DO you recall being reminded to finish your juice at breakfast when you were a child? Well, the juicing trend seems to have caught on in recent years and if the number of juice bars and wide range of juices are any indication, it is most likely here to stay.

A fruit or vegetable juice (or a combination of these two dominant items in the food pyramid) is a quick way to fill your dietary intake. The possibilities are endless! Add other ingredients like kale, tofu or chia seeds and you have a nutrient-packed beverage that can be consumed on the go. 

However, as with most things, moderation is key and experts caution against substituting juicing for a full day’s meals. One way to maximise the goodness from juicing is to add the pulp, a rich source of fibre, back into juice upon extraction. Studies also suggest that it is possible to juice too much leading to unfavourable levels of calories and sugar being ingested, even without sugar or any artificial sweeteners. One way to avoid this from happening is to balance the flavours with greens or other less sweet fruits.

Stroll along any shopping mall and you are bound to come across a Boost Juice outlet with a variety of juices to choose from. If you like you can even customise your beverage with your favourite fruits and vegetables. Apart from that, here are some other options to quench your thirst for a delicious and healthy glass of juice. 

Cold pressed juice

Cold pressed juice advocates say that not all juices are created equal and that you will reap more nutritional benefits from the ingredients that go into your juice. This is owing to the method adopted that does not produce heat, which is said to potentially destroy enzymes, when extracting juices. LifeJuice Co offers an assortment of handcrafted, unpasteurised cold pressed juices purely from fruits and vegetables. Visit www.facebook.com/lifejuiceco or contact (016) 909 7871 for further information.

Juice packages

If you are a fan of juices but cannot spare some time to prepare them yourself or find juice makers to be too expensive or troublesome to clean then you may relish the idea of juices being delivered to your doorstep. Some juice brands have in-house dieticians who can plan a customised weekly juice plan based on your personal needs and requirements. Strip Juice delivers fresh juices like grapefruit, pineapple, orange, grape and coconut water to you. You can also opt for the convenient daily or weekly packages. Log on to www.stripjuice.com for more details.

Juice trucks

Craving a mid-work juice fix? Fret not because the bright pink Oh My Fruit Juice truck has you covered. The truck can be found at various locations in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya throughout the week, including Menara Millennium at Pusat Bandar Damansara, Lincoln University College and Jaya One. Oh My Fruit Juice offers a selection of fruit juices like The Papa — made from papaya, milk, milk and honey — or the Apple — consisting of green apple, Japanese cucumber and sour plum. Follow them on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/ohmyfruitjuice for location updates and to find out what’s new on their menu.

Organic juice

If you thought drinking juice was a healthy habit, you can now ensure an even healthier choice by opting for organic juices made from the most select fruits and vegetables. The Organic Juicery, as its name suggests, only uses organic ingredients for its products. Try the brightly-coloured Unbeatable Root (beet, kale, spinach, celery, pineapple and lemon) or the Hot Lemonita (lemon, agave and cayenne pepper) if you are feeling a tad adventurous. You can also go truly organic by returning the bottle to be recycled, within 60 days, and receive RM1 per 500ml bottle and 50 sen per 250ml bottle. More details at www.theorganicjuicery.com.my. 

Juice maker

Cater to all your juicing needs from the comfort of your home, any time of the day with your own juice maker. One example is the Hurom juicer that is said to preserve the pure natural flavour, colour and nutrition of fresh fruits and vegetables. The device extracts juices using a gentle squeezing motion that does not break down the enzymes but is powerful enough to maximise the amount of juice yielded. More information can be obtained at www.hurom.my.

This article first appeared in digitaledge Daily, on September 10, 2015.