Which are the best vegetables to juice? This is a common question and one obvious answer is—the ones you enjoy juicing. However, there is more to this than just taste.
Juicing is a simple strategy to consume more vegetables and fruit. And as each person is unique, the best vegetables to juice will differ. In any case, there are great benefits of juicing.
- Dramatically increases amount of vegetables consumed
- Increase in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients
- Nutrients easily assimilated by the body
- Promotes growth of friendly gut bacteria
- Suppresses harmful microorganisms
- Cleansing the digestive tract
- Controls 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
Use organic vegetables: Organic produce contain fewer pesticides and often contains more nutrients. It’s great to support locally grown and environmentally friendly producers.
Juicers: Both centrifugal and slow, masticating juicers have their pros and cons. However, slow juicers extract and preserve more nutrients.
Blends: Try blending fresh juice with berries or avocado to create creamy, smoothie-like drinks.
Best vegetables to juice
A great start is juicing 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 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 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. Great 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 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. The top greens are rich in carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants as lutein, zeaxanthin. Studies show that beetroot can cleanse 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.
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.
Cabbage (green)
Cabbage is cheap and is used in many recipes. Any cabbage is fine. The cabbage taste tend to get stronger after saving the juice in the fridge.
Nutrient content: nutrient-dense, high in phytochemicals, anti-inflammatory agents and 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, so mix it with lemon, ginger, apples or carrots.
Nutrient content: very high in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, K, folate, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus and powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Contains the highly potent sulforaphane.
Carrots
Carrots work well with almost all other vegetables. A great recipe is 3 carrots, 1/2 lemon, a small piece of 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. Some love the flavor while others detest it. Coriander leaves goes well with most vegetables. However, you need a juicer that can juice leafy vegetables. You can also make a blend with cilantro.
Nutrient content: known to be a powerful detox agent promoting the removal of mercury, aluminum, and other metals. 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. It adds much liquid to the juice, which help balance stronger-tasting veggies like ginger, garlic, lemon.
Nutrient content: contains vitamins B, C, K, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and silica.
Fennel
The taste includes hints of licorice and adds a flavor similar to anise. The taste tends to become stronger when the juice is refrigerated for a few hours.
Nutrient content: anethole is a powerful agent against inflammation. Also contains the flavonoids rutin, quercitin, and kaempferol. Used to improve digestion and is considered 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 the garlic. The juice is surprisingly mild. Try chewing parsley after drinking the juice as it helps 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 recipes. The more ginger, the hotter the taste. When using organic ginger, juice 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
Popular 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. Contains many antioxidants like vitamin C, beta-carotene. Kale is a natural detoxer, mostly because of isothiocyanates. Contains vitamin A, B, C, E, K, and glucosinolates which are heart friendly, anti-inflammatory, and much more.
Onion (yellow, red, white)
A member of the garlic family. Onion juice is potent with a strong detox effect. You don’t have to peel it. Not many can drink pure onion juice as it’s very strong. Try the milder red onion and mix it 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 multivitamin kick. Contains carotenoids, 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 the radish before juicing as it’s sometimes hard to know how strong the taste is. But if you like it hot, then go for it as radishes are very nutritious.
Nutrient content: includes detoxifying agents called indoles, the powerful flavonoids zeaxanthin, and lutein as well as the much studied 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 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.