Have you ever considered juicing at home? If so, I highly recommend the Acme Juicer. While not inexpensive, it is one of the least expensive juicers on the market that still does a good job of juicing a large variety of fruits and veggies.

We purchased our Acme Juicer about five years ago after we learned of the health benefits of juicing. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices contain many beneficial nutrients and enzymes. And because the fiber is removed from the vegetable or fruit, it is much easier for the body to digest. Unfortunately, store-bought juices don't provide the same nutritional benefits due to the processing they go through. That's why fresh juicing is a must if you want to juice for health reasons.

The Acme Juicer (or juice extractor) is manufactured by Waring. This well-respected company has been around for years, and it's likely you already have a Waring appliance somewhere in your kitchen. We purchased the Acme Juicer 6001 which has a stainless steel basket. On the internet, this model can be purchased for less than two hundred dollars and can be expected to last for years. Ours still looks like it did the day we unpacked it from the shipping box and works just as well, too.

The other great benefit of the Acme Juicer is that clean up is fairly quick and easy. Before purchasing this juicer, we tried a more expensive juicer that supposedly was a better product. We found the clean up to be so time-consuming and difficult that we stopped using it. Fortunately, we didn't give up on juicing and gave the Acme Juicer a try. Not only is the clean up easier, but it produces a better tasting juice as well.

Here are two tips that we have found to produce a better tasting juice that you may find helpful. First, be sure to use the filters that come with your Acme Juicer. This produces a nearly 100% pulpless juice that simply tastes better in our opinion. The second thing we found that helps the juice to taste better is to remove the outer part of the vegetable or fruit before juicing. For example, with carrots we use a vegetable peeler to remove a thin layer of skin before juicing. When using the Acme Juicer, this produces the most delicious carrot juice we've ever had.

It's true that some nutritients may be lost by peeling away the outer part of the fruit or veggie. However, it's my opinion that if the juice tastes better, you will drink it more often. In the long run, this will bring about more benefit than the nutrition that is lost from peeling.

I haven't tried giving fresh juice to our pet birds, but here is a great article if you'd like to learn more about juicing for parrots. If you've ever considered purchasing an Acme Juicer, now you have a great reason to give it a try!