Can Juice Really Make You Healthier?

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Get Fresh One of the most effective strategies to control calories, maximize variety, and increase the nutritional value in every glass is to create your own fresh blend at home. That's because you can handselect the kinds of fruits and veggies (which nearly always contain fewer calories) you're using. And if prep time has held you back from snacking on produce, juicing literally lets you cut corners: Most items can be popped whole in your juicer (rind, skins, and all) or cut into large pieces to fit the feeder tube.

While there are three types of juicers– masticating, triturating, and centrifugal– the latter is the easiest to use and the most affordable. Usually priced between $100 and $200, "the centrifugal type works by first grating or finely chopping the produce, then spinning it at a high rpm [revolutions per minute] to push the pulp against a straining screen," says Cherie Calbom, author of Juicing for Life. "When shopping around, look for a model with 600 to 1,000 watts of power and removable parts that can go in the dishwasher."

Need more guidance? After putting several popular extractors through their paces, these three earned the highest overall marks for speed, ease of use, and quick cleanup.

Best value: Juiceman Junior Model JM400 ($70; at Wal–Mart) Built to run at two speeds, this chrome–plated extractor is stylish enough to display on your countertop between uses.

Easiest cleanup: Breville Juice Fountain Compact ($100; brevilleusa .com) This streamlined model takes up less counter space than other juicers out there and was designed with removable, dishwasher–safe parts. Extras like a splash–proof lid and shock–resistant plug make this extractor as smart as it is compact.

Ideal for big families: Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Pro ($150; powerjuicer.com) Thanks to its sample size and huge feed tube, you'll do very little chopping before adding fruits and vegetables to this stainless steel extractor. A straining element allows you to reserve the fiber-rich pulp to use in soups, salsas, muffins, and other recipes.