Most of you have probably heard of the term ‘cold-pressed’ before. And you may have assumed that it’s healthier than ‘normal juice’. But what does it actually mean and, most importantly, is it better for you?
The simple answer is yes. Vitamins, minerals and enzymes, that are essential for your body and health, are kept intact by cold-pressing. Traditionally, extracting juice from fruit and vegetables has been performed by using heat and rapid-spinning blades (centrifugal juicers). This way, the juice is more likely to be oxidised, which kills off and breaks down the nutrients resulting in a less nutrient-dense juice. In other words, you will end up with a juice lacking most of the vitamins and minerals that fruit and vegetables contain. Cold-pressing is a form of slow juicing. This extraction method involves pressing and squeezing out all the juice from the vegetables and fruit and separating it from the pulp. Cold-pressing juice is a slow but efficient process – no heat is used, which means more nutrients, and less oxidation occurs, which means less foam. And voila, you will end up with a super-powered juice, exactly what we here at LUHV want and create for you.
This way, the juice is more likely to be oxidised, which kills off and breaks down the nutrients resulting in a less nutrient-dense juice.
Some people may ask, “Why can’t we just blend the fruit and vegetables into a smoothie? Why is cold-pressed juice ‘better’? Doesn’t blending fruit and vegetables keep the fibre which will help us feel fuller for longer?” Well yes, we are not saying smoothies are not also good! However, when you make a juice out of fruit and vegetables, you will need a lot more fruit and vegetables than what you would need for a smoothie. What does this mean? Well, a more powerful juice with a lot more nutrients! Moreover, most smoothie and juice companies tend to add a lot more fruit than vegetables to their drinks to make it sweet and delicious, resulting in a higher sugar content. At LUHV, we want you to enjoy a LUHV drink without having to worry about the sugar content!
Another thing to point out is that when cold-pressing fruit and vegetables, every fruit and vegetable is pressed in isolation, whereas in a blender you would have to blend everything together. Why is this important? The processing times. In a juicer, the fruit or vegetable only gets processed for about 0.1 seconds, whereas in a blender it gets processed for 60 seconds or more. What does this mean? The cells of the fruit and vegetables get broken down which can cause nutrient loss. However, fibre also gets broken down which means that it’s pre-digested and easier for your body to absorb. So, all in all, both smoothies and cold-pressed juices are good for our bodies but in different ways. If you want a proper nutrient boost, pick up a cold-pressed juice from LUHV!