Juicing or making smoothies is a good way of getting high levels of good nutrients into your body thus fuelling our body both physically and mentally and giving us more energy. Fruit and vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants, helping cellular repair, boosting our immunity and slowing the ageing process.
Juicing means you remove the fibrous part which fills you up, so that the nutrients are easily digested and quickly assimilated for optimal results.
Smoothies still have the fibre in them so are good for gut function & immunity.
Aim for more vegetables (80%) than fruits (20%) as fruits contain sugar even if it is natural.
As juicing & smoothies bring different advantages, it is a good option to opt for a combination of both in order to get all the benefits of each.
You may initially experience feelings of ache and pain as the body gets used to receiving all these nutrients: this is normal and in fact, indicates that the detoxing and cleansing are taking place.
Extra Add-Ins:
- A handful of oats/quinoa flaxes/millet flakes – for a more filling smoothie
- Nuts and/or seeds to bring healthy omega-3 fats (or algae or seaweed), protein and minerals such as zinc. Soak the night before to make them more digestible and easier to blend
- 1 tbsp of flaxseed oil or ground flaxseed
- A spoon of nut butter
- A small avocado
- Carob powder – for a chocolaty flavour (available in health food shops)
- Yogurt or milk, for more proteins but if you are dairy intolerant or simply want to avoid it, you can opt for unsweetened non-dairy alternatives or whey protein powder to boost your protein levels & increase muscle mass & strength (unless your dietary intake is already sufficient)
- Include anti-inflammatory nutrients such as:
- small amounts of pineapple which contains bromelain (particularly the middle harder part)
- turmeric, ginger, rosemary, oregano, garlic, onion…
- green tea stewed overnight to use for the fluid base or matcha green tea
- dark green vegetables: broccoli, kale, spinach, lettuce, collard greens, bok choy
- yellow, orange and red vegetables (avoid tomatoes)
Top tips for juicing
- Wash fruit and vegetable thoroughly prior to use, unless using organic produces
- Remove hard skins and stones
- Choose fruit that is ripe but firm
- Drink as soon as possible after preparing, as juice that is left to stand starts to lose its nutrients
- Dilute juice 50:50 with pure water when giving juice to children
- Juice extras
– Wheat Grass
Contains very high concentrations of vitamins, enzymes and approximately 90 minerals
Provides 20 amino acids – the building blocks of protein
Wheat grass is sprouted wheat that has been grown into a young grass. Trays of wheat grass can be bought ready grown, or you can grow your own, or you can purchase freeze-dried wheatgrass powder. Juicing wheatgrass requires a specific juicer or juicer attachment.
– Alfalfa Sprouts
Claimed to have four times more vitamin C than citrus fruit
High in minerals, especially calcium
Rich in phytoestrogens, flavonoids, amino acids & chlorophyll
Commonly used to detoxify the liver and purify the blood
You can sprout you own, but ready sprouted are available from good health food shops.
– Barley Grass
Contains just about every nutrient except Vitamin D
High in calcium, iron, B12 & vitamin C
Provides Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) – a powerful anti-ageing enzyme
You can grow your own or buy barley grass powder to add to fresh juices.
Juice ideas:
Green juice
- 1 Apple
- 1/2 Cucumber
- 1/2 Lemon (peeled)
- 1/2 Cup of kale
- 1/2 Cup of spinach
- 1/4 Bunch of celery
- 1/4 Bulb of fennel
- 1″ of Ginger
- 1/4 Head of romaine lettuce
Nutrient dense
- 1 inch slice large carrot
- 1 apple
- 1/2 stick celery
- 1 small whole raw beetroot
- 1/2 inch slice unwaxed lemon
- 1/2 slice ginger
Green Magic
- 4 stalks Celery
- 2 Cucumbers
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Green Pepper
- 1 clove Garlic
Green Detox
- 4 stalks Celery
- 4 – 5 leaves Spinach
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1/8 head Cabbage
- 3 sprigs Dill
- 1 Lemon (no rind)
Liver cleanse
- 4 Carrots
- 3 stalks Celery
- 1 small Beet
- 1/2 cup Broccoli sprouts
Blood Purifier Juice
- 3 large Carrots
- 1 Apple
- 1cm cube Fresh Ginger Root
- 1 Beetroot (stem removed and washed)
Green Alkalizer Juice
- 2 Kiwi’s
- 1 handful Kale or Spinach
- 1 stalk Celery
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 handful Parsley
Red Ginger Zinger
- 4 x unpeeled carrots
- 1 x orange (peel a little skin off before juicing to remove bitterness)
- 1 x thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 x apple
- 4 x asparagus stalks
- 1 x small beetroot
Gruesome Greens
- 1 x head of green lettuce
- 3 ounces of kale
- ½ an unpeeled cucumber
- 4 x celery stalks
- 1 x thumb sized piece of ginger
- . small lemon juice
- 1 x small apples