Which are the best juicing recipes? That’s easy, the ones you enjoy drinking. The reason is that it’s much easier to keep on juicing if you enjoy the juice recipes you drink.
Drinking juice only because it’s healthy might work for a while. But for many people it will be a dead end—they will soon get tired and stop juicing. Palatable juice recipes increases the chances you’ll keep it up. Why?
Juicing and the gut-brain loop
Research has revealed that the food we consume affects the composition of bacteria in the digestive tract. Therefore, when engaging in healthy eating like juicing, the gut will adjust the composition of bacteria to fit such a diet.
Fresh vegetable juice contains enzymes and other nutrients that promote the growth of healthy bacteria and yeast in the digestive tract. And when good bacteria increase in number, this is communicated from the gut to the brain. The brain responds by increasing the desire to drink more juice. So juicing can create a healthy gut-brain loop.
One outcome from drinking vegetable juice is that over time it naturally increases the desire to juice—it becomes a lifestyle. Some specific juice recipes help people reach certain goals, as when doing a body cleanse, losing weight, or just caring for ones wellbeing.
Vegetable juice is liquid food, highly potent, easy to digest and assimilate. And one does not have to drink juice for many days to experience how juicing promotes a feeling of wellness. Here are a few recipes.
Two great recipes
Jay’s Famous Lemonade
This recipe was created by Jay Kordish in the 1940s. It’s absolutely wonderful in the summer; children love it.
- 1/4 lemon with skin
- 2 green apples
- Ice cubes
Instruction. Use organic fruit if possible. Juice the lemon and apples. Add ice cubes in glasses and pour up.
Mean Green juice recipe
We first learned this from Joe Cross, but this particular variation we got from Jay Kordish, the father of juicing. Mean Green is one of those juice recipes you can drink often and not get tired of it. It’s very nutritious and tasty.
- 6 kale leaves (or spinach)
- 1 cucumber with peel
- 2 green apples (Granny Smith)
- 4 celery stalks
- 1/2 lemon with skin
- 1/2 inch ginger root
Instruction. Juice the ginger first to that all is flushed out by the other veggies. In the summer we add ice cubes in large glasses.
Juicing for specific purposes
All fresh vegetable juices are nutritious and beneficial. However, some recipes are often used for specific purposes. Here are a few examples.
Juicing for weight loss
For this purpose it is wise to juice ingredients containing less sugar as it will probably have a better effect. Use green, tart apples instead of the sweeter ones. Avoid using too much beets root, carrots, watermelon and other ingredients containing high amounts of sugar.
Juicing for gastritis
I have struggled with gastritis for decades and found that juicing cabbage (red & green) has many benefits. Mix the cabbage juice with apples, carrots, cucumber, or pumpkin to make it more palatable. The juice can be stored in the fridge in airtight jars for a day or two.
Juicing for detox
Include coriander leaves, kale, carrots, parsley and aloe vera. Mix these with other vegetables and fruits for a greater variety.
The following recipe we got from Linda Kordish. It has a fresh, lovely green taste. Amounts are aproximate.
- 1-2 Lime fruits
- a few celery stalks
- a handfull of spinach
- a little parsley
- a piece of cucumber
- a small piece of fresh ginger
- a little mint zucchini
- a Red Delicious apple
The “Liver Mover” recipe
This great, simple recipe originates from Dr. Norman Walker who was a pioneer in vegetable juicing and wrote many excellent books on the subject.
The liver is a key organ that is involved in countless processes in the body. According to Dr. Walker, this simple drink supports, stimulates and heals the liver. It also supports the entire digestive tract including the intestinal wall. If it tastes a bit too harsh for you, try removing the beet greens.
- ½ beet (including greens)
- 2 green apples
Juicing great for the digestive tract
Drinking fresh vegetable juice daily floods the body with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and many other nutrients. Fresh juice has an impact on the microorganisms inhabiting the digestive tract.
Fresh juice is rich in enzymes that is said to improve digestion, assimilation of nutrients, metabolism. So stick to your favorite recipes, they are your best juicing recipes.