Which are the best vegetables to juice? This is a common question and one answer might be—the ones you enjoy juicing the most. However, there is more to this than just taste.
Juicing is a simple strategy to consume more vegetables and fruit. But as each person is unique, the best vegetables to juice for each person might be different. However, there are common potential benefits of juicing.
- Dramatically increases amount of vegetables consumed
- Lots of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients
- Nutrients easily assimilated by the body
- Promotes growth of friendly bacteria
- Suppresses harmful microorganisms
- Cleanse the digestive tract
- Control cravings
- Weight loss
Juicing kills two birds with one stone
Juicing supports the body at least in two ways:
- Helps remove toxins and waste
- Avoid nutrient deficiencies
Toxins, waste: Fresh juice contains micronutrients that help increase metabolism, clean and repair the digestive tract. Removing waste can alleviate brain fog, fatigue, allergies, inflammations. Some experience weight loss as an added bonus.
Deficiencies: Fresh juice is packed with vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and many other nutrients. Specialists agree that taking a multivitamin is not nearly as good as eating fresh veggies. Juicing floods the body with large amounts of phytonutrients.
Additional tips
Organic vegetables: Organic produce contain fewer pesticides and often contains more nutrients. And it’s great to support locally grown and environmentally friendly producers.
Juicers: Both centrifugal and slow, masticating juicers have their pros and cons. However, we use only slow juicers since they extract and preserve more nutrients. If you have a centrifugal juicer, an option is to juice the veggies and then use a mixer or blender to add leafy greens. This works well with avocado for a creamy, smoothie-like drink.
Best vegetables to juice
Many people start off with carrots, apples, lemon and ginger. With those few ingredients you can create great juices. However, drinking juice daily you might want more variation.
This list contains a selection of ingredients to juice, including fruits and herbs. They can be combined in infinite ways. And there’s no need to be too picky on amounts.
Apples
Apples contain refreshing, tart acids that enhance the juice taste. Tart apples as Granny Smith or similar contain less sugar. Some people like to remove the core before juicing. We never do that since many natural and beneficial microorganisms reside in the core.
Nutrient content: Apples are ranked high in antioxidant activity, protecting brain neurons, and lowering risk of diabetes and heart disease. Most antioxidants are found in the peel. Nutrients include phenols, malic acid, pectin, caffeic acid, phloridzin, potassium, and quercetin.
Avocado
Classified as a fruit. You don’t juice avocado, but it’s best to blend it together with fresh juice which creates a smoothie-like, creamy, filling drink. Avocado goes well with many vegetables. You can also store peeled avocado in the freezer and blend them frozen with fresh juice. This is very refreshing in warm weather.
Nutrient content: Nutrient dense. Contains high amounts of healthy fats, potassium, and other nutrients that are anti-inflammatory.
Beetroot
Beautiful and potent with a sweet, sour and earthy taste. To remove the earthy taste, try peeling the beet before juicing. Be aware that beets are often high in sugar. Beet greens are excellent to juice as they are packed with nutrients and low in sugar.
Nutrient content: High in minerals, beta-carotene, folate and phytochemicals. Betacyanin, the pigment responsible for the deep purple color, is a powerful agent. The top greens are rich in carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants as lutein, zeaxanthin. Studies show that beetroot can cleanse and detoxify the liver, reduce high blood pressure and help muscles to work more efficiently. Great after a workout.
Bell pepper
All kinds can be juiced—green, yellow, red. Some like to remove the seeds before juicing but this is not necessary.
Nutrient content: Contain over 30 different carotenoid nutrients as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. These substances have a strong antioxidant effect of the body.
Broccoli
Has a mild taste, beautiful green color, and is packed with nutrients. Can be combined with most other vegetables. Juice the whole thing including the stalk.
Nutrient content: One of the top-10 best vegetable to juice. Packed with potent nutrients and antioxidants. High in vitamins K, C, and the powerful carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. Also contains the phytochemical sulforaphane that promotes the body’s ability to detoxify. Rich source of the flavonoid kaempferol. Broccoli is much studied for its ability to fight and prevent many different cancers.
Cabbage (green)
Cabbage is cheap and can be used in many recipes. Any cabbage is fine—tightly, loosely packed leaves. The cabbage taste tend to get a bit stronger after saving the juice in the fridge.
Nutrient content: Cabbage is nutrient-dense, high in phytochemicals, anti-inflammatory agents and anti-cancer compounds called glucosinolates. Cabbage juice has long been used to alleviate stomach problems like ulcers and inflammation.
Cabbage (red)
ContainS even more nutrients that green cabbage. Adds a beautiful color to the juice. Cabbage juice is slightly laxative and a good detoxifier. It is not the most palatable juice to drink by itself, but it’s better to mix it with lemon, ginger, appler or carrots.
Nutrient content: Very high in nutrients as vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, K, folate, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus and very powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Contains sulforaphane that is used to fight cancer cells.
Carrot
Carrots taste well with almost any other vegetables. A simple recipe is 3 carrots, 1/2 lemon, ginger root, and one green apple.
Nutrient content: Rich in vitamins A, K, minerals and the powerful compound falcarinol. Can lower risk of coronary heart disease. Avoid Baby carrots that are treated with chlorine.
