Jack LaLanne, a wedged shaped figure in a jumpsuit, was a lone voice in the 1950’s encouraging people to better themselves through exercise, fitness and diet change. Those years were the birth of the Standard American Diet (also known as SAD) and the modern junk food diet. He had tons of energy, he talked a lot and he talked fast about the power of diet change and the great benefits of raw food juicing. He was nuts for fresh juice at a time when American’s were just discovering ‘Kool-Aid’, an inviting drink all made of colored chemicals and tons of sugar.
A pure unabashed stuntman out to prove the long term benefits of diet change, he celebrated his 70th birthday by towing 70 boats to Catalina Island with his teeth. He pulled a lot of things in his career with his mighty teeth, including a freight train for two miles. He beat big bad Arnold Schwarzenegger, a dedicated beef man, at a contest doing push ups. At 96 he was still working out two hours each day. He was quoted as saying “Would you get your dog up in the morning, give him a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a donut?” I think the same goes for pop tarts, white toast and white bagels…..
A legend in his time, he was a great personality for selling his “Jack LaLanne Ultimate Power Juicer”, which is still on sale today. His fans call it ‘memorabilia’. Memorabilia is not a good sales pitch when purchasing a juicer. It’s not an emotional buy. This is an investment in your present and your long term healthy future. At first glance the juicer is priced right, but only because it’s made in China, the home of cheap parts. It only has a 90 day warranty. I do know people who have had theirs fall apart around 95 days, more broken stuff to store in the garage or put in the trash.
When I first started juicing to get well, I went through three juicers trying to get settled with the right machine. I needed one that would juice fruits, vegetables, greens and wheatgrass, and would be super, super easy to clean. The Omega 8005 juicer turned out to be the ‘King of Juicers’. A little more expense, yet it fit my needs perfectly. With a seven year warranty, there will be no chance of it letting me down in the long run. Oh, and it’s American made in Ohio, where the company first started out in the 1970’s. We now teach all our workshops and classes with the Omega and sell them at the Center. Our first one we bought is still going strong, making juice for myself, Joe, Lilly our Pooch, and the 40 or so folks at our ABQRAW MeetUp every month.