01/14

Drink Your Greens: My Go-To Green Juice Detox Recipe

A new year is upon us, and with a new year comes a fresh start. If you’re looking for a way to jump start feeling rejuvenated and revitalized, it’s a great idea to load up on your green juices! They pack so many nutrients into one little bottle, and chances are you’ll drink more veggies in one sitting than you would have eaten in a week!

For many people, it’s hard to incorporate the right amount of fruits and vegetables into their diets. When it comes to juicing as a form of cleansing post holiday, I recommend sticking to the vegetable based drinks. Try to avoid the fruit drinks if you can. It’s important to focus on roots and greens. I love the Green Beauty Juice recipe from All About Juicing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber (approximately 2 large leaves if you are measuring it uncut)
• 1 cup of kale
• 1 cup of spinach
• 1 cup of romaine lettuce (I like the hearts-approximately 2 large leaves)
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cup of coconut water (fresh is best, but a good organic not-from-concentrate brand is great too)

Many green juices contain apples for a little added sweetness. When juices contain a lot of apple, carrot and orange, there’s way more sugar in there than there would be in a strictly vegetable based juice. I mean, as much as I love watermelon and pineapple, if I’m being extra strict and detoxing, I try to stick to juices like the Green Beauty Juice that only contain vegetables and greens.

If you want a juice focusing more on roots, go for a juice that contains things like beets, parsley, spinach and cucumber. If you’re looking for more of a green based juice, look for ingredients like kale, romaine and celery. Many juices include combinations of these ingredients, but whether you drink them separately or together, it’s important to find a balance between them. Detoxing is all about ridding our bodies of toxins and replenishing them with nutritious, wholesome foods. A green juice cleanse is just what the body needs to bounce back to it’s normal, pre-holidays state.

It’s so, so, so important not to confuse juicing with smoothies. There are so many companies that advertise smoothies as healthy options and meal replacements, but most commercialized smoothie chains make drinks with all sugar and no protein. When smoothies are based with yogurt or milk and contain nothing but fruit, not only are they most likely over 600 calories, but they serve you no nutritional purpose. So don’t be fooled, people!  Juicing + Smoothies = SO not the same.

Some of my fav, fav, fav juice cleanses are by Pressed Juicery and Blueprint Cleanse. Seriously, OB-sessed.  There are certain ways to prep your body for a detox. Roots Juices offers tips and tricks on how to prep for a cleanse, as well as maintain a healthy lifestyle during and after your cleanse.

It’s important to be honest with yourself when it comes to detoxing. If you know you won’t be able to go this many days with no sweets and simply greens, these companies do offer “sweet” juices, containing things like cashew milk and dates. But these drinks are much higher in calorie than the green juices. If you’re focusing more on the calories and not so much the “purity” of what you’re putting in your body, then honestly, one Swiss Miss mixed with water won’t kill you. It’s more important to be realistic with what you can do than to force yourself and have it backfire in the end.

Even though these cleanses can be super hard sometimes, especially if you’ve never done them before, it’s important to remember that you’re going to be feeling AH-mazing after! Most importantly, these green