Jolly Green Juice - a nutritional giant

So it has been an obnoxiously long time since my last post. What can I say, life happened.

I'm still here, though, and I return to you with green juice in all its goodness and glory and... greenness. In the spirit of the new year and all its associated health resolutions, I took some time yesterday to concoct a mixture for the housemates and I that would cleanse our blood, amp up immunity and alkalise our bodies. Ahhh detox.

Seriously, what's not to love about juicing? Once you get the right juicer (okay, mine isn't top quality, but I'm saving madly for one that is), it is a ridiculously cheap and time-effective activity. You can have fun creating your own recipes based on flavour, nutrient or ailment requirements/preferences, or even pick up a handy guide to get your started*.

Here are the ingredients and associated nutrients in my go-to green juice (for 4 people):

Asparagus (1 bunch)	Cucumber (one)	Celery (2 bunches)	Apples (3 green)	Lemons (1, peeled)
Asparagine Folic acid Potassium Phosphorus Riboflavin Vitamin C	Folic acid Potassium Silica	Coumarins Potassium Vitamin C	Carotenes Pectins Potassium Vitamin C	Bioflavonoids Limonene Potassium Vitamin C

This is definitely a winner for the circulation and immune system:

... Throw some ginger in there for the circulatory-stimulating zingiberene (<--best word ever) and gingerols.
... The wallop of vitamin C enhances our natural immunity, helps the body absorb iron and is a power antioxidant that protects against heart disease, circulatory problems and cancer.
... Check out all the potassium in there - great for nerves, controlling blood pressure and normal functioning of our body's cells
... The folic acid helps get those red blood cells going and our brain working.
... Add in all those other nutrients, plus the alkalising properties of asparagus and lemon, and you have yourself health in a mason jar.

And if you're skeptical about the taste, that is where the lemon and ginger come in. You can't even taste the asparagus, and the slightly potent celery flavour, which I actually detest, is drastically reduced.

Juicing is such an integral of health of promoting and maintaining an increased level of health. It concentrates the availability of nutrients from fruits and vegetables, and delivers them to your body in an effortless, natural way, i.e. your body can focus on repair and restoration processes instead of expending its energy resources on digestion. This is especially important after the holidays or any time periods where your health is not at its best (sickness, stress, intake of medication, suboptimal eating habits) - give your body a break, let it focus on getting you better, and enhance its work with a power-packed slew of the good stuff from juicing!


* I was fortunate enough to discover a copy of Michael Van Straten's 'Super Juice - Juicing for Health and Healing' in a second-hand store some months ago, and I absolutely love it. It is a multi-coloured, big-fonted, super-fun collection of recipes divided into juices for power, cleansing, aphrodisiac properties, mixing with alcohol for cocktail parties (yeah!) and more. As an awesome bonus, there are user-friendly indices at the back which you can reference by food name, nutrient or ailment, plus a detailed 3-day juice detox program.