Celery
Has a mild, slightly salty taste that goes well with most other vegetables. Both stalks and leaves can be used. The leaves have a bit stronger flavor.
Nutrient content: High in vitamin K, folic acid, potassium and many phytonutrients and antioxidants that protect cells and blood vessels. Contains luteolin, a powerful flavonoid.
Coriander leaves (cilantro)
A favorite ingredient. The flavor is unique; similar to parsley with a hint of citrus and celery. We love the flavor and add it to many recipes when in season. Coriander leaves goes well with most other vegetables. However, you need a juicer that can juice leafy vegetables. You can also add finely chopped leaves to the juice.
Nutrient content: Known as a powerful detox agent promoting the cleaning of mercury, aluminum, and other metals from the body. Cilantro contains an impressive list of unusually potent and healing phytonutrients and anti-oxidants that are anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.
Cucumber
Very mild, pleasant taste by itself, especially when thirsty. It adds much liquid to the juice, which is good when balancing stronger-tasting veggies like ginger, garlic, lemon. Cucumber also contains many nutrients.
Nutrient content: Not as packed with nutients as many other veggies, but cucumber juice contains vitamins B, C, K, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, silica and more.
Fennel
Smell and taste have hints of licorice; adds a flavor similar to anise. The taste tends to become stronger when the juice is refrigerated for a few hours.
Nutrient content: Anethole, a component in the oil of fennel and a powerful agent against cancer and inflammation. Contain the flavonoids rutin, quercitin, and kaempferol. Promoting digestion and is considered by many as “anti-aging.”
Garlic
Yes, you can juice garlic too. A potent detox recipe is mixing one garlic clove with carrots and ginger. Another recipe: 1 garlic clove, 2 Granny Smith apples, 1 bell pepper. Juice the garlic first and let the other veggies clear your juicer from most of the garlic smell. The taste is surprisingly mild. Try chewing parsley after drinking this as it will help remove the garlic smell.
Nutrient content: Juicing garlic has great health promoting properties and makes it easier for the body to assimilate the many powerful nutrients present. Garlic contains natural antibiotics, is anti-fungal, and anti-viral.
Ginger root
Ginger adds a pleasant, warm taste to many juice recipes. The more ginger, the hotter the taste. When using organic ginger, juice also the peel as it contains many nutrients. Try the great ginger shot.
Nutrient content: Powerful phenols and antioxidants like 6-gingerol that is anti-inflammatory. Promotes digestion and strengthen the immune system.
Kale
Has become very popular and for good reason. Like its cousin broccoli, kale contains a high concentration of nutrients. Some believe kale is closely related to wild cabbage. There are several kinds of kale, both green and purple. The taste is mild, even if you use a lot in the juice.
Nutrient content. Ideal omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio which makes it anti-inflammatory. Contains many antioxidants like vitamin C, beta-carotene and many others. Kale is a natural detoxer, mostly because of isothiocyanates. Contains vitamin A, B, C, E, K. Glucosinolates makes kale heart friendly, antiinflammatory, and much more.
Onion (yellow, red, white)
A member of the garlic family. Onion juice is very potent with a powerful detox effect. You don’t have to peel it. Not many can drink pure onion juice as it’s very strong. It’s easier to start with the milder red onion. Try mixing a red onion with plum tomatoes, cucumber, lime and celery.
Nutrient content: Contains many organic thiosulfates, sulfides, sulfoxides and other compounds responsible for its strong anti-inflammatory activity.
Parsley
Has a mild, sometimes slightly bitter taste. Can be juiced with most other vegetables. Excellent to mix with garlic as parsley can remove garlic breath.
Nutrient content: Parsley juice is a real multivitamin kick. Contains carotenoids and phytonutrients and flavonoids as lutein, zeaxanthin, apiole, rutin, and apigenin. Rich with chlorophyll, vitamin A, B, C, and K, folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vanadium, and zinc.
Pepper, hot Jalapeño
Great for spicy recipes! Try mixing a hot pepper with bell peppers, lime, celery, cilantro and perhaps a tomato.
Nutrient content: Contains powerful enzymes and antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. Can raise body temperature and promote weight loss.
Radishes
Adds a nice, fresh and distinct taste. Taste a radish before juicing as it’s sometimes hard to know how strong the taste is. The taste ranges from mild and pleasant to very sharp. If you like it hot, then add more for they are very nutritious.
Nutrient content: Includes detoxifying agents called indoles, the powerful flavonoids zeaxanthin, and lutein as well as the mucu studied antioxidant sulforaphane. Also contains a number or powerful enzymes.
Root celery (celeriac)
Stalk and leaves taste similar to celery even though it’s a different vegetable than celery. Fresh roots with greens on them are easier to peel. Try mixing celeriac and apple.
Nutrient content: Nutrition dense. Promotes a good body detox. Some drink the juice for asthma, constipation, fever, fluid retention, headache, inflammation, insomnia, and migraines.
Sweet Potato
Has a sugary, caramelized flavor that goes well with other vegetables.
Nutrient content: Contains carotenoids, strong antioxidants, vitamin A and anthocyanins.