Everything you Need to Know to Start Juicing

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The juicing diet is the healthy fad that won't go away - and for good reason! Not only does the combination of flavours taste delicious, juicing helps you get your 5-a-day (or 7-a-day!) and it's faster as it bypasses all that laborious chewing (because, really, who has time for chewing in our busy, office lives?!)

At Fruit For the Office we believe in a world where people enjoy their fruit however they like, whether it's whole, pureed, dried, in a cake, in a smoothie or juiced. So read on and we'll give you all the information you need to know about the easy and fast ways to start juicing.

Pros of Juicing

• If you're not a fan of your fruits and veggies (no matter how many times you try to do the aeroplane spoon to yourself with them) juicing is a delicious way to incorporate natural, healthy foods into your diet
• The last bits of office fruit going to go to waste over the weekend? No problem! Juicing is a great way to reduce food waste by using fruit that is just about to spoil - especially if you're one of those who are prejudiced against less-than-perfect fruit (Poor bruised apples, no-one will ever love you!)
• Studies show that eating more fruit and veg has a significant effect on your lifespan and all around health and wellbeing. So if you're finding it hard to get enough fruit and vegetables into your diet then juicing three, four or even five types into one juice will make getting your 5-a-day, easier and quicker
• Juicing your fruit and vegetables provides you with all the same vitamins, minerals and nutrients as if you ate them whole
• The high water content of fruit and vegetables keeps you hydrated
• As part of a balanced diet, fresh fruit and vegetables juice are an easy and delicious way to incorporate natural sugars, vitamins, minerals and general goodness into your diet

Cons of Juicing

• Turning fruits from a solid into a liquid concentrates the sugar content meaning that whilst a whole pomegranate, for example, only contains 12g of sugar, a glass of pomegranate juice has a whopping 37g of sugar. So if you're a calorie counter, add more vegetables to your juice mix. Also, make sure you keep looking after your teeth if you become a die-hard juicer!
• The sensation of chewing alone can make you feel more full so slurping your meals down through a straw may lead to you feeling less satisfied and will have you turning to bigger meals out of hunger in the long run
• Although people will pray to the altar of 'The Juice Cleanse' there really is no reputable evidence that consuming nothing but juice will detox your internal organs - they do that themselves. Fruit and veg will make you healthier and give you more energy but it really needs to be consumed as part of a balanced diet!
• We all need fibre and pulverising your fruits and veggies in a blender then removing the pulp means that you lose all the goodness of fibre in your glass of otherwise healthy juice. Fibre helps lower cholesterol, keeps you fuller for longer, maintains gastrointestinal health and regulates your blood sugar levels (which will spike sky high after consuming fruit, meaning juice without pulp will make that sugar rush - and inevitable sugar crash - kick in) 

Should I Buy a Blender or a Juicer?

The main thing that puts your regular office worker off of juicing is the cost of equipment. Both blenders and juicers can be equally as expensive as you will be paying for quality (and fancy settings) but whilst most people believe a blender and a juicer are interchangeable they are as different as an apple and an orange. They look similar but both have completely different insides, textures and tastes. I've broken it down as simply as possible to let you make an informed decision about whether you should be making juice in a juicer or a blender.

Blender

1.  Fibre

Whilst a high quality blender is generally cheaper than an equivalent high quality juicer, using a blender will give you a consistency much closer to a smoothie even if you add plenty of water - this is because as it blends the final product will retain all the wonderful fibre I've been harping on about. The inclusion of fibre is a bonus for some who are looking to add more nutrients to their daily diet but it can be a curse for those wishing to actually embark on a juice cleanse as it will activate your digestive tract and for those with sensitive stomachs who are not used to a high-fibre diet it may cause quite a few trips to the toilet for the first few tries. However, obviously, the fibre will keep you fuller and stop your blood sugar from spiking so it really depends on your body - and you know it better than anyone else!

2.  Prep

A blender may find it hard or even impossible to mash through whole fruits if you have a less powerful model whereas good juicers can suck in a whole apple and leave you with a glass of fresh juice. If you're low on time, having to peel, de-core and chop up each individual fruit and vegetable may not be right for your lifestyle.

3.  Easy to Clean

As blenders are easy to assemble, they're also easy to clean. Just a quick separation and run under the tap or if your blender has a clean function you can just add some soap and water and let it do its thing.

4. Supplements

Using a blender you can actually add supplements such as spirulina and maca root powder to your concoctions, ramping up the health factor even more.

