Juicing can be an easy way to get a burst of nutrition without all the bulk. Find out the best ways to start juicing and try these easy and yummy recipes.
I did this fun video on juicing with my friend Rachel. You can see the video on Rachel’s channel. And if you’re looking for more information on the juicer we used, it’s the Breville juicer. The book we mentioned in the video is called Honestly Healthy, and it’s a great resource if you’re interested in learning more.
Juicing is a great way to sneak tons and tons of veggies into our diets. It’s also an instant source of nutrition, since our bodies don’t have to digest all of the vegetable fiber.
However, there are a few things to consider before you start your own juicing routine.
Did you know that above ground vegetables, particularly greens, contain anti-nutrients that can be potentially harmful at large doses?!
If you think about it, it makes sense. Plants want to survive, so the parts that animals can see (the above ground parts) contain some toxins that serve to make them less appealing. This includes goitrogens, polyphenols, tannins, lectins, oxalates, etc.
In small quantities these things are absolutely fine to ingest. In fact, some quantities can even be beneficial to us. However, when we juice, we need to use large quantities of these greens to actually create juice. This means we are getting much larger doses of those anti-nutrients, which can cause problems in some people.
To combat this, you can use select greens that have large levels of these toxins as accents and stick to safer fruit and root vegetables to serve as the base ingredients in your juice.
These “safe” ingredients for your juice include:
- Carrots
- Beets
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Fennel
- Peppers
- Ginger
And of course, fruit itself. Most is fine to juice, but these are some of the best and most popular:
- Apples
- Lemons
- Oranges
- Pineapple
If you want to add some greens to your juice, opt for romaine, green/red, and butter lettuce. These options are better to use than kale, spinach, carrot, and beet greens.
It’s also good practice to blend vegetables and fruits, so you’re not getting TOO much sugar in one hit. Granted, the sugar in juice is natural sugar, but our body still needs to process it. Too much is not good.
You can even add some fat to your juice to further help balance your blood sugar.
Juicing Recipes
OK, now on to the awesome recipes from Honestly Healthy.
Liver Love
- 1 large beet
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 3 carrots
- 1/2 handful of flat-leafed parsley
Juice and enjoy! And, yes it’s worth nothing that this is a high sugar one. Just keep that in mind as you plan the rest of your meals and snacks for the day, and you’ll be fine.
Immune Booster
- 3 beets
- 2 red apples
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- juice of 1/2 lemon (I just put whole lemon in juicer, but take off the rind if you’re sensitive to any bitter tastes.)
Juice and enjoy!
How about YOU?
What are your favorite combos to use for juicing? I’m always looking for new and delicious ideas, so I’d love to hear all about your favorites in the comments below.
