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Cold-pressed juice is hot new health fad

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After years of persistent health problems, Natasha Hinshaw tried “juicing” and an organic diet. The results prompted her to start informally researching the benefits of juices. And earlier this year, Hinshaw came together with entrepreneur Rishaad Vazirally to create Bangalore’s first cold-pressed juice brand, Fresh Pressery.

Like all diet and fitness trends, the fad for cold-pressed juices started in Hollywood but soon caught on globally. In India, too, several entrepreneurs have realized that it’s a juicy opportunity.

So how is it different from regular fruit or vegetable juices sold in tetra-packs? Conventional juicers are centrifugal extractors which use a rapidly spinning metal blade to cut fruits. This releases the juices that are later separated from the pulp. Cold-pressed juicers or masticating juicers, on the other hand, slowly press mounds of fresh fruits and juices in a process that releases a minimum of heat.

Nutritionists say the considerable amount of heat generated by centrifugal juice extraction destroys valuable enzymes and oxidizes vitamins. Cold-pressing juiceries not only preserve more of these enzymes and micro-nutrients, they use only organic produce, making the end product even more desirable to the health-conscious.

Juice-lovers are also increasingly attracted to the kind of unusual ingredients used by cold-pressed juice makers, especially if you are used to plain old preservative-laden O.J at the breakfast table. For instance, Mumbai-based Raw Pressery, one of the first cold-pressed juice companies in India, uses produce that is either exotic (kale, vanilla bean, chia seeds) or homely stuff that no one’s ever thought of putting into juices like doodhi (lauki), aloe vera, amla). Started by Anuj Rakyan, 34, Raw Pressery uses Mumbai’s famed dabbawallah service to distribute the juices, which are priced at about Rs 150 per 250 ml bottle, to those who have taken monthly subscription. Raw Pressery also distributes the juices through corporate offices.

In Delhi and NCR, the five-month-old brand Juice Up has gone a step further, supplying cold pressed juices to a number of restaurants and cafes. “Restaurants are now making cocktails using cold-pressed juices since customers want healthier options,” says Manu Bhasin of Fresh Food Concepts that has launched Juice Up.

Avrio Rebello, co-founder of Mumbai-based Juicifix which has been endorsed by actress Sonam Kapoor, says it delivers to customers’ doorsteps daily. A bottle of Juicifix juices costs Rs 130.

Globally, the interest in cold-pressed juices has been spurred by health-conscious early adopters such as celebrities, who made the term “juice cleanse” famous. Well, juice cleanses are real. Fresh Pressery, for instance, offers one-day, two-day and intense three-day cleanses. The company delivers five-six bottles of various types of juices (with interesting combinations of ingredients) to the customer first thing in the morning, with a schedule for consuming them in a certain order. There’s also a master cleanse with purified water, grade-A maple syrup and lemon. While single bottles of Fresh Pressery juices cost Rs 225, a one-day cleanse is priced at Rs 1,500.

It is possible to make cold-pressed juices in small batches at home, but Vazirally clarifies that you can’t do this using your garden-variety kitchen blender. “The catch is the high cost of cold-pressed machines and of course, difficult access to organic and zero pesticide vegetables,” he explains. “Almost a kilo of vegetables and fruits go into making each of our juices coupled with the high costs of organic vegetables, so the pricing may seem high. But a lot of people understand this and are willing to pay a premium,” he adds.

Juice vs the fruit

Granted, cold-pressed juices are chock-full of unspoilt nutrients and brimming over with goodness. But one thing that’s missing is dietary fibre. Says nutrionist Dr Anju Sood, “While I am all in favour of cold-pressed technology and preserving essential nutrients in vegetables and juices, I am not too sure juice-only diets really work or are even recommended. The main thing missing in juices is fibre, and fibre is not just good for the system, it also acts as a filler and helps in weight-loss.” According to Dr Sood, starting or ending your day with a bottle of cold-pressed juice, or having it as a snack, is great – as long as you are also eating real food.

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