Eating a healthy dose of vegetables is beneficial for your body. But does the same concept apply if you drink them instead?
Since green juice has grown in popularity as a superfood, you can’t help but wonder if you should also start incorporating it into your diet. You know it consists of a combination of vegetables and fruits, but what is green juice good for?
In this article, we’ll discuss several green juice benefits to see how they impact your health. As an added bonus, we’ll also teach you how to drink it for the best results.
Does Green Juice Have Any Effect on Your Health?
Kale, spinach, and other green vegetables are essential ingredients for making green juice. Since they contain vital nutrients, is green juice good for you?
In a nutshell, green juice is good for you because it helps supplement nutrients in your body. Depending on the fruits and vegetables you use, it can also improve your immune system, digestion, and energy levels.
There are no known side effects of drinking green juice regularly, so it’s pretty safe to have a couple of glasses everyday. But you shouldn’t use it as a replacement for getting your daily intake of fruits and vegetables since it doesn’t contain complete nutrients to support a well-balanced diet.
6 Health-Centered Ingredients to Include in Your Green Juice
Kale
Green juice is aptly named because it contains a combination of green vegetables. Kale is a common staple because it has high levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
It’s one of the several leafy greens containing vitamin C and chlorophyll, which can help protect your body against cancer. It’s also rich in calcium and phosphorus, which can promote good bone health. Its potassium content can also reduce your chances of acquiring high blood pressure.
Broccoli
Eating broccoli may not be for everybody, but including it in your green juice can benefit your health.
Research shows that the antioxidants present in broccoli can help lower inflammation. It’s also rich in vitamin K and calcium. These are essential for bone health because they help prevent osteoporosis. Vitamins A, C, and E are also great for your skin since they help protect it against damage and boost collagen production.
Spinach
Spinach is another green juice essential because of its nutrients. It’s known to contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that help maintain optimal eye health. A study shows that drinking 8 ounces of spinach juice daily also reduces your risks of oxidative damage.
As if that wasn’t enough, spinach also contains vitamins A and C, which prevents hair loss and keeps your skin youthful.
Apple
You can balance out the bitterness of your green juice by adding some fruit. Apples are sweet and juicy, but they’re also excellent sources of fiber to keep you full longer.
A study shows that the polyphenols in apples are beneficial for lowering your blood pressure. While their pectin content may also help reduce your risk of certain chronic illnesses and cancers.
Avocado
Avocado provides a creamy consistency to your green juice, making it smoother. It also contains Omega-3 fatty acids, increasing your body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
If you’re having trouble with your digestive system, avocado contains about 14 grams of fiber – which is great for increasing healthy gut bacteria. Regular intake is also shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Lemon juice
Adding lemon juice to your green juice is optional, but it can add a refreshing tang to round out its flavors.
It’s also a good source of vitamin C, which is essential for maintaining your bone and teeth health. Lemon juice can also help your body absorb iron more efficiently to prevent anemia. Adding it regularly to your green juice can also help lower your risk of stroke.
5 Amazing Benefits of Green Juice for Your Health
Boosts nutrition
If eating vegetables daily isn’t your strongest suit, drinking a glass or two of green juice will help boost your nutrition.
It also allows you to try vegetables that you usually don’t gravitate to. Since you’re juicing it up, you’ll get its benefits without enduring it in every bite.
Consuming fruits and vegetables in liquid form also makes it easier for your body to absorb some of their micronutrients than eating them whole.
Better immune system
One of the best health benefits of green juice is it helps you build a stronger immune system. Since many leafy greens and fruits contain antioxidants, combining them allows you to create a superfood.
For instance, several leafy greens naturally contain vitamin C, which is important for combating the common cold or preventing cancer. While spinach, broccoli, and kale are rich in vitamin A, which helps lower inflammation and increase immune function.
Improve digestion
Although juicing fruits and vegetables remove their fiber content, fresh green juice contains probiotics that supports the growth of good stomach bacteria. This results in a healthy gut, improving digestion, metabolism, and regular bowel movements.
If you want to keep the fiber content of the ingredients, use a blender instead of a juicer. The consistency of your green juice may be thicker, but this will allow you to consume all of the pulp and fiber to keep you full longer and benefit from its effects.
Healthy hair and skin
Green juice doesn’t just provide internal benefits to your body but also to your hair and skin.
Sufficient levels of vitamin A can increase collagen production in your skin and nails. Plus, it repairs any damage done by the sun.
Vitamin B can help encourage hair growth and bring back its shine. At the same time, the high water content of green juice makes it easier for your cells to stay hydrated, so your skin stays supple and your hair strong and bouncy.
Energy booster
If it isn’t evident enough, green juice contains various vitamins and nutrients. Depending on the ingredients, it can contain iron, magnesium, and B vitamins, essential for your body’s function.
The natural sugars in the fruit can also give you a steady boost of energy, but unlike instant coffee, it won’t give you a sugar crash later in the day.
Since green juice is already in liquid form, your body doesn’t need to use as much energy to break down the nutrients. That’s why you feel like you have more pep in your step throughout the day.
How to Drink Green Juice for the Best Results
Drink on an empty stomach
Drinking green juice on an empty stomach is ideal because it allows your body to absorb nutrients better. It will also help hydrate your body, especially if you’re using high water content ingredients like cucumbers.
First thing in the morning is the ideal time to drink juice. Since your body is more acidic when you wake up, drinking green juice will balance out its pH and give you a boost of energy for the rest of your day.
Choose your ingredients
The trick to making green juice is to choose the right ingredient combination. Since what you add will determine what nutrients it will contain.
You’ll also want to blend vegetables with high water content with leafy greens for a silky consistency. Adding fruit, like banana, pineapple, or apple, will make it taste sweeter.
The goal is to keep the mixture as natural as possible, so avoid using sugar or artificial sweeteners. But you can add some lemon juice or ginger for additional flavor.
2-4 cups is enough
Once you’ve perfected your green juice recipe, it can be tempting to drink several glasses throughout the day. Limit it to 2-4 cups a day because there’s such a thing as having too much of a good thing!
If you’ve reached your daily intake but can’t get enough of your veggies, you can incorporate them throughout your meals instead. Since you can benefit from a few nutrients when consuming fruits and vegetables whole compared to juicing them.
Green juice vs greens powder
If you have a limited supply of vegetables and fruits but still want to incorporate green juice into your diet, maybe it’s better to switch to using greens powder instead. It contains multiple vitamins and minerals to help maintain a well-balanced diet.
Like green juice, greens powder also allows you to build a stronger immune system and boost your energy levels from its nutrients.
It’s also easier to make since it already comes in powder form. All you have to do is to mix it into water, juice, or a smoothie, and you’re good to go!
Reap Amazing Health Benefits With Green Juice Today
There’s no doubt that drinking green juice regularly is an easy way of helping you get vital nutrients from vegetables and fruits. It can also give you a boost of energy and help lower your risk of getting sick.
But if looking up a new green juice recipe daily feels intimidating, finding the right greens powder for you will make the process easier.
It allows you to get the same benefits of drinking natural green juice but without the effort of mixing and matching your fruits and veggies before having to juice them manually.
If you need help choosing the best greens powder, check out this handy guide.