Why Juices & Smoothies? we know they are supposed to be good for us, lets have a look at why they are ‘good’….
· Natural energy booster. natural sugars and nutrients to give you a little boost in the morning (and during those afternoon slumps).
· Stay healthy all-year-long. boost your immune system, great when you’re feeling under the weather.
· Packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. the nutrients in leafy greens boost your body’s immune system and keep it functioning at its best.
· Great fast food. it takes less than 5 minutes to make a green juice/smoothie and they’re super easy to take on the go– especially when you prep ahead.
Why Green?
· Green juices tend to get most of their green colour from vegetables, meaning the juice/smoothie is low in sugar and high in nutrients! But don’t let that put you off red (like beets, peppers, and tomatoes), yellow and orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips and squash), or purple juices too (cabbage)!
· Kale is full of calcium and antioxidants, spinach: protein, vitamins A, C, E and K, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Cucumber and celery: hydrating and cleansing. GREEN IS GOOD!
Top 5 extras to jazz your juice
So green is good, what else should I put in my juice/smoothie? I picked these 5 as they are easy addition to boost taste and health benefits of your creation!
· Ginger — Ginger has a long history of use for relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain.
· Herbs: coriander, parsley, mint — aid digestion
· Sprinkle of chia seeds — rich in fiber, omega-3 fats, protein, vitamins and minerals
· Lemon grass (see green coco juice)- super tasty but also valuable for its pro-digestive and anti-inflammatory properties
· Turmeric (root or ground)- another great anti-inflammatory
Juice vs. Smoothie
Juice is basically a smoothie with the fibre removed. This means that fresh green juices are an opportunity to seriously load up on nutrients. With a smoothie, the fibre adds volume that fills you up using a fraction of the produce that your stomach could hold if you removed the fibre and drank it as juice. You consume a lot more produce when you make juice. This makes juice more expensive by volume — another point to consider — but you get a lot more nutrition.
Having both green juices and green smoothies in your life is the ideal. Green juice is a powerful nutrient-dense elixir that is healing and energizing and green smoothies are satiating and nourishing.
3 Juice recipes…
Morning Green juice
· 5 large leaves of kale, ribs discarded, leaves roughly chopped
· 1 lemon, zest and pith removed
· 1 large apple
· A piece of fresh ginger
· 1 sprig of fresh mint
Green Lemonade
· 1 green apple
· 5 large celery stalks
· 1 cucumber
· 5 leaves of kale
· Handful of parsley
· A Lemon
Green Coco
· 1 pear
· 1 cup kale
· Half a lime
· 1 lemon grass stalk
· 1 cucumber
· ¼ cup coconut water
3 Smoothie recipes…
Boost Smoothie: A delicious, milky green smoothie; Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which support memory function. Bonus: The calcium and magnesium in the greens here strengthen bones and muscles.
· ½ cup tightly packed spinach
· ½ cup tightly packed watercress
· 1 ½ cups almond or cashew nut milk
· 4 sprigs parsley
· 1 teaspoon chia seeds
Melon, Mint and Cucumber Smoothie
Super-hydrating smoothie. Get out the blender, cut up a honeydew melon, squeeze some lime juice, and you’re off.
· 2 cups chopped honeydew melon
· 1 cup chopped English cucumber
· 12 fresh mint leaves
· 2–4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste
· 1 teaspoon honey
Kiwi Fruit Smoothie
· ¼ ripe avocado, stone removed
· 1 ripe green kiwi fruit
· 1 banana
· 1 handful kale or spinach, stems removed (organic if possible)
· ½ cup) coconut water (or coconut milk)
· Juice of ½ lime
Local Juicers — In Bath, UK
Cascara Cafe serves juices, smoothies, coffee and some lovely gluten free cakes. 3 upper borough walls, BA1 1RG . Twitter @cascarabath
Beyond the Kale at green park station. Café — serves juices, smoothies and a selection of raw food, groceries and lunchtime treats like salad and falafels. Twitter @beyondkale
The Juice Collective online supplier, stocked in local cafes: St James’ deli and the Porter, soon to have premises in Bath. Instagram @juicecollective, Website www.thejuicecollective.co.uk