Properly cutting your fruits and vegetables is a key and important step while juicing.

If you skip this process, then your beverage may end up with unwanted rind, pulp and skin. Plus, you can also seriously damage your juicer.

This doesn’t need to be a long and tedious process.

Most produce will only require a couple quick cuts.

Obviously the less powerful your juicer is, the more prep work you’ll need to do.

How to prepare your fruits and vegetables!

• A helpful tip to keep in mind is that if you wouldn’t put it in your mouth that way, then you probably wouldn’t want to put it into your juicer.

• Before juicing any produce, make sure you wash it well, removing any soil and pesticides. If your produce has a wax coating, be sure to wash it extra well.

• You only need to cut your produce up enough for it to feed through the mouth of your juicers chute. Some items may go in whole, others you might simply need to slice down the middle.

• A tip for juicing leaves: roll your leaves up into a bunch and follow it with a fruit or vegetable that has a high volume of juice.

Skin: It’s OK to juice fruits and veggies with their skin on. Often times the skin contains powerful nutrients, so it’s beneficial to juice them.

Seeds: The only seeds that MUST be removed are those of a Pomegranate (both inside and out). All other seeds can be used with your own discretion. Please note that there is some health risks associated with certain produce.

Stems & Tops: The only stem that does your body good, are grape stems. All stems should be removed. The green tops of your produce should also be removed.

Pits: Never put pits into your juicer because they can damage your blade and possibly seize the motor. Common fruits with pits are Cherries, Mangos, Apricots and Peaches.

Rinds: Most juicers can handle juicing your rind, but your beverage will probably taste much better without it. Often times citrus fruits will end up having a tart flavor, so unless your recipe calls for it, keep the rinds out. If you do decide to juice with your rind, then a little extra pressure might be required. Use a slow, gentle twisting pressure to process. Be careful not to use excessive force.

Not recommended for juicing: Some fruits and vegetables simply do not have enough water to be processed in your juicer. Produce like Bananas, Coconuts, and Avocados are better off sitting this one out.

The thought of cleaning a juicer is enough to turn one off from juicing all together sometimes, what with all the moving parts…it can be a daunting task. I know this story oh so well.

When I first started juicing, my endeavor got off to a puttering start, because every time I juiced, it seemed like a chore having to clean my juicer. At one point I was juicing twice a day, and thus cleaning my juicer twice a day. I have learned a great many lessons about juicing.

Get the right juicer, and you might spend less time cleaning!

The first step in picking the perfect juicer is to take inventory of your juicing needs. If you are juicing for a large family, then a heftier electric juicer is likely the right choice for you. If you are a solo juicer, something smaller and perhaps manual may be all you need – and that will make cleaning easier for you.

Some people have a serious aversion to cleaning ANYTHING, so if this is you, consider buying a juicer that is 100% dishwasher safe. The LEXEN Healthy Juicer is a manual juicer that can be disassembled and placed in the dishwasher – I know, because I have one!

Handwashing may be unavoidable…

If an electric juicer is more your speed, hand washing is in your future. Step one, as is step one with anything that has the power to chop all your fingers off, is to unplug the juicer.

Then remove and rinse all the pieces that are dishwasher safe. Rinsing is essential because with all the gunk associated with juicing, it is a tall order for a dishwasher to eliminate it all. Wash the remaining parts and wipe down the juicer – spills and splashes are inevitable.

One last tip about handwashing

And lastly, always wash your juicer blades by hand, even if the manufacturer says it’s okay to place them in the dishwasher. In my experience, whenever I have placed a blade of anything – my food processor, blender or juicer – in the dishwasher, the blade has become dull.

When juicing, a dull blade can quickly cause frustrations, and we all know that juicing and cleaning is already a relatively involved task. Doing whatever it takes to make the process easier is a plus.

Getting bored while washing your juicer by hand?

Here’s some handy tips for keeping busy while you work.

• Play some music on your iPod (Oprah puts out a great podcast called “Health and Wellness Channel – it’s worth checking out!)
• Juice for a friend. They’ll likely hang around the kitchen while you clean.
• Assemble an intelligent, personal robot capable of human emotions to clean your juicer for you.
• Do squats between part rinsing.
• Turn on the radio and jam
• Pretend your not cleaning. Imagine yourself on a secluded Jamaican beach with an unlimited supple of freshly-blended Pina Coladas.
• Have the kids clean the juicer in exchange for fresh juice!
• Stage a mental breakdown related to juicer cleaning in front of your significant other, and then storm off into another room in a panicked and sudden madness. He/she will likely feel terrible and clean your juicer for you.
• Use your Jedi-Mind Tricks.