Jun 30, 2014 >> Summer challenge: A Juice a Day!
From an herb field guide to peachy keen recipes, we’ve served up some serious green goodies in our G&F Green Goddess Issue. Now we’re challenging you to get creative with your produce. On your mark, get set, juice! But wait… us first-timers may have some questions.
Between Whole Foods aisles and yoga classes, the term juicing gets tossed around a lot, but are you maximizing the benefits of your juice? We enlisted the help of JuiceRx Founder Dean Kasal (our token gent in the Green Goddess issue) to clear up some common misconceptions about juicing and serve up some delicious recipes.
Juicing refers to the process of separating the juice from the fibers of fruits and vegetables, while blending uses the whole fruit so you consume both the juice and fiber. They are two main juicing methods: cold press or centrifugal. Dean explains “cold press” usually refers to a hydraulic press machine, which exerts thousands of pounds onto fruits and vegetables to extract the juice. The cold press method is often said to preserve enzymes within the juice opposed to the standard centrifugal juicer which uses a fast-spinning blade against a mesh filter.
“One thing to look out for is making sure you’re using a balance of fruits and veggies when making a juice,” Dean says. “While we all know we can’t get enough greens—remember what mom said!—using too much sweet fruit in a juice, like apples, pears, pineapple, orange, etc., can cause blood sugar to spike, leading to an energy crash.”
Like most things in life, keep a balance of juice and/or smoothies into your diet. Dean suggests thinking of juicing as a component in your health arsenal. Juicing can be a very beneficial practice, but if not done correctly you compromise the benefits. So how do we transform juice and smoothies in a serious power drink?
“When it comes to juice or smoothie adds, we love a health bang for your nutrition buck, so we try to incorporate as many superfoods as possible,” says Dean. “This includes raw cacao, maca, cinnamon, chlorella, spirulina, and/or any green powder of choice. If you’re feeling really adventurous, try Shilajit, it’s a tar-like resin that emanates from the cracks of the Himalayas. It’s widely-regarded as a super-healer in Ayurvedic medicine.”
Hopefully we didn’t lose you on the Himalaya thing—stay with us! Now it’s your turn to see what you can do. Dean gives us four great recipes; two juice and two blended smoothies.
Watermelon Mint Juice
Dean says: GREAT summertime refresher and detox juice
2 cups of Watermelon juice (freshly juiced using the watermelon innards, the red part, and some of the white rind, if possible. That’s where all the nutrients hide!)
1/3 tsp of mint juice (just about a half handful of fresh mint juiced)
1.5 tsp of spirulina powder
CAB Juice
Dean says: This is a delicious juice and is widely regarded as a great recipe for healing
.5 cup Carrot
.5 cup Apple
.5 cup Beet
Chocolate Covered Banana Smoothie
1/3 cup raw cashews
1.5 cups water
1 TBSP raw cacao powder
1 TBSP raw cacao nibs
2 medjool dates
stevia to taste
Tropical Green
Dean says: This is great for anyone watching their caloric intake as it’s around 250 calories
1 cup Fresh Coconut Water
1/4 cup pineapple
1/2 banana (medium sized)
1/4 Avocado (medium sized)
3/4 TBSP lemon
3/4 cup kale (use the delicate kale leaves and discard the stem)
3/4 TBSP Flax Seeds
Want to learn more about JuiceRx cleanses and raw food? Visit them at Juicerxcleanse.com