Take Your Health To the Next Level With Smoothies + Juices Part 4: MY 'Green Machine' Detox Juice Recipe
Let Juicing Be Thy Medicine
Detox programs and cleanse products can take us on a rollercoaster ride. They throw us into a cycle of fasting followed by binging, and lead us to believe that we can alternate between eating junk and trying to reverse it with deprivation and unsafe dieting methods, only to go back to eating junk again. Phew!
Whole fruits and vegetables are a natural and safe way for our bodies to cleanse—they are both nutrient dense and free of harmful ingredients. If the vast majority of your diet were fruits and vegetables, then your body would be cleansing all the time! When you up your intake of whole foods, proper digestion and elimination begin to occur daily—that is true detoxification! Why would you only clean your body out periodically? That would be like only brushing your teeth once a month!
Cleansing and detoxification of the body should be happening on a daily basis!
Juicing is exceptionally good for detoxification and cleansing because the insoluble fiber is eliminated leaving you with a high water content drink that is much easier for your body to digest. All of the phytonutients, vitamins, and minerals go straight to your bloodstream and get to work on repairing cells.
I love my Omega VRT330S Juicer, because it's not overly expensive and gets the job done with minimal cleanup!
Go Green Or Go Home
I like to experiment with all kinds of different fruit and veggie juices, but green juice is especially beneficial. Juicing with primarily green vegetables and little to no fruit can be very effective at detoxification because they are highly alkaline and low in sugar content. While natural fruit sugars are good for us, when the fiber is eliminated, too much of a good thing can cause rapid blood sugar spikes. Green juice is the perfect detox!
* Sometimes I get curious about the vitamin and mineral content of my recipes, so if you're interested in seeing what exactly is going into your body, check out this Juicing Calculator!
Erin's 'Green Machine' Detox Juice
Serves: 1 (ideally, but sometimes I will split this amount with the hubs!)
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 bunch of kale or 5-6 large leaves (I like Lacinato kale—no need to remove the stalks)
2-3 sliced cucumber
3-4 stalks of celery
1 handful of fresh herbs (i.e. parsley and/or cilantro)
1-2 inch slice of ginger root
1 small slice of turmeric root
1 half to 1 whole, cored, green apple (optional)
1 lemon (squeeze juice into the mix after straining excess pulp)
Additional options: Pour your green juice through a fine mesh sieve to eliminate any remaining insoluble fiber, for a smoother juice.
If I'm feeling extra ambitious, sometimes I'll even mix in a scoop of organic barley grass juice powder to increase the detox effect of my juice—more on that in Part 5!
* Note: all measurements are approximate.
Make Your Juice Worth The Squeeze
Be careful not to add too much fruit, as it can cause rapid blood sugar spikes due to the lack of fiber content.
If a green juice just isn't palatable enough for you, add a lemon. You can also add a half or whole green apple, as well—these options will help you adjust to the 'green' taste.
Rotate your greens when blending and juicing. It's important to work a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet, especially greens. Spinach one day, kale the next, then romaine, you get the idea!
Drink your juice within 15 minutes for maximum potency. The minute it hits the air, it will start to oxidize, meaning that the nutrients begin to diminish. However, high quality juicers do allow juice to be refrigerated in a sealed, airtight container for up to 48 hours, without much nutrient loss.
Some say that swishing the juice in your mouth or "chewing" the juice will help to stimulate all necessary digestive enzymes in your mouth, just as it would with eating whole foods.
To-Go Thoughts
Green juice is highly alkaline and helps balance pH
The body has to work less hard to digest, and nutrients go straight to your bloodstream
Lower in calories and should be used supplementally rather than as a meal replacement
Use smoothies as a snack or meal replacement and juices for cleansing or 'medicinal' purposes
AS SEEN ON YOUTUBE
Be sure to check out my Go-To Green Machine Detox Juice on the EatMoveRest YouTube channel! Subscribe, turn on Notifications to get alerted when we post new content, give us a Thumbs Up, show some love and leave a Comment, and Share with friends & family!
*BONUS*
Check out this great article on MindBodyGreen.com to learn how to use the leftover pulp from your juice to make some delicious and nutritious recipes!
Stay Tuned for Part 5 of my 5 Part Series on Smoothies + Juices, packed full of Supercharged Superfoods that you can add to you smoothies and juices for added health benefits! In the meantime, get your juice on!
* If you haven't already, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of my 5 Part Series on Smoothies + Juices!
Have any questions, comments, or great ideas for future blog posts you'd like to see? I love feedback! Leave a comment (button is at the top), or shoot me a message through my website!
