If you watch cable/satellite TV you can't go a day without stumbling upon a juicer infomercial. Whether it be Jack LaLanne's, Montel Williams', or some other brand, juicers are all the rage. In some cities, like New York, juice bars are slowly becoming as popular as coffee shops, sprouting out in every neighborhood. Many New Yorkers have switched from morning coffees to morning juices*.

Then in 2010 the movie Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead came out, won awards, and got people's attention. Joe Cross drank nothing but fresh veggie/fruit juices every day for 60 days, lost a ton of weight, and reversed his health problems. His message was that you can reboot your body's immune system and health with the huge doses of micronutrients coming from the juices of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Another indication of the growth of juicing is the fact that Starbucks has entered the game. Last year they bought Evolution Fresh for $30 million with plans to enter the juice bar business. They see the future - and the future is juicing.

It's not too hard to understand why juicing has taken off. There are several factors that I see. First is that we are becoming more and more interested in our food - where it comes from, how it's grown, whether it is good for us. We are buying more fresh produce directly from farmers at farmers markets. We ask if our food has been exposed to pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals. We are understanding that processed foods have no nutritional value and that the obesity epidemic is killing the current generations in this country due to poor eating habits.

This leads to a desire to do better by increasing our vegetable and fruit intake. The new FDA ChooseMyPlate.gov recommends that half of our daily food intake be from fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, many of us are picky eaters when it comes to produce. Juicing is a quick way to do so. In one large glass of mixed vegetable juices we can down the equivalent of a giant bowl of vegetables or an entire day's requirement. It's definitely easier than trying to eat it all.