Vitamix v. Juicer 
#23914
11 y
9,060
† Cross †
I have a Vitamix and am very happy with it. In fact, when I bought it I gave away my Champion juicer...mainly due to lack of space.
Now, however, I have gained weight and want to try juice fasting. I used to do The Master Cleanse about twice a year, but stopped two years ago, as it got difficult for me for some reason. I am 66 years old, prehaps my age and being retired and less active had something to do with it. At any rate, I've let myself go a bit, and so I am afraid I would have to many cleansing reactions.
I want to try juice fasting to both lose weight and detoxify as I am feeling an urgent need for both, but hesitate to rely on my Vitamix, since it does not remove the pulp, and therefore I fear it would add extra calories and it would not rest my digestive system enough.
Considering my needs, is there enough of a difference between the two types of juicing to make the purchase of another juicer to supplement my Vitamix worth while?
PS:
I want to use a lot of wheat grass, and I'm not sure how my Vitamix would handle that. I mean, I know it would liquify it, but having the pulp in there might make the drink to bitter.
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
8,880
This is a reply to # 2,046,315
I can guarantee you that a Vitamix is not a substitute for a juicer - particularly when you mention wheat grass. I owned a Vitamix for a few years and gave it away because it is nothing but an overpriced blender and there are blenders out there that are better and cheaper than Vitamix. I know, Vitamix pays some guy to visit my Costco every couple of weeks where he gives a carnival schpeel and tries to make believe that a Vitamix is a juicer - and it isn't.
When it comes to grass I used to have several racks of grass growing in trays by the window in my living room and juiced it with my Green Power juicer. You have to have a gear juicer for wheat grass to get anything out of it and even then you need a load of grass to get any juice and when you get it - it tastes horrible. It also never provided me with a single benefit and I still have Ann Wigmore's original book on her wheat grass juice discovery on my bookshelf. While I think she was sincere, I don't think that her story held much truth to it.
I have done several short term (10 day) juice fasts and also one of 21 days and you have to do them often for there to be any benefits or you will gain your weight right back. Again, I never found any real benefit from them and gave them up a long time ago.
The best kind of fasting that I've found for weight loss and health in general is the every other day fasting/dieting. Eat regularly one day and then no more than 500 calories the next. That also becomes difficult though because there are always family events that don't follow your schedule and it is difficult to stick with the program. Also in one of the books on the alternate day diet (either http://www.amazon.com/The-QOD-Diet-Eating-Every/dp/0977461408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=U...
or
http://www.amazon.com/The-Alternate-Day-Diet-Skinny-HealthierLife/dp/03995349...)
it says not to do the diet if you are over 65. I'm in my 80's and never had a problem with it.
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #23914
11 y
8,654
This is a reply to # 2,046,331Thank you for your reply. I do think that the Vitamix is good for "drinking" your vegies, as it does liquify them much better than a blender. I believe this is called juice feasting...since you consume the entire vegie.
I also have done five or six (Master Cleanse) fasts...and one 37 day...and fasting did change my life, in that I not only lost a lot weight, but I cured myself of hip pain and lowered by blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I did not gain the weight back because I ate vegan after that. Fasting slows your metabolism and so you have to eat carefully for a similar amount of time in order for it to come back up. You also have to mind your manners after that. If you go back to bad habits, of course the weight will come back. I did't keep it all off, as it is inevitable that you will regain 3-4 pounds due to food in various stages of digestion remaining in your system, but I lost about 35 pounds with my long fast, and kept 25-30 of them off for five years or more. I did that by changing my eating habits (which was surprisingly easy to do after a long fast) and doing short, three day fasts now and then. In fact I am still not as big as I was before that.
A lot of things came up after that...dental implants, complicantions from dental impants, moving to another state, not working any more...that changed my lifestyle habits..not for the better. Now I am paying for it.
I am surprised by what you say about wheat grass. I have heard nothing but good things about it.
I am thinking about buying an Omega 8004 or VRT350X or HD. They claim to juice wheat grass and other greens really well. I am not sure what you mean by a "gear" juicer.
I will check out the websites you send me.
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
9,009
This is a reply to # 2,046,336
The Omega 8004 is a gear/masticating juicer though it is a single gear juicer. The Green Power (and others) are a twin gear juicer.
