REPORT ON THE “OMEGA JUICER 8006” by Dr. Beatriz Bassó

WHEN YOU NEED A CONCENTRATED INTAKE OF NUTRITION, IT IS GOOD TO THINK OF JUICING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WHICH WILL PROVIDE MINERALS, VITAMINS, SOLUBLE PROTEINS, ENZYMES, ANTIOXIDANTS AND ORGANIC ACIDS WITH GREAT TASTE AND ALREADY PARTLY BROKEN DOWN, READY FOR DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION. THEN, YOU HAVE TO THINK ON A GOOD JUICER NEEDED TO EXTRACT THE NUTRIENTS EFFICIENTLY: THE OMEGA JUICER 8006!

The story:

My son was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that requires to avoid foods that trigger or irritate a spastic colon via the gastrocolic reflex that occurs when food enters the stomach, and to eat foods that soothe and regulate the colon. This will relieve and prevent painful spasms and cramps, gas, nausea, and bloating as well as establish the right balance of both constipation and diarrhoea, which are common to IBS. This is because people with IBS do not have a normal gastrocolic reflex response, and their colons tend to spasm irregularly and often violently, causing pain.

Having studied human nutrition as my first degree, a Master in Science in food technology, and a PhD in nutrition biochemistry, I thought I was probably the right person to treat my son about his condition through a dietary treatment. I came across the Omega juicer 8006 and the word “masticating” captured my attention because that was one of elements of the process of healing of IBS I was trying to convey to a ‘teenager’: to slow down the digestive process by eating slowly and chewing the food enough to breakdown the components to facilitate digestion and to lessen/decrease peristalsis reducing the work of the intestine to sooth the lining or the mucous membrane of the bowels. Well, the Omega juicer 8006 does the job!

Although a case study requires a formal scientific protocol and length of study time, the short term recovery through the dietary treatment I gave to my son was evidence enough that the diet was working “miracles” -as a figure of speech-, miracles being, the principles of nutrition and physiology at work. The extract of juices of different fruits and veggies fully charged with active enzymes, soluble proteins, organic acids, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins already partly broken down and ready for digestion, shortened the time of digestion with less energy loss and less organ effort; absorption thereafter is easier.

Different from blending or centrifuging, the masticating-pressing principle of this equipment extracts the nutrients together with the interstitial water from the cell structures contained within the tissue of foodstuff in a less damaging way, because during the process of extraction it does not generate heat, as it has no blades and the working speed in rpm [i.e., the rotation of the screw] is very slow, therefore less destructive to the chemistry of all the mentioned essential micronutrients which are very susceptible to temperature, pH, light, all factors directly affecting and promptly changing chemical structures rendering their surfaces to oxidative processes and diminishing their nutritional value.

There are other juicer equipments in the market, e.g., the centrifugal type juicer that spins the juice out of the pulp; the pulp ejection working with a blade as compared to the masticating juicer which grinds up the fruit and veggies having a stone mill like design – the advantage that you can grind leafy greens, wheat grass vegetables and all kind of fruits and veggies; it also has non juicing functions like mincing and making pasta.

I am very satisfied with the Omega juicer 8006 and tried different vegetables and fruits: from raw hard [carrots, apples, pears, celery, beetroot, and butternut squash...], to semi hard [pineapple, cucumber...] to soft [blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches...], to dried fruit [prunes, dates, apricots...] and leafy greens and herbs [kelp, spinach, water cress, mint, sage...] to grains and legumes. I found it great with lemons and oranges to make lemonade and ‘orangade’. I just washed the lemons or oranges, cut them whole lengthwise and processed; the waste comes out very dry and the juice is delicious with sugar, water and ice, beautiful colour and taste and you know it is full of nutrients. I also tried freezing some of the soft fruits, like bananas, and the result is a cold puree –ice cream like, very delicious.

The juicer gives more yield than other juicers because the waste pulp or residue comes out completely dry, meaning that the extraction is very efficient. It is particularly great for leafy greens. The lower water content of the fruit or veggies, the better the extraction process and the yield. Another advantage is that you do not have to spend a great time in the pre-preparation process; there is no need to peel, take off stems or stones, just simply wash and cut in the right size for the feeder.

So taking the fibre away by means of the juicer, the digestive process is facilitated and absorption is better carried out in less time providing you with immediate energy. I do not mean that fibre is not good for you body, in fact, it is important to clarify that there are two kinds of fibre: the soluble [SF] and the insoluble [IF], and both are important as dietary components; however in treating IBS it is important to feed the body with soluble fibre: SF means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, forming a thick gel thus preventing the rapid transit time and explosive bowel movements; in contrast, IF is metabolically inert and helps the bowel to pass food by making stools soft and bulky, promoting peristalsis and preventing constipation.

Taking away the fibre to ease digestion in my interest to treat for IBS, I found the juicer of great value because it facilitates digestion of the important nutrients without having to put the body into the strain and energy expenditure to digest all the fibre contained in the fruits and veggies and this way not only facilitating the absorption, but reducing the peristalsis to sooth the lining of the intestine. So in a way the juicer is making the digestive process simpler, it does it for you and the energy derived from digestion is used for healing instead.

The residue can be used for fillings or to make cakes or crackers, to add to compost or just as a natural source of fibre added to muesli or yogurt, so nothing is going to waste.

It is a delicate and sturdy piece of machinery at the same time, no vibration, noise or spatter, but strong motor to masticate hard structured veggies and fruits and even grains at low rpm, i.e., the extraction is very slow, so although not as fast as other juicers, it gains in quality.

Not very good though for larger quantities of fruit or veggies at a time (particularly soft and pulpous materials such as berries, mangoes, etc.) because the fibre/waste tends to accumulate and compact towards the narrow end of the screw, constraining /limiting the continuous flow of more material fed into the juicer, where it gets stuck, therefore even if you let the machine run for a longer period of time, this compacted accumulation forces the rest of the pulp to just go round the screw without being pressed onto the outlet. In saying so, however, for harder fruits like carrots, celery, apples, etc, larger amounts can be used at a time without the former being a problem. These pulpous fruits yield a puree more than a juice, which is also great for a bland diet or for babies. The juicer though, has a push button to reverse the direction of the screw and you can hold it anytime during the process to help the material reverse and back again to improve the motion and mastication through.

It is ideal as an “individual” juicer for smaller quantities that you can drink immediately instead of making a larger amount of juice and having to keep it in the fridge; one of the beauties of this equipment is that you can make any juice at any time with little effort in the moment. Nevertheless, due to the higher nutrition content and less oxidation as a result of the low speed of extraction, juices can stay fresh without oxidation for longer.

It is easier to clean than the like juicers, as long as it is clean readily after use, like the majority of juicers, I must say; but because it is really quick to clean, there is no need to put it in the dishwasher, although you could if you wish, on the top basket of the machine.

In conclusion, of all the juicers I have had in my life I believe the Omega Juicer 8006 is the best piece of equipment to do the job. Technically and nutritionally speaking, it is strong, great for raw diets, especially efficient for leafy greens with extremely good yield; nothing really goes to waste, easy to assemble and disassemble and the easiest to clean. It is good value for money considering the enormous health benefits of drinking concentrated ‘shots’ of nutrients and, in helping my son with IBS, it has facilitated my treatment immensely.

Dr. Beatriz Bassó 26 June 2010