Most of us want to keep our body and mind in optimal health. Some methods, such as exercising daily, can be tricky on a tight schedule. However, there are other options such as green juicing, which doesn’t require much effort at all.
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What is Green Juice?
Green Juice is fresh juice made of leafy vegetables, and optionally fruits as well. It can be prepared using any type of electronic juicer available to you (I’ve never seen a green juice machine that doesn’t work with electricity).
Green juice is tasty and extremely healthy, and one of those small habits that can bring a few major changes in your life. Should you drink it every day? Of course yes. You can never have too much Green Juice, not to mention that there are hundreds of combinations to try.
Green Juice Health Benefits
Glowing Skin
Glowing skin is one of the first things that you notice when you start drinking green juice. As you can imagine, since it is made of so many healthy ingredients, this juice is packed with vitamins, minerals and of course, antioxidants. Antioxidants help your body fight cell damage, and it’s easy to notice the difference on your skin. If you drink Green Juice every day you will:
- Have glowing skin
- Prevent pimples and spots
- Prevent and delay wrinkles in the long term
- Lower your chance of getting your skin damaged by the sun
Stronger Hair and Nails
Stronger hair and nails are further visible changes when you start juicing. Remember how I told you how many vitamins Green Juice contains? Some of the most important vitamins you’ll get are Vitamins C and E, both vital for your hair and nails. You will notice that in a matter of weeks your nails become stronger (no more exfoliating) and your hair shinier and thicker. You can only imagine what miracles Green Juice can do in the long term.
Increased Energy
Increased energy is another benefit of Green Juice. Naturally, when you eat (well …drink) all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, you have more energy. While it might not seem like much in the beginning, in the long run, you will definitely notice a huge difference:
- You’ll need caffeine less and less
- You’ll not feel tired after a few hours of work, and
- You’ll be able to enjoy your sports session without feeling completely exhausted afterwards.
Why not drink your Green Juice in the morning to increase your energy levels right from the beginning of the day?
Sleep Better
It will also help you sleep better. That sounds incredible, right? The leafy vegetables that you add to your Green Juice contain plenty of amino-acids, which are essential for a good night sleep. If you have ever battled insomnia or simply the feeling of not being able to sleep no matter how tired you are, then you know how important it is to take rest at night. By drinking at least one green juice every day you will increase the quality and quantity of your sleep, and you will wake up in the morning feeling well-rested.
Lose the Extra Weight
You will lose the extra weight. Now don’t get me wrong: Green Juice is not a magical potion that will make you lose weight. It will, however, improve your metabolism, promote your overall health and help you control your appetite. If you drink a Green Juice instead of your regular mid-day snack (which is more often than not unhealthy) you will notice how you lose weight slowly, and steadily. Apart from this, you are eliminating all the toxins that you’ve gathered in all those years of eating bad food, which can further help with weight loss.
Mental Health & Wellness
Green Juice promotes clarity of mind and battles depression. Your body is a perfect machine and you have everything you need to reach your full potential, but you also need the right fuel. All the great nutrients that you can find in Green Juice will naturally help you to improve your concentration and fight depression and anxiety.
Better Digestion
Your digestive problems will disappear. We all have digestive problems every once in a while. Especially if you are not eating all the fibers that you need or you are not drinking enough water. By drinking Green Juice (or a green smoothie) every day, you make sure that you will not have any digestive issues, no matter how unhealthy your diet gets every once in a while. Yes, you can say “Good-bye” to bloating and discomfort.
Meet Daily Nutrient Needs
It helps you meet your daily nutritional needs without too much effort. I know that you don’t always have time to cook healthy meals. Neither do you get to eat all the vegetables and fruits that you should. But by drinking Green Juice, you make sure you get all the vitamins you need daily without having to prepare huge salads. You can even take it on-the-go while commuting to work and get a healthy snack without any effort.
What is the best Green Juice Recipe?
There are quite a few recipes for Green Juice out there. However, we recommend this one because it’s not only healthy and filling but also tasty and very easy to prepare. Of course, you can do variations and experiment with different fruits and vegetables and see what you like more. What you need:
- a handful of kale
- one medium cucumber
- some celery
- half lemon
- one apple, and
- a few thin slices of ginger.
Put all of the above in the juicer, and you have a healthy and tasty juice in seconds. Otherwise, to make it extra healthy (with added fiber), you could use a blender instead. Then, create a more liquid consistency to your smoothie by adding half a cup of water.
The Bottom Line
You need Green Juice in your life, and you need it now! It is such a small thing that will bring so many benefits. Not to mention how tasty it is and how it allows you to be creative in your kitchen. Enjoy all the treasures that Nature has to offer.
Appendix: Three Tips to Slowly Transform your Diet with Green Juice
Replace unhealthy snacks with green juice
Green Juice can be a great “not-so-typical” snack. Think of your usual snacks. Chocolate? Salty snacks? Well, there’s only so much chocolate you can eat before feeling sluggish. The good news is that “snacking” on Green Juice will never let you feel “down”… quite the opposite. You can have as many green “snacks” as you like, throughout the day, and the only consequence would be having plenty of energy, vitamins and minerals. At the same time, it’ll help you stick to a healthy diet plan and lose excess body-fat.
It’s true that most want their snacks to be delicious, as opposed to tasteless. However, depending on your preference, there are thousands of tasty combinations to use when preparing your own Green Juice.
Have a green juice every time you eat a heavy meal
You can have it before or during the meal, but the result is the same: It will fill your stomach with healthy nutrients and you’ll eat way less than normal. Thus, you will train your body to gradually replace unhealthy food with a healthier diet. With time, you will also notice that your body is craving the Green Juice more than the unhealthy meal, and that’s when you know that you won the battle!
Green juice as a late-night snack
Many insomniacs feel the urge to eat late at night. Regardless if its because of a busy schedule, or simply due to being used to a quick meal before sleeping, the result is the same: Bad sleep, a heavy stomach and unhealthy weight gain. Imagine this: Every time you want to eat something unhealthy at night, instead, you prepare yourself a Green Juice that is light and easy, but at the same time it will satisfy your hunger and cravings. You will not only get better sleep, but you will also prevent weight gain and the related medical problems.
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Have you tried Green juice and do you believe in its health benefits? Comment below with your tips or questions!
Thank you for the recipe. I definitely need to try this. I have kale growing in my garden but I haven’t tried making a smoothie with it yet.
PS. I recommend everyone grow kale. It’s incredibly easy to grow. I planted some Chou Moellier Kale seeds years ago, and my plants are now almost as tall as I am. They grow even through the cold Cape Town winters. Kale is also packed with vitamins and mineral and can help to lower cholesterol.
PPS. For a great Portuguese kale soup recipe, just Google “caldo verde”. It’s delicious.
Yes, a kale smoothie or juice is definitely something you should try. Thanks for sharing your experience in growing kale. As well as telling us about kale soup. It sounds awesome.