Regarding Omega 8004 and wheat grass - go to the top of this page to get a honest review on its ability to juice wheat grass.
http://www.amazon.com/Omega-8004-Juicer-Color-Instructions/product-reviews/B0...
I never had a problem with my Green Power for wheat grass as the gears were adjustable and if things didn't masticate properly you could loosen the gears.
I've had several juicers and there is no perfect juicer. You can spend a couple of thousand dollars and you will probably still have problems but because I didn't like wheat grass juice I use a centrifugal juicer - the Breville JE98XL if I remember right, and found it to be much better at extraction, easier to use, and easier to clean.
When you start juicing you open up a whole new world. Have fun!
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
8,697
This is a reply to # 2,046,338I have the Omega 8004 and I haven't had a problem with Wheat grass. I grew about 5 trays and then got tired of dealing with the the mess. Plus wheat grass has a sickly sweet taste. It might be the way she was feeding the grass in that broke the screen.
The 8004 is the easiest machine to clean that I've tried. Very good for greens and ok for everything else. I have recently cut down on greens because they might have hormonal effects.-
Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
8,743
This is a reply to # 2,046,343Some use the Vitamix for juice fasting with good results. You can either use a nut bag or just drink it whole. Using a nut bag would be the same as a juicer. Drinking the fiber might cause problems in the lower intestines causing endotoxins.
- Vitamix is not a Juicer #136970
11 y
9,111
This is a reply to # 2,046,370
If you own a Viatamix you know that in order to chop up veggies the instructions have you put ice and or water in the blender - because, it won't chop veggies without it! So, you can strain all the pulp out of a Vitamix chopped veggie that you wish, but you'll never separate the added water - that's where it falls flat on its butt. I know. I know the difference between Vitamix "juice" and real juicer juice - I've had both at the same time.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #23914
11 y
8,487
This is a reply to # 2,046,370Advertisement
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
Wow. Thanks for this. Where did she say you get those nut bags? Of course, you are not going to get the fiber as dry as a juicer, so there is a bit of waste....
By looking at the wheat grass farm you have in you message, if you have to do something like that, I guess wheat grass is out for me, as I have no room for something like that. I was hoping I could by wheat grass in the store....
I guess kale and chard will have to do.
I am not a man, so my weight loss will be slower than the guy in the first video, so I think I should use a bag. I don't even loose that much on lemons! Can you use a bag more than once? That seems like it would be kind of messy....
Have you ever tried it with a strainer? I bet you get more fiber in the juice....
My diet is much better than his tho, so hopefully, day 2 will not be so hard...at any rate, I am hoping this kind of fast will be easier on me.- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
9,184
This is a reply to # 2,046,406Wow. Thanks for this. Where did she say you get those nut bags? Of course, you are not going to get the fiber as dry as a juicer, so there is a bit of waste....
JAB
Mine came with my vitamix. I was using a paint strainer but this is much better.
By looking at the wheat grass farm you have in you message, if you have to do something like that, I guess wheat grass is out for me, as I have no room for something like that. I was hoping I could by wheat grass in the store....
I guess kale and chard will have to do.
I am not a man, so my weight loss will be slower than the guy in the first video, so I think I should use a bag. I don't even loose that much on lemons! Can you use a bag more than once? That seems like it would be kind of messy....
JAB
You can use them until they break.
Have you ever tried it with a strainer? I bet you get more fiber in the juice....
JAB
Sometimes I would use a strainer with my juicer. Good enough for me. I never strain when using a vitamix cause I'm not looking for pure juice.
My diet is much better than his tho, so hopefully, day 2 will not be so hard...at any rate, I am hoping this kind of fast will be easier on me.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
9,184
- Vitamix is not a Juicer #136970
11 y
9,111
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #23914
11 y
8,499
This is a reply to # 2,046,343Advertisement
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
I saw a video where Omega was having a problem with their screens and their phone system. Supposedly, both have been remedied. With the screens it was something about the manufactured using recycled plastic...or something like that.- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
8,983
This is a reply to # 2,046,407
The bum review on amazon regarding the Omega filter problem was a recent review.
After the wheat grass juicing failures my main juice was carrot juice with a little celery juice thrown in. I could juice fast on that for several days.
