I’m proud to admit my devotion to juice.

We’re not talking about the kind sold in huge, sealed bottles at the grocery store.

Did you know that stuff is cooked for hours at high temperatures, blended with water and then, since it no longer even remotely resembles the fruit it originally came from, it has to be mixed with all sorts of essences, perfumes and oils to make it palatable again?

I have no interest in putting that in my body.

Fresh juices made at home taste better and are much healthier. In fact, once most people try fresh juice, they’re hooked and yeah, we juice lovers tend to be a little obsessed, but for good reason.

Here’s how you can recognize a juice fanatic:

1. When on a hike, your juice fanatic friend will be at least 15 steps ahead of you and springing up a steep, rocky path like a mountain goat because she has so much energy.
2. There won’t be any rotting veggies in his crisper drawer because he will have juiced them all. In fact, he might ask for the produce you were thinking of tossing out.
3. They’re the ones who grab 15 of the biggest chunks of ginger root at the farmer’s market and stuff them into an overflowing bag of produce while everyone around them wonders what on earth they’re going to do with all that stuff.
4. We realize this may sound a little nutty, but we kind of think that squeezing the juice out of fruits and vegetables is a lot like giving them a big hug.
5. Juice lovers know exactly what to do with all those exotic fruits in the fancy grocery store. Dragon fruit, Buddha’s hand, passion fruit, guava, prickly pears, mamey, soursop? Fruit punch time!
6. A juice fanatic can tell you exactly where the maca root is in Whole Foods, plus she knows every place in town where you can buy fresh turmeric.
7. He can open a coconut with ease.
8. They don’t freak out if they go to the bathroom and it’s bright pink. You know, beets.
9. If you happen to be out in public with someone who juices, several random strangers will probably approach them to compliment them on their gorgeous, shiny hair and perfect, glowing complexion.
10. The inside of a juicer’s refrigerator will likely look like something from a Potions class at Hogwarts: lots of jars filled with brightly colored liquids.
11. When everyone else at the office is fighting off the latest miserable bug going around, the person who juices will be the one without the tissues and Dayquil. If you ask her secret, she’ll smile mysteriously and sip her green smoothie.
12. We see the farmer’s market or the produce section of the grocery store as an artist’s palette; a world of delicious and healthy possibilities and we can spend hours there imagining the wonderful combinations we can squeeze.
13. They get more excited to receive a fruit basket than flowers on special occasions.
14. Two juice people can debate for hours the merits of cold-pressed, strained or blended juices. We understand this can be tiresome, but please, there are enzymes and fiber at stake here! This is important!
15. A devout juice lover won’t understand how anyone could possibly not be as excited about a combination of lime, green apple, mint and chia seeds as he or she is. (Seriously, it’s great, you have to try it). Here’s a similar recipe (just add the fresh juice of three granny smith apples).
16. If the house were on fire, forget the family heirlooms, they’re grabbing their juicer or blender on the way out of the inferno.
17. Instead of photos of all the cute stuff our cats are doing, our Facebook walls are filled with pictures of artfully arranged fruits and veggies and tall glasses of rainbow juices with colors swirled and layered like sand art.
18. We don’t need to wear perfume because we are always scented with citrus zest and herbs.
19. No, we aren’t part of some crazy cult. We just happen to have found a way to nourish our bodies that makes us feel great and tastes ridiculously good at the same time. We’re excited and we talk about juice all the time because want to share the love. Come on, try it and you’ll see why!

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Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Aytaç Üzüm/Pixoto