Equipment
As you upgrade your lifestyle and get more into living foods, you'll need some equipment. With all the different juicers, blenders, dehydrators etc to choose from, it can be a nightmare knowing where to start. It's easy to make expensive mistakes with products which then sit around unused. I have tested pretty much everything that is out there, and recommend (and mostly own) the following.
Juicers
Green Star Elite in Chrome
The ultimate juicer for the style-conscious health seeker. A brilliant twin-gear machine which will last you for years. It juices everything, including tough fibrous leaves and wheatgrass. Producing a very dry pulp and extracting maximum nutritional value from your produce, it's the only juicer you'll ever need.
Green Star Elite in Chrome
Green Star Elite in White
This is the twin-gear juicer that I have at home, and I use it every single day. The heavy duty, extra-long Jumbo Twin-Gears provide the highest juice yield and enhanced nutritional value compared to any other juicer. Most of the working parts can go in the dishwasher. It's just like the chrome one above, but... white, and less expensive.
Green Star Elite in White
Green Star Elite in Grey
This is the twin-gear juicer that I have at home, and I use it every single day. The heavy duty, extra-long Jumbo Twin-Gears provide the highest juice yield and enhanced nutritional value compared to any other juicer. Most of the working parts can go in the dishwasher. It's just like the chrome one above, but... white, and less expensive.
Green Star Elite in Grey
Green Star Pro Commercial Juicer
The Greenstar Pro Professional Juicer unleashes the very best nutrition that nature has to offer, utilising advanced All Stainless-Steel Jumbo Twin Gears to get the most out of all your vegetables and leafy greens. The new twin gears are coupled with other design improvements that make Greenstar Pro easier to set up, easier to use, and easier to clean than ever before. The All Stainless-Steel Jumbo Twin Gears are an advanced impeller press system that rotates at a low 110 rpm and generates minimal heat while juicing. The Greenstar Pro also has magnetic and bioceramic technology embedded in the Jumbo Twin Gears that produces fresher juice that can be stored longer, with minimal loss of the precious enzyme and vitamin content in the juice. The magnetic and bioceramic technology contained within the Jumbo Twin Gears helps stabilize your fresh juices, allowing for longer storage times with less enzyme and nutrient loss.
Green Star Pro Commercial Juicer
Solo Star 4 in Chrome
If your budget doesn't stretch to the Green Star Elite, the next best thing is the Solo Star 4. It's the best of the single auger (single gear) juicers and it produces the driest pulp of all in its price category. it's easier to clean than the Green Star Elite too. Bonus!
Solo Star 4 in Chrome
Solo Star 4 in White
Slightly cheaper than the chrome version above, this juicer will also juice everything including tough fibrous leaves and wheatgrass.
Solo Star 4 in White
Solo Star 3
The Solo Star without the redesign of the Mark 4 model. A good single auger juicer at a great price, it also juices everything. In black, it looks pretty cool too.
Solo Star 3Slowstar
Some people prefer an upright juicer because they take up less space. I have tested some (including the Hurom) and really didn't like them. However, I recommend the Slowstar as the best upright machine if that is your preference, because it it really well built. It doesn't give as dry a pulp as the Solo Star, and doesn't come close to the Green Star Elite, but if you're short on space in the kitchen this is a fantastic compromise.
Slowstar
Z-Star manual juicer
Practical and portable, this is a great little machine for juicing wheatgrass. Perfect for travelling, you can take it anywhere. Some arm-power is needed because it's a manual machine, but remember, exercise is good for you.
Z-Star manual juicer
Citristar citrus juicer
Make citrus juicing easy with the Citristar. Perfect for juicing limes, lemons and oranges for all your healthy recipes, it ensures maximum juice extraction with its powerful motor. It's easy to clean too.
Citristar citrus juicerBlenders
Everyone seems to have a Nutribullet these days. However, that's not the only personal blender available, and I have to say I am a big fan of the Tribest brand. Here are 3 that you might like to weigh up before buying a Nutribullet.
Tribest 150 Personal Blender
Compact, easy to use and easy to clean, this is the perfect blender for anyone wanting to dabble in smoothie and raw sauce making. It weighs just 1kg and it's BPA-free too. It's a robust little machine at a great price.
Tribest 150 Personal Blender
Tribest 250 Personal Blender
Similar to the 150 above, it also has continuous and pulse modes, and comes with a "commuter" cup for healthy drinks on the go.
Tribest 250 Personal Blender
Tribest 350 Personal Blender
This machine has the same features as the 250 above but comes with a glass drinking mug and air-tight glass mason jars to keep your ground nuts, seeds, sauces and smoothies fresh for longer.
Tribest 350 Personal Blender
Vitamix Vita-Prep 3
This is my choice of big blender for when you want to get serious. It's a professional machine that is in daily use in my kitchen. It's fast, easy to clean and can blend absolutely everything. It's not cheap, but think how much some people spend on fancy coffee makers...
Vitamix Vita-Prep 3Dehydrators
I'll confess, it took me a while before I bought a dehydrator, but for making crackers, warmed recipes and raw breads, pizzas and biscuits you just can't beat them. Once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Sedona Dehydrator
This nine tray, digital food dehydrator accurately and efficiently distributes heated air to dry foods better and much more evenly when compared to many other dehydrators. With an overheat protection feature and digital timer, it's a feature-packed, sturdy machine that will last you for years.
Sedona Dehydrator
Sedona Combo Dehydrator
With dual-fan technology, meaning you can use 4 trays, 5 trays or all 9 trays at once, plus a glass door so that you can inspect your food as it dehydrates, this is a feature-packed machine at a great price.
Sedona Combo Dehydrator
Sedona Express Dehydrator
With 11 trays and a more compact design than the other two Sedona models, this "kitchen-friendly" machine is suitable for the space-challenged. Sedona’s advanced digitally controlled timer allows you to kick-start the dehydration process by starting at a higher temperature (FAST mode) for the first few hours, then automatically switching to a lower temperature (RAW mode) to finish off the job. Brilliant!
Sedona Express DehydratorSprouting
Freshlife Automatic Sprouter
Sprouting is a huge part of the living foods lifestyle, and here's an automatic sprouter that enables you to grow healthy small-leaved green sprouts hydroponically and with minimum fuss. Taking up very little countertop space, all you have to do is remember to change the water in the reservoir once daily. I don't know how I ever managed without one.
Freshlife Automatic Sprouter
Nut milk maker
Rather than buying pasteurised, cartoned mut milks as a dairy substitute, you can now make your own. With the Soyabella (which is not just for making soya milk I can assure you), which is compact and easy to use, isn't it time you gave it a go?
Nut milk maker
Yolife yoghurt maker
Shop-bought yoghurts are usually made with cow's milk and are frequently laden with added sugar. With this in mind, you could make your own with nut milk. Yolife maintains the optimal environment for the active cultures to turn your choice of milk into nutritious yoghurt, filled with gut-friendly probiotics. Why not try it yourself?
Yolife yoghurt maker