By Laurie Kavanagh

If you are interested in better health, have you thought about juicing? Juicing fresh, raw ingredients (both fruits and vegetables) is a great way to add super fresh fiber, nutrients, and anti oxidants to your diet that you simply cannot get from supplements. Unlike artificial supplements, the vitamins and minerals contained in freshly squeezed juice are in totally dissolved form, and are so ready to absorb. The body does not first have to break down any compounds to access the goodness, and nothing is lost, as is often the case with artificial supplements. (When you take solid supplements, much of the content is actually flushed out of the body before it is ever dissolved and absorbed.

A good, easy way to start juicing is with a hand juicer - a manual machine that allows you to make juice from any fresh ingredients. Hand juicers are a good start because they are less expensive than electric models, and they also take up less space - and don't need a power point to run from! This means less clutter in the kitchen, and less set up and clean up time.

It is true that a hand juicer wont make as much juice as a big electric model, but it is ideal for the single person, or a couple in a small apartment. The other factor to consider is that a hand juicer is actually better for certain ingredients - this alone may be a good reason to invest in one. Wheatgrass is one of these ingredients, being well known for its anti oxidant and generally detoxifying properties. However, it is notoriously difficult to juice well. It is very dry and stringy, meaning most electric machines will choke on it, extracting no juice at all.

A hand juicer, with its crushing grinding action (its also known as a masticating juicer - masticating means chewing in scientific circles) is able to slowly force a large amount of liquid out of dry ingredients. So wheat grass, parsley, and any thing else of similar texture.

Buying an inexpensive hand juicer is a great way to start off making your own super healthy drinks at home. A hand juicer is the best choice for you if you are on a budget, or if you enjoy the tactile experience of manually preparing food at home - think of it like grinding and brewing your own coffee - just healthier! Article Source: How a Hand Juicer Can Change Your Life