I juice, therefore I am.

By Guest Blogger Andrew Kohn.

I have a confession to make and it's not a pretty one; I've fallen prey to the juicing craze. Once only reserved for the body-builder or new age hippie, juicing has now swept across America, picking up housewives in Salt Lake City, mixologists in New York City, and every Oprah watcher in-between. Isolated in my little kitchen, I thought I was immune to this tornado until the day I was re-gifted a juicer. No spinach, carrot, kale, or cranberry has been safe since.

But the real question is, why do I juice? Leafy greens produce about as much liquid as they look like they would, and you can only get so much out of a chunk of ginger. Sure, I could just use celery and cucumber, but I require flavor. Oprah's green juice recipe isn't too shabby, and if it's good enough for Oprah...but I also need some variation. And undoubtedly, there's some hidden team that produces the glass of juice to her majesty sans the mess that naturally follows a juicing session.

One problem is that doesn't keep for long. Some pulp will invariably make it into the glass. Let it stand for a few minutes and the strata begin to appear. The stages of juicing are revealed - the actual liquid, the fine sediment that successfully navigated through the sieve, and the foamy vegetable meringue that rests like whipped cream on top of the entire concoction. Stir that baby up and take a sip. Delicious. Don't stir it up - well, you're re-paid for your lazy attitude. I will admit there is nothing lazy, however, about my juicing. Freshly prepared every morning, it's not the smell of bacon that wakes up the house but the jarring buzz of parsley meeting a cruel fate.

You're mission, if you choose to accept, is to juice. The machines can be reasonable - instead of a morning $3.50 latte, buy the juicer and feed it some veggies. They're also staples at garage sales across the country - but don't let that deter you. Those people were quitters! And you're a winner! I bet you'll feel better and maybe even shed a few extra pounds in the process. Experiment with different flavors and compost the leftover vegetable pulp. Fresh juice has numerous health benefits , including an increase in metabolism and a preventative against cancer and heart disease.

I freely admit I've bought into the craze, sipped the proverbial carrot-ade, and wonder where I'll go next?! Hummus instead of mayonnaise? Gluten-free pumpkin seed toast instead of my English muffin? Carob chips instead of Hershey's! Now let's not get carried away. My bunker has been reinforced against those tornados and my pantry is fully stocked with provisions!

Do you know where to get some good juice in town? Please email a comment to dcfud.writers@gmail.com,and after a healthy inspection I'll report back!