Best Tasting Green Juice Recipes; Health Benefits

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Two excellent green juice recipes. Includes benefits of juicing celery, cucumber, spinach & kale and dietary requirements for adults.

Becoming Health Conscious

Many people are becoming more and more health conscious these days and making some lifestyle changes. One of those changes include making fresh juices at home. Many of those juices are green.

What is in Green Juices

Green juices are probably the most popular juices to make as they are full of natural vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll and antioxidants. There are several different ways to making a green juice. For one, a combination of fresh fruits and vegetables such as green grapes and spinach make an excellent green juice or smoothie. Not only do fresh fruit or vegetables make a deep green juice but also by adding superfood green powders. For example, organic spirulina or even an organic green powdered tea known as Matcha will give juices or smoothies a deep green color.

Preferred Vegetables

Vegetables such as celery, cucumber together with leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale are very good to use for making homemade juices. Yes, these green vegetables give smoothies or cold-pressed juices their amazingly deep green color!

Benefits of Celery Juice

Celery juice is a hot topic among the juicing world and probably the most sought out vegetable. Some have difficulty drink the juiced celery as a whole drink. Instead, consuming a straight shot of celery juice is a gradual process. Below are a few benefits as listed in Healthline.

One glass only has about 40 calories
Naturally contains vitamins A, K, and C, iron, magnesium, potassium, flavonoids, calcium, phosphorus, and phytonutrients
Lowers blood pressure
Prevents chronic diseases
Minimizes oxidative stress
Protects against chemotherapy effects
Provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Benefits of Cucumber Juice

I stumbled across a recent article about cucumber juice: Staughton, John. (2019, January 22). 8 Amazing Benefits Of Drinking Cucumber Juice. Retrieved February 2, 2019 from https://www.organicfacts.net/cucumber-juice.html

Prevents Osteoporosis
Boosts Immunity
Balances Hormone Levels
Detoxifies the Body
Treats Bleeding Issues
Strengthens Nervous System
Anti-cancer Properties
Protects Vision

Benefits of Spinach Juice

Spinach is one of the vegetables that fall into the category of “dark leafy greens” which are equally important for skin, hair, bone and eye health. According to Livestrong and amazingly so, 1 cup of fresh spinach juice has only 28 calories.

Important Reasons You Should Include Spinach In Your Diet

Benefits of Kale

Gunnars, Kris. (2018, June 29). 10 Health Benefits of Kale. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale

Kale is very high in nutrients and very low in calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
Powerful antioxidants found in kale include quercetin and kaempferol.
Kale is extremely high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that has many important roles in the body.
Kale contains substances that bind bile acids and lower cholesterol levels in the body.
Vitamin K is an important nutrient that involves blood clotting. A single cup of kale contains 7 times the RDA for vitamin K.
Kale contains substances that have been shown to help fight cancer in test-tube and animal studies. Human evidence is mixed.
Kale is very high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that the body can turn into vitamin A.
Many important minerals are found in kale. These include calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Drastically reduced risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
As a nutrient-dense, low-calorie food, kale makes an excellent addition to a weight loss diet.

USDA Recommended Servings

So how can you be sure to get the proper servings and what exactly is considered a serving of vegetables and fruits?

Remember the Food Pyramid?

Food Pyramid No Longer In Use — **The Food Pyramid is no longer the go-to Guideline for Americans**

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 – 2020

Find the complete dietary guidelines through 2020 which is offered at ChooseMyPlate.gov

Vegetable Group Guidelines

Not only does any vegetable count as a member of the Vegetable Group at ChooseMyPlate but also 100% vegetable juice counts too.

Yeah, juicing fresh vegetables counts!

Juicing vegetables are best raw, fresh, or frozen. How much is needed to make a serving depends on age and level of physical activity. Therefore, it really is individualized. The general rule is 1 cup of raw vegetables or 100% vegetable juice can be equal to 1 cup from the Vegetable Group. Based on the nutrient content ChooseMyPlate states vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups: dark-green vegetables, starchy vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans, peas, and other vegetables. The below chart shows the daily recommendations of servings of vegetables for age groups of women and men from ChooseMyPlate.gov

USDA Daily Vegetable Recommendations for Women and Men through 2020 — The above chart is found directly at ChooseMyPlate.gov Vegetable Group. For other age groups visit ChooseMyPlate.gov

With my focus on green juice I will share recommendations from the USDA of vegetables that are included in green juice recipes that equal 1 serving.

2 cups of raw spinach equals 1 serving
1 cup chopped broccoli or 3 5-inch spears raw is 1 serving
2 large celery ribs or 1 cup diced or sliced, again, 1 serving
1 cup each of green peas, chopped or shredded raw cabbage, raw or sliced cucumbers and chopped or raw green peppers equals 1 cup

Fruit Group Guidelines

Again, just like vegetables, any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group.

Yeah, juicing fresh fruit counts!

So, how much fruit is needed on a daily basis? That too depends on individual age and level of activity. The general rule is 1 cup of 100% fruit juice can be equal to 1 cup from the Fruit Group. The below chart from ChooseMyPlate.gov shows the daily recommendations of servings of fruits for age groups of women and men.

USDA Fruit Recommendations for Men and Women until 2020 — The above chart is actually a screenshot from ChooseMyPlate.gov Fruit Group. For other age groups visit ChooseMyPlate.gov

Again, focusing on green juice I will share recommendations from the USDA of fruits that can be found in green juice recipes that equal 1 serving.

1 cup sliced or chopped apples or pears is equal to 1 serving
yes, 1 cup of 100% fruit juice is 1 serving
1 cup grapes whole or cut-up or 32 seedless grapes again, equals 1 serving

Let’s Talk Recipes!

Grapple Juice with Spinach & Celery Recipe

As a matter of fact, all the ingredients for this juice combined together (red apples, green grapes, spinach and celery) is what surprisingly gives this juice its nice healthy green color. The flavor of this Grapple, spinach, celery juice is phenomenal. First of all, just by the name you can guess there’s grapes and an apple in this recipe but by tasting it you would never guess there was spinach in it let alone celery. For those wanting to incorporate celery into their juice drinks this is the perfect recipe because it has just that slight hint of celery which really makes this juice one of my best.

Grapple Juice with Spinach and Celery — The above ingredients provide more benefits than listed.

Which Juicer Does Jett’s Kitchen Use?

For making all my juices I use the HZ cold-press masticating juicer. If you are interested in juicing and want to know more about why I chose this juicer you can review my testimonial here. The HZ juicer has a low-speed that mimics the motion of a hand squeezed juice which in turn keeps all the nutrients in tact. By far this leaves the juice in its most natural state! Making it healthier! What I like most about using this HZ juicer is I don’t have to manually strain the juice. Whereas, in the past I would have to run my homemade juices through a nut bag to get the consistency I preferred.

Wheatgrass & Pear Juice Recipe

If juicing wheatgrass please make sure your juicer has the capability to handle wheatgrass. If you need a wheatgrass juicer there is a portable wheatgrass juicer . Although I have never used this type of juicer I have only heard about it. My HZ juices wheatgrass easily and without any complications. Just saying.

For complete details about Wheatgrass & Pear Juice head over to my article here.