Review: The Juice Master - Over 100 Delicious Juices and Smoothies by Jason Vale

I recently purchased a juicer and a family member gave me this book to read for recipe inspiration. I've really enjoyed it, and I'd go so far as to say that The Juice Master goes further than a regular recipe book in that it provides details on the vitamins contained in each juice and the way in which it will 'juice' those that drink it.  

The easiest way to demonstrate this is to share a recipe from the book. Today feels especially cold so I'll share a juice called 'Cold War'.

Cold War
1/4 pineapple
1 orange (peeled but leave the pith on)
1 inch of lemon (with skin on if unwaxed)
1 teaspoon Manuka active honey
4 ice cubes

Juice the pineapple, orange and lemon.  Pour the juice into the blender and add honey and ice. Blend until smooth.

Look what's in it!
Vitamins B6 and C, calcium, folic acid, iron, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, natural sugars, plus active antibacterial honey.

How will it help ward off my cold?
This juice is loaded with vitamin C, which is not only a natural antibiotic but also helps dissolve mucus.  The active Manuka honey also has powerful antibacterial properties. The impressive showing of the anti-cancer king - beta-carotene - and the enormous quantity of anti-oxidants all help to build your natural defences.

With over 100 recipes in this format, this is more than just a recipe book, it's a treasure trove of information and also contains juices designed with particular health benefits in mind. With an index sorted by name of fruit and vegetable, it is easy to find what you are looking for.

The documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead has made juicing very popular again although I didn't hear about it until I was buying my juicer. Watching it I found it very inspirational; have you seen it?  Excited by the documentary, I asked my Doctor if I could do the juice fast and she gave me an emphatic 'no.' Oh well.

In summary, this is a gem of a juice book and I'm reluctant to return it.  If you have a favourite juice recipe you'd like to recommend, please share it in the comments section, I'd love to try it out.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!