I’m sure I’ve preached enough praises for green smoothies on this blog already. And if I haven’t, I soon will. Just. you. wait.
There’s a time and place for a good green smoothie.
…..but there’s always time to get juiced.
Have you met my baby?
It’s a shiny brilliant thing of beauty, I tell you. Some boys polish cars ’till they can see their reflection in the sheen. Me… well, me and my boy Breville, we tight. And he sure is miiiighty shiny. (You don’t need this schmancy juicer though. A Jack Lelane will do just fine.)
Juicing is a beautiful thing for your body because it really does all the work for you. Since the fibre is already pushed out as pulp, the nutrients can skip most of the digestion part in your body, and instead go straight to work where they’re needed most. Juicing first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach is ideal, so that all of the goodies and greens can be absorbed straight into your bloodstream—but since there’s no fibre to slow it down, it’s optimal to juice with a ratio of at least 80% veggies to 20% fruits. With too many fruits, all that sugar goes straight to your bloodstream—you’ll be shakin’ in your skivvies!
It’s easy to play around with your own juice creations, but for a general rule of thumb when it comes to veggies, start with your leafy greens and/or herbs (ie. kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro), then add your water-based veggies (cucumber, and celery are both great, you could also use carrots) to flush out the drink, add any extras (I like a little ginger, garlic, or half a peeled lemon), and finally, if you want to sweeten it up a bit, some fruit (half an apple, pear, or a beet). If you juice all willy-nilly, the thicker produce can clog up the machine and make it difficult to get all of the wet juicy goodness out of your less dense veggies. And that would just be a gosh darn shame.
Beety Bliss
Juice ingredients in the following order:
A few sprigs of parsley
2 stalks of kale (you can wrap the parsley or any leafy greens around a more solid vegetable to ensure it’s juiced properly)
1 handful of spinach
3 stalks celery (organic please! conventional celery contains some of the highest number of pesticides due to its thick skin!)
1 beet
I think a thumb of peeled ginger would taste great in this one too!
If you’re juicing for the first few times, and are a little scared of the taste, I find it helpful to throw in a few ice cubes and a straw—c’mon now, doesn’t it taste just like a regular grape drank?
kale and kass (with a side of sass) 