By Ricardo Mendez |Staff Writer|

Why juice your body with steroids when you can juice with fruits and vegetables?

There are many methods to making fresh juice, from squeezing fruit by hand and using fruit squeezers to the most recognized method of using an appliance.

“Juicing has taken the health world by storm, and millions of people are now gulping down pounds of produce by the glassful,” according to joybauer.com.

Many people are using this juicing method to help improve the overall intake of fruits and veggies.

“The average American is eating less than the recommended servings of vegetables and fruits a day,” according to foodrepublic.com.

CSUSB students find ways to intake the recommended daily values.

“I try to eat as many servings as I can a day but I find it hard to get all my servings because I’m at school all day,” said communications major Michael Banks.

Doctors recommend that we get 6 to 8 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.

Juicing can be a fast way to receive daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“It’s healthier you get more,” said student Herman Ruiz.

Juicing also adds a variety of vegetables to your diet that some would otherwise not consume.

According to mayoclinic.org, “There’s no sound scientific evidence that extracted juices are healthier than the juice you get by eating the fruit or vegetable itself.”

Replacing your meals with juicing is not a healthy method of dieting because juicing extracts nutrients from the produce and discards the insoluble fiber or the pulp.

The skin and pulp of the fruit helps the digestive system sweep toxins out of your body.

“I usually blend my fruits and vegetables because it uses the whole material,” said student Youngwook Park.

Although juicing is a health fad, some believe that juicing is harmful for your health.

“Juice detoxes are the worst thing that ever became commercialized. They’re horrific for people’s health. They crash people’s metabolic rate,” stated celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson.

The popular idea of using juicing for dietary and detox purposes is a common perspective, although the kidney and liver are already very effective at eliminating toxins.

“I don’t juice. I blend my fruits and vegetables, because it’s easier and cheaper,” said economics major Robert Todd Figueroa.

Not only do juicers extract key vitamins in fruits and vegetables, but they can also be expensive.

Juicers range from $50 to $400 according to moneyning.com.

Compared to whole fruits and vegetables that can last days in controlled temperature, squeezed juices spoil easier and faster, which in a sense spoils your money.

Vegetable juice is perishable, and can quickly develop harmful bacteria, so it’s best to consume the drink as soon as possible.

“I had a mixture of apples, bananas, beets and broccoli that I bought from Juice It Up, I left it outside for a day and it smelled so bad I almost turned blue,” said computer engineering major Daniel Barque.

With proper storage your juices can be good for up to 24 hours.

If you are going to juice, do your research and know what you are doing.