What is green juice?
Green juice is usually made from green vegetables and fruit juice, and sometimes it’s mixed with other colour fruits or veg for taste. Often a green juice will include green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach or swiss chard. It may also include green fruits like apples, pears or limes. Green juice is usually healthy because it contains all the vitamins and goodness from the fruit and veg. Many people want to drink green juice a day because it’s nutrient-dense and so that they can benefit from the fruits and veg used to make it.
What ingredients can you use in green juice?
It’s straightforward to whizz up a green juice using a juicer, and there are no hard and fast rules as to what to include. It is a good idea to follow a recipe to get a great tasting juice. Check out our simple green juice recipe to get started. You just need to add these ingredients to the juicer.
Hard Green Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers – topped and tailed with skin on
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 cup of kale
- Juice of 1 whole lime (rind and pith removed)
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
Sweet Green Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 and a half pears (stalk removed)
- 1 cucumber (topped and tailed, skin on)
- ½ head of romaine lettuce
- 1 cup of spinach
- 1 cup of kale
- ½ cup of basil
- 4 florets of broccoli
- Juice of half a lime (pith and rind removed)
Can you have green juice for breakfast?
Yes, a green juice first thing in the morning is nutritious and delicious, but keep in mind that fibre is removed when juicing. You’ll need to get additional calories and fibre from other meals. It’s a good idea, though, to start your day with a nutrient-packed juice and then eat a light breakfast a little later. Green juice should be part of a balanced diet. If you want to do a juice cleanse, then green juices will likely form part of that cleanse, but it will be nutritionally balanced and recommended only for a short time.
How can green juice be stored?
Once you have made your green juice, it’s best to store it in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have made your juice at home, it can ideally be consumed within 24 hours. If you have ordered a fresh green juice to be delivered to your doorstep from Plenish, it can be stored for up to a week in the fridge but should be consumed within 24 hours once opened.
What makes green juice healthy?
Green juice is only as healthy as the ingredients within it. If you choose leafy greens like spinach, kale or swiss chard, you will benefit from their nutrients. Greens like spinach, kale, and chard are a treasure trove of phytochemicals and antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and calcium. While it’s possible, of course, to get all of the fruit and veg you need by eating them, not everyone is. The Health Survey for England discovered that only 28% of adults ate the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. So drinking green juice is a simple way to up your intake and put a spring in your step. Discover more about why green juice is good for you.
Is green juice anti-inflammatory?
Yes, it could be. The green leafy veg within a green juice has been shown to reduce inflammation by various research studies. Dr Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has suggested that, “Many experimental studies have shown that components of foods or beverages may have anti-inflammatory effects.” Many of the ingredients in green juice contain Vitamin C, which has been shown to reduce inflammation in various studies.
Is green juice good for your immune system?
Yes, the vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables are vital for your immune system, so the ingredients you use in your juice can help to keep your immune system functioning. Juices often have a high volume of Vitamin A and C, which support the normal function of the immune system.
Which green juice should I buy?
If you don’t want to make your own juice or don’t have a juicer, buying ready-made juices is a good alternative, but there are a few things to look out for. Some pre-prepared juices are made with a much higher content of fruit than vegetables; this can up the sugar and calorie content. You’ll also find that some brands add sugar or preservatives like sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sulfur dioxide. Ideally, you would opt for juice that is as natural as possible and closest to if you had juiced it yourself. Look out for those with no added nasties, a high vegetable content and ideally, those containing organic produce only.
Green Juice vs Green Smoothie – which should I choose?
Both. Green juices and green smoothies are good for you if you make them using natural ingredients at home or choose a pre-made juice with all-natural ingredients. A smoothie can be made with a blender and has a thicker consistency than a juice – when blending, all of the fibre of the fruit or veg is kept. A juicer extracts the fibrous pulp but leaves all other vitamins and nutrient goodness.