also a centrifugal model that can fit whole fruits and veggies. It is very cost effective for anyone who is just getting started with juicing! The motor power is 800 watts. It comes with an extra-large pulp bin. No need to waste pulp there is a wide range of recipes online to make use of the valuable fibre of your juiced fruit and vege! It is also very quick and easy to clean and takes up a minimal amount of bench space. $96.88 NZD (incl. shipping) (Amazon)

Check out our quick four ingredient juice that is fantastic for eye health! ♥

(Photo: Luke Michael)