The word "masticate" means to chew and normally when we thinking of chewing we think that we are breaking down something between two hard surfaces, such as our teeth. Masticating juicers work very much on the same principles in that they break down the fruit or vegetables between two hard surfaces so that the juice from them can be extracted.

The more conventional juicers such as the centrifugal type are widely available but they don't grind or chew the foods placed in them. With centrifugal juicers they have a high speed shredder disc which processes the foods and then centrifugal force separates the juice that has been extracted from them. Certainly using the word release is a good way of describing how the juice has been extracted using such a juicer.

As the liquid content of the plant cells is released the juice then spins out from the pulp. Although a centrifugal juicer is a quick and simple way of getting juice from fruit and vegetables, for health enthusiasts who would like to get more out of theirs they should be using a masticating juicer instead.

Masticating juicers, because they chew and grind the plant fibres between two hard surfaces at much slower speeds they actually extract more of the goodness from the fruit and vegetables. This means that the juice is not only more nutritious but more flavoursome.

The juice is actually squeezed out rather than being spun out by force and certainly masticating juicers will be recommended to people who use fresh fruit and vegetable juices as part of nutrition based therapy program. There are three different types of masticating juicers available and each employ the principles of grinding and chewing the ingredients between two surfaces.

1. Single Cutter Type - One such machine is the Champion Juicer and it has stainless steel teeth which are embedded in a cylindrical cutter. The fruit and vegetables that are being juiced are chewed by the stainless steel teeth and then the juice is squeezed out through a screen below. As well as offering speed and convenience the Champion also produces flavourful and nutrient rich juices.

2. Single Auger Type - With this type of masticating juicer it contains a screw or auger that rotates at low spread in order to crush and grind the foods placed in it against a conical shaped stainless steel sieve and which squeezes out the juice. A good example of this type of juicer is the L'Equip Omni Juicer and this one is effective for getting juice out of greens, leafy vegetables and wheatgrass.

3. The Twin Gear Type - Models such as The Green Power Kempo are ones that provide the most good quality juice. This processes the produce thoroughly and is forced between a tiny gap in between two cylindrical stainless steel gears that are rotating slowly.

These particular masticating juicers are those most often chosen by dedicated health enthusiasts, those who eat raw foods and for anyone who want to combat ill health. But it doesn't matter what type you use, masticating juicers get more of the goodness out of the things you are juicing.

Plus many offer a number of other health food processing functions so that they can help you to create nut butters, sauces, frozen desserts from fruit and much more. Although they may seem more expensive than other types of juicers a good masticating juicer will cost about the same as a good coffee machine.

Certainly the better models start at around £179 but you could spend more than £400 on one. However, masticating juicers are not as widely available in the high street so you may need to go to a specialist seller in order to get what you want.  You can certainly find a range of juicers online from a number of stores including www.ukjuicers.com