While Vitamix is a good blender, it would never work with trying to extract juice from carrots for example. What I did find in the several juicers that I owned was that the Green Power - my first juicer, was slow when it came to carrots and would accept only 1 carrot at a time. It was difficult to clean - which is a major complaint about that machine but I learned to get it torn apart and cleaned in just a couple of minutes. (You have to clean your juicer immediately after juicing or you will have a major problem getting it clean. In other words, you can't juice and then let it sit for a few hours and juice again - I tried it.)
After giving away the Vitamix to a relative I bought an Oster blender for $60 - http://www.costco.com/Oster-Blender.product.11599298.html?catalogId=10701&...
and to tell you the truth it is just one small step below the Vitamix which Costco also sells - for $500. For me, the Oster does everything the Vitamix did.
When it came to my carrot juice there is no way you could beat my Breville - I had two of them and if I remember right the JE98XL was the second one owned and was an excellent carrot juicer. I could juice 4 and 5 carrots at a time - they ran right through and they have 2 speeds which is great for carrots. The pulp was actually drier than my Green Power, and so much quicker.
I made a major relocation a couple of years ago and I don't currently own a juicer but may get back at it.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Steve888
11 y
8,525
This is a reply to # 2,046,411My Jack Lalane elite is still kicking after a year of constant use. Best $79 I ever spent. If it breaks I buy a new one.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
9,248
This is a reply to # 2,046,415
I know that the Jack LaLanne juicers are cheap but have steered clear of them because of the mixed reviews. The review site at Costco is a LaLanne juicer that is a step above the original yet it too has very mixed reviews - 68 of them:
http://www.costco.com/Jack-LaLanne's-Ultimate-Power-Juicer%e2%84%a2.product.11590808.html
Some folks are really happy with them, others simply have had bad experiences. Breville (at amazon) also has juicers in that price range and I've had good luck with them.
When I'm buying products I will look at either the amazon site for reviews, or Costco if they carry it. There isn't a juicer out there that has "perfect" ratings and when it comes to carrots - which is what I juice, some juicers can become ugly - including my expensive twin gear Green Power which simply took its time with them, one carrot at a time.
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
8,622
This is a reply to # 2,046,521I first bought a cheap centrifugal juicer to try out juicing, I think it was an Oscar or something. It was hard to clean and wasted produce so I rarely used it. Juice seperated after sitting like all centrifugal juicers.
Then I bought a jack Lalanne juicer. I thought it would be great because Jack said it was top of the line. It wasn't much better. I rarely used it and the cheap plastic bolt on the motor housing broke.
Next was the Omega Vert HD Juicer. Better quality juice. Much easier to clean. Juices greens also. Too much pulp. You have to feed it just right or it will clog. Anything stingy like Celery will clog it unless cut up into small pieces.
Finally I wised up and got the Omega 8004. Easiest machine to clean. Better on greens than almost any machine. Less pulp. Full bodied juice. The screen is very small so it is easy to clean.
Recently some technicians screwed up and re heated left over plastic when making the screen part and caused a problem . It doesn't matter because their is a 10 warranty on manufacture defects.
Now I bought a Vitamix and like it equally well to the Omega 8004. You can do much more with it.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
8,622
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
9,248
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Steve888
11 y
8,525
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
8,983
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Johny Apple Bomb
11 y
8,697
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer RONBN49
11 y
8,747
This is a reply to # 2,046,336I find my Vitamix is good for things like papaya,cantalope,bananas, strawberries and frozen fruits, but for the real true healthy drinks you can not beat an omega single auger juicer for extracting greens like wheat grass and greens is whats happening. Your champion would have also worked for greens.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
7,717
This is a reply to # 2,046,336Have you bought Omega? I find this LifeSpring Slow juicer online and looks great in juicing wheat grass.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
7,921
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
7,633
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
7,633
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
10 y
7,357
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
10 y
7,420
This is a reply to # 2,127,500LifeSpring juicer is not only good for wheat grass.. it can do more..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E--Thu1_VW4
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
7,921
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
9,009
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #23914
11 y
8,654
Re: Vitamix v. Juicer grassman
11 y
9,290
This is a reply to # 2,046,315Advertisement
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
Wheatgrass juice via the blender.
//www.curezone.org/ig/f.asp?f=2203
Juicing grass in the blender is fast and simple.It is also hard on the equipment as well.I own a vita prep 3 and would not use the 2peak hp unit for this task.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,589
This is a reply to # 2,050,391vita prep 3 and would not use the 2peak hp unit for this task.
