What is cold pressed juice?

You may often see the phrase “cold-pressed juice” on bottles and juice labeled on the store shelves.

But what exactly does this mean? And are all cold-pressed juices created equal?

As a holistic nutritionist for nearly 20 years, I’m here to answer all your juice-related questions, so let’s dive into it.

What is Juicing?

Juicing is the process of extracting liquid from whole fruits and vegetables, typically using a juicer or blender.

During the juicing process, solid fiber is discarded, and what is left over is vibrant raw juice full of vitamins and minerals beneficial to overall health and wellness.

There are various juicing methods used in the juicing world. And nope, they are not created equal. The juicer can directly impact the quality and nutritional content of the juice.

Here are some of the most common juicing methods:

• A Centrifugal Juicer - This type of juicing method uses a high-speed spinning blade to chop up fruits and vegetables, creating heat and friction. It uses force to separate the juice from the pulp. It is a quick and efficient way to get juice. However, the heat and friction caused by this type of juicer can impact the quality of the juice by raising the temperature.

• A Hydraulic Press - A hydraulic press juicer uses force to squeeze the juice from fruits and veggies. This method produces juice with minimal heat and oxidation, preserving nutrients and flavor.

• A Masticating Juicer - A masticating juicer is also known as a cold press juicer. This method uses low speed and a grinding mechanism to crush the juice out of fruits and vegetables. Unlike other juicing methods, this method preserves more nutrients and enzymes because of the absence of heat. It is the most efficient way to preserve the nutritional value of juice without destroying any of the naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This is exactly why we use this juicing modality at Raw Generation.

How Does The Cold-Pressing Process Affect The Nutritional Value of The Juice?

The answer is simple. It doesn’t as long as it’s in a raw state.

When you cook, heat is used. But what many don’t know is any type of heat virtually destroys some of the food's nutritional quality. The same is true for juice. Cold-pressed juice is the only juicing method that does not use heat, hence preserving the nutritional content fully.

The absence of heat in this process allows vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to be fully present in the juice, which is easily absorbed by the body when consumed. Not to mention, your body can digest them too.

At Raw Generation, we do not believe in pasteurizing our juice...ever.

What is Pasteurization?

Pasteurization is a method where liquids, mostly juices and milk are briefly heated to a certain temperature. The idea is to kill harmful bacteria and microorganisms, however, this process kills a little more than that, drastically impacting the nutritional content of the juice and taste.

This method was created by Louis Pasteur, and was initially intended for wine, but has since been eliminated in the wine industry for negatively impacting the taste.

If you see a label that reads “cold-pressed juice” in the grocery store, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. All juices in the store are pasteurized unless it’s made fresh from a juice bar (which can quickly become a very expensive habit).

Pasteurized juices vs. raw juices are two totally different products.

What is the Issue With Pasteurized Juice?

Aside from depreciating the nutritional value of the juices, pasteurized juice has a bad taste.

To make up for this poor taste, companies often resort to adding refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, chemical additives, and fortified vitamins. This takes a drink that was once healthy and makes it totally unhealthy.

Not to mention, these chemical preservatives then make it possible for a longer shelf life, which means these types of juices are sitting on grocery store shelves for months on end. That is anything but fresh.

And if companies are not pasteurizing their juices, they are High-Pressure Processing (HPP) them.

What is High Pressure Processing?

High-pressure processing or HPP is when intense pressure is used to raise the temperature of juices and smoothies but in an indirect way.

Although more nutrients are preserved this way as opposed to pasteurization, it still drastically impacts the taste and enzyme activity of the juices. This means companies still resort to using additives, preservatives, and other chemical concoctions that are not in your body’s best interest.

Many grocery store companies resort to this process because it drastically extends shelf life, which saves them money in the long run.

Raw Generation’s Process

As the holistic nutritionist at Raw Generation, it is my job to make sure that you get to reap the full benefits of cold-pressed juice—real cold-pressed juice.

We never heat, pressure-treat, or use chemical additives in any of our products, so you truly reap the many health benefits from raw fruit and vegetable enzymes.

Plus, the taste is always fresh and delicious, just as it would be if you had juiced them yourself.

Here is our process:

1. All produce is washed thoroughly to remove the likelihood of any bacteria or icky things.

2. All flavors are juiced using a masticating juicer fresh the day of.

3. They are quickly put into a blast freezer to flash-freeze, which preserves both nutrients and taste, without ever having to resort to adding sugars, preservatives, or fortified vitamins.

4. They are shipped frozen to you to be enjoyed at your convenience.

The Benefit of Drinking Real, Raw Cold-Pressed Juice

Now that you know about the sneaky marketing tactics in the industry, you can choose your next juicing experience wisely.

Whether you’re simply looking for a juice cleanse or to add some fresh juices to your everyday life there are so many benefits to making real, raw juicing a daily habit.

When you choose Raw Generation, you can experience:

• A boosted immune system - Since vitamins and minerals remain fully intact, so will your immune system. Concentrated levels of Vitamin C, found in our green juices or citrus juices boost immunity like no other. Other companies resort to adding sugar, which actually weakens your immunity.

• Body detoxification - Flooding your system with real, unaltered fruit and vegetable juices means you’ll gently be supporting your body’s natural detox pathways.

• Less Cravings - The majority of cravings mean you are deficient in vitamins and minerals. Juicing allows you to tune into your cravings and flood your body with fruit and vegetables, which significantly decrease cravings.

• Weight Loss - True nourishment combined with less cravings means you’re fueling your body right. The less you eat junky foods and the more you nourish your body, you naturally lose weight with ease.

• Glowing Skin - Yes, glowing skin is a direct result of cleansing. Why? Because fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that nourish our skin. From Vitamin A (retinol) to vitamin C, your skin will thank you.

• More Energy - Drinking juices that are not sweetened with refined sugar means you’ll get a burst of energy, minus blood sugar spikes. Natural fruit sugars take a longer time to metabolize in our systems than refined sugar does. The result? Sustained energy.

Yes, truly raw cold-pressed juices are worth the hype every time.

Experience the Benefits of Truly Raw Cold-Pressed Juices