God I just want to squeeze that orange so bad.

Juices are touted as one of the most effective ways to get your daily servings of fruits and vegetables. By separating the liquid from your produce you create a highly concentrated source of nutrients, making it easy to meet daily nutritional requirements.

Juicing removes fibre, so you won’t be as full from juice as you would be drinking a smoothie or eating solid fruits and vegetables.

One of several benefits of highly-concentrated nutrient intake is that you can use juicing to target what you are missing in your diet and boost specific bodily functions. For instance, ginger can aid digestion, while a clove or two of garlic can revitalize your immune system, and juicing a few servings of raw spinach can bump your magnesium levels, which increases your energy and improves your mood.

Be sure to use a lot of vegetables in your juices and not just fruits. Vegetables help control sugars and are great for hydration, though some vegetables are better for juicing than others. Romaine lettuce tastes like dirt, for example, while celery and cucumber are refreshing and carrot is nice and subtly sweet.

Make ample use of ginger and citrus fruits to add flavour. Homemade juice is often very concentrated, which can be a little intense but you can thin out your juice with water if you so choose.

Fresh juices are available at most grocery stores. Equal parts carrot, orange and pineapple juice are easy to find and mix by hand.

The problem with juicing is that buying your own juicer can be expensive. Most new juicers range from $100 to $300. Booster Juice offers fresh juiced beverages but these juices are made up primarily of fruits, which pack a lot of sugar. For someone interested in incorporating juice into their everyday regimen, an overabundance of sugar is a concern. Juices with the least sugar use celery, cucumber or leafy greens as a base.

If you’re interested in juicing but are on a budget, a smoothie is a cost-efficient replacement.

Smoothies are a great way to add vegetables and fruits to your diet. They will fill you up faster and use a more economical amount of fruits and vegetables. Blenders are also much cheaper to come by than juicers.

Be creative with your smoothie choices. Most vegetables and fruits are usable, especially leafy greens.

For those who plan to start juicing, make sure to clean your appliances after every use. Vegetable pulp decomposes into  compost efficiently, which can quickly turn into mold.

Energy boosting juice

• 1 large cucumber, peeled
• 8 celery stalks
• 2 handfuls spinach or dark greens
• 1/4 lemon
• 1-inch piece of ginger

This juice is bright, citrusy and a little grassy. It is the perfect drink to wake you up in the morning.

Anti-stress juice

• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 3-4 celery stalks
• 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots
• 1 or 2 oranges if desired

The anti-stress juice is a little earthy but not bad. It tastes like carrot juice but has a murky, unappetizing colour. An orange or two for those who need it would make the juice a lot sweeter and would pair well with the carrot.

To reduce sweet cravings

• 2 apples
• 8 celery stalks
• Dash of cinnamon

This is for anyone who may have indulged too much over the holidays. The juice tastes like apple pie, but the celery tones down the sweetness of the apple. The cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar, which will lead to fewer sugar cravings.

Cranberry citrus juice

• 2 cups cranberries
• 2 limes
• 2 grapefruit
• 3 oranges
• 1-inch piece of ginger

Cranberry citrus juice is mouth-puckering sour and would be especially good thinned out with sparkling water or vodka. Be sure to remove the rind from the citrus or the juice will be bitter.

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Photo: CogDogBlog/Flickr