I don't quite understand what you are saying. Is a vita prep 3 a variety of Vita mix? I have a Vitamix 5200...but I don't see anything about hp on it. I would hate to injure it....- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer grassman
11 y
8,761
This is a reply to # 2,050,752The vita prep 3 is the back of the house commercial model from Vitamix.Juicing grass with just a few ice cubes is hard on the machine and the operator.
It takes a lot of force to ram the grass down into the blades.The more grass in the carafe the more force needed.This puts a lot of stress on the motor and the carafe.
https://commercial.vitamix.com/Products/Food-Preparation/VitaPrep-3
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,586
This is a reply to # 2,050,978Advertisement
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
I see. The picture looks exactly like mine...but I don't know if it is. It wasn't that expensive.
I made a drink last night with cucumber, chard, parsley and wheat grass...with a splash of apple juice. No cubes, but I have used cubes before...and/or frozen fruit.
It had a little trouble getting started but I just added a bit more juice and then it was fine. Liquified everything in the blink of an eye...and the drink was smooth and delish. (I didn't strain this, I drank it whole. I will only strain when fasting.)
I do use my VM dry to chop carrots when I make dog food, but other than that I always add liquid.
I can see where it might be difficult with just grass and cubes.
I hope I am not hurting my machine.- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer grassman
11 y
9,095
This is a reply to # 2,051,161The vitamix blenders are designed for heavy use.The 5000 series are 2hp peak model.
The weak points are the drive shaft and the gears.These tend to get stripped and are easily replaced.
Time is the big advantage with the blender.What took over an hour on the greenstar2000.Took 15 minutes with the blender.
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
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- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,586
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer grassman
11 y
8,761
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
7,594
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,589
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer RONBN49
11 y
8,611
This is a reply to # 2,046,315Advertisement
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”I was surprised by the effectiveness of it, and I wasn’t hungry.”
I have a Vitamix and two juicers. I use each for different things. The Vitamix I use for such things as frozen fruit,fresh fruit,mixed with hemp hearts,flax, etc. One juicer I use for hard veggies like carrots and Celery etc, while the other juicer I use for orange juice,grapefruit juice,kale,apples spinach and other greens like parsley and cilantro. The Omega single auger is great for greens while the Breville is great for lots of hard veggies and does it fast, pumping out huge amounts of juice in a short time. If you are serious about juicing having them all is a good investment.There are many videos on u tube about all the juicers and what they are best for. I would never let go of my Vitamix or my juicers.
Sometimes I take my juiced veggies and toss them into the Vitamix mixing in some fresh cut aloe leaves,hemp hearts and ice cubes. I seldom use my kitchen for cooking unless it is a boiled egg or some bean soup and brown rice in the pressure cooker.- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,485
This is a reply to # 2,053,817Do you mean a:
Omega VRT350S Heavy Duty Dual-Stage Vertical Single Auger Low Speed Juicer?
Good grief. What a long name. I understand heavy duty, low speed and vertical parts, but what's with dual stage and single auger?
My actual question is which is better health wise...a vita mix or a juicer. I agree with you that it would be better to have both... but I have both limited funds, and even more important, limited space. That's why I gave away my Champion when I got the Vita Mix. I though drinking the pulp was healthier...and I didn't think I had room for the Champion. Now, I regret not keeping it.
I am assuming that a juicer would be better for fasting. My theory is you are not really fasting if you consume the pulp, but I may be wrong about that. I don't think I am wrong in thinking no pulp would equal more weight loss...
I got a nut bag for fasting with my vita mix, but I am thinking that there would be a lot of waste trying to separate the juice from the pulp by hand. The pulp was really dry when it came out of my Champion. But it was hard to keep it from falling into the juice bowl....
The Omega above...is not a masticating juicer like the Champion is, right? I am not sure which type of juicer is better. I like that Omega becuase it's small (vertical) and it sounds like it's strong. The picture shows it doing carrots and the write up says it does wheat grass really well, so I assume it does both greens and hard vegies. I would be doing mostly greens, but I would want to to carrots and beets too.
Do you think that would be the best compliment to my Vita Mix? Or should I get another Champion. I got a lot of foam with my Champion. I didn't like that, but maybe it's unavoidable.
Ease of cleaning is important too.
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer P4P
11 y
7,784
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer Raynbo
11 y
8,485
- Re: Vitamix v. Juicer #136970
11 y
8,880
