This Recipe Could Save Your Life

Joe Cross was Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead until he started juicing.

Like most people I know, I should drink more fresh juice, and like most people, I recoil at the idea of spending $12 at one of the many slick juice bars that have popped up across the West in the past few years (let’s forget that I’ll happily pay $12 for a negroni; that’s my cross to bear). Juicing, like yoga and taxes, was something I knew I should do more often but just didn’t.And then I met Joe Cross.Even before he stopped by Vancouver I had seen his Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead videos that are mainstays on Netflix. In those, the Australian Joe cruises around the U.S., juicing in his car and trying to convince people of the benefits of juicing by telling his story of ill health and obesity.  I peppered him with questions:Is Juicing or Blending better? He loves both. He told me to think of juicing like drinking and blending like eating: both are good but serve different needs based on how quickly they’re absorbed by the body (juices faster, smoothies slower).What sort of machine do I need? Joe is a Breville man, which was handy as I already own their Boss blender (which looks a sight nicer than a Vitamix, btw). He said for a newbie like me, a centrifugal juicer would be best as it’s less expensive (so I can keep buying those negronis) and easier to clean up (more tips on buying juicers here). We talked about what to put into the juicer. Mostly, he got me jacked to start juicing.And it worked—I juice about twice a week now (Joe said a day in the fridge won’t degrade the juice all that much) and I blend the other days. I feel better, especially getting a heretofore absent dose of veg in the morning. It’s thankfully become part of the morning routine and if I don’t quite have the same energy Joe has, I take solace in the fact that nobody has the same energy he has. But I have more than usual, which is good enough.For Joe’s original, classic green juice recipe click here.