5. Multi-functional

Not only can you make juices, you can make smoothies, soups, sauces, dips... anything that can be blended will be blended. If you sprung for a top notch model you can even start dropping iPhones in it*


*We are definitely not responsible for you blending your gadgets, so don't blame us for your curiosity!

Juicer

1. Stomach Shortcut

Due to the lack of fibre, fresh juice gives you all the nutrients without activating your digestion. This is ideal for people who have sensitive digestion and those who need to give their body a break to allow it to heal itself.

2. Energy Boost

Another positive for the lack of fibre contained in juice made in a juicer is the energy boost it brings about. The high sugar contain in fruits will get you wired - just make sure you've got an equal amount of veg in there to stop that comedown hitting too hard.

3. Unfufilling 

Juice can make you feel less full, in part due to the lack of fibre and also the lack of chewing involved. This could be a problem if you have a big appetite as you might start reaching for the snacks to get you through the day if you're embarking on a full-on juice cleanse.

4. Hard to Clean

With a lot of unseen innards and, of course, that pulp had to go somewhere, juicers can be a pain in the peach to clean. So both blenders and juicers have their time-consuming bits wherever it's chopping or cleaning.

5. Green without the Gag

Blending your fruits and vegetables, and thus leaving all the pulp in, makes the flavours much more pronounced. This means that if you try and make that Green Machine juice you saw on Pinterest that had a healthy dose of rocket in a blender you may be only taking one gulp of that before it hits the bin. However, juicing somehow makes it easier to disguise bad tasting veggies with good tasting ones as well as sweet tasting fruits than it does when blending. A good thing to know if your tastebuds are particularly sensitive!

Tweet us @office_fruit or Facebook us if you want to know more about juicing and whether this has helped you on your way to becoming a Green Goddess, or if you're still not convinced, a Peach eating Purist.

And as always, comment below! We love getting feedback and we may even write a blog based on any questions you've raised!

#FitFruitFriday - Best Pre and Post Workout Snacks

Nothing can derail a fitness regime faster than eating the wrong foods. From filling up on high-sugar energy bars to overindulging after your workout, there's plenty that can go wrong when fueling or refueling. Here's our easy list of healthy, easy snacks to enjoy and keep you going both before and after your workout.


Pre-Workout (Enjoy 30 to 60 minutes before any exercise)

• Fruit with Cottage Cheese: Try 150g of low-fat cottage cheese with fresh berries, sliced apple, raisins or even pineapple!
• Dried Fruit: Make sure it's no added/low sugar
• Peanut Butter with Apple: Slice up one medium apple and dip into 2 tbsp of low-fat peanut butter
• Fresh Fruit Salad
• Peanut Butter and Banana on Wholemeal Toast: 1 to 2 tbsp of peanut butter with 1/2 a medium sliced banana
• Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter: Dip celery into 2 tbsp of low-fat peanut butter
• Turkey Lettuce Wrap: Cooked turkey breast, onion, tomato and mustard (optional) rolled up in a large lettuce leaf
• Fruit and Nut Bar: Make sure it's low fat and low sugar
• Berry Smoothie: Blend ice with frozen berries and a scoop of protein powder - add skimmed milk for thickness

Post-Workout (Enjoy within two hours of finishing your workout for optimal muscle/tissue rebuilding and energy restoration)

• Peanut Choc Banana Smoothie: Blend 1 sliced medium banana, 250ml low-fat chocolate milk and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• Tuna on Wholemeal: Mix drained tuna (in spring water or brine) with chopped cucumber, tomato and/or onion and spread on a slice of wholemeal bread
• Apple and Cheese: 1 Medium sliced apple with a small stick of low-fat cheese
• Cereal and Milk: Medium bowl of high-fibre/low-fat/low-sugar cereal with skimmed milk (garnish with fruit if desired)
• Yoghurt and Berries: Low-fat plain yoghurt garnished with plenty of berries in guaranteed to hit the sweet spot
• Nuts and Raisins: A small handful of nuts and raisins or other dried fruits will satisfy both savoury and sweet cravings

Let us know in the comments if you have any other workout snacks to share! And remember to stay hydrated before, during and after your workout with plenty of water!

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#FitFruitFriday - Healthy Paleo Protein Pancakes Recipes

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At Fruit for the Office HQ, it's unanimous that pancakes are the best of the best when it comes to breakfast food.

And we're not talking about those thin, flimsy crepe pancakes - oh no - we're dreaming of their big, chunky, fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth American counterparts. 

Of course, these babies have had to sit tight in our subconscious as our new years resolutions put such delicacies on an indefinite hiatus.

But this was until we discovered the wonderful world of paleo pancakes: pancakes which are good for you and packed full of our favourite fruits. Control yourself, people, because we're about to share the secret to the world's best breakfast (Don't say we aren't good to you)

Lemon, Raspberry and Strawberry Pancakes

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups very fine ground blanched almond flour 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs 
• 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 1/4 cup strawberries
• Butter or oil for frying

Method:

End of Three Fitness - Paleo Lemon Berry Pancakes Recipe

Banana Oat Pancakes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups milk (nut or dairy)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• butter or oil for frying

Method:

Beauty That Moves - Banana Oat Pancake Recipe

Apple, Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes

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Ingredients: 

• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 peeled apple, diced small
• 2 tbs almond butter
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Butter or oil for frying

Method:

Paleo Newbie - Apple Cinnamon Banana Pancake Recipe

Paleo is essentially a low/no carbohydrate diet - also referred to as the caveman diet due to it's emphasis on cutting out processed food and grains.

It's really easy to stick to and has a huge focus on 5-a-day, so start hoarding the spoils from your office fruit box before the other fitness warriors in your office catch wind of your pancake plans...

Tweet us @office_fruit with your favourite fruit pancake toppings and we'll get searching for the perfect recipe for you! Also, let us know in the comments if you want some more fruity paleo recipes for other meals - we'd be happy to oblige once we've finished our third stack of pancakes.

#FitFruitFriday - Healthy Fruit Breakfasts

Be it a chocolate-filled croissant with a large Frappuccino or the greasy temptation of a McMuffin, the commute to work can be a healthy eater's worst nightmare. Blame it on boredom or hormones for causing the cravings but the main culprit is always skipping a balanced breakfast. You may think skipping out on the most important meal of the day will help you onto the path of losing weight or that your cereal bar packed full of sugar will be enough to last you till noon but you couldn't be more wrong. Eating a great, fruit-filled breakfast keeps you fuller for longer and helps you on the path to looking and feeling your best. So, save yourself the money and the empty calories by giving to-go breakfasts the shove and start picking out the perfect porridge topping from your office fruit supplier.

• Porridge with fruit

Any type of fruit tends to go great with porridge, from blueberries and strawberries to bananas and raisins. If you're missing sprinkling sugar over your bowl of deliciousness then add a teaspoon of honey or add some cinnamon to perk you up.

• Fruit Salad

Needs no explanation - chop up whatever fruit you fancy from your office fruit box and scoff it down with whichever toppings you like. Easy peasy!

• Yoghurt with granola and fruit

Easy to whip up in a hurry and can even be enjoyed in a tupperware during the dreaded commute! Flavoured strained yoghurt or plain greek yoghurt always tastes the best with some sweet oaty granola. Here's our simple granola recipe that'll keep for a whole month:

1. Preheat oven to 150c/130c fan/gas mark 2
2. Mix 300g rolled oats, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 125ml maple syrup, 2 tbsp honey and 1 tsp of vanilla extract in a large bowl
3. Add any seeds or nuts you wish at this point e.g. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds
4. Tip onto two baking sheets ensuring it is spread evenly
5. Bake for 15 mins then add any dried fruits or unsweetened coconut you wish.
6. Bake for a further 10-15 mins before removing and leaving to cool
7. Once cool, store in an airtight container, ready to be enjoyed!

• Cottage cheese topped with fruit

Whether it be flavoured, plain, low-fat or full-fat, just top it with any assortment of fruit you like, along with some nuts or seeds too - for a protein & fibre-filled crunch!

• Banana Cocoa Pancakes

The Healthy Foodie has graced our tastebuds with this these angelic but sinfully delicious chocolate pancakes. We've omitted the recipe for the sauce so you'll have to go to her for that but we assure you it's just as delicious as you're imagining.

• ½ banana
• ½ cup coconut water
• ½ cup egg whites
• ½ cup spelt flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• A pinch of salt

1. Mix all ingredients together using a food processor
2. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray on a high heat
3. Pour a dollop onto the pan and once little bubbles form on the top, then flip.
4. Cook other side for approx 30 seconds then transfer to warm oven whilst you cook the rest
5. Stack them up and garnish with the low-fat chocolate sauce and raspberries/strawberries/bananas

What's your favourite healthy breakfast this new year? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @office_fruit with your most Instagram-worthy photos of your morning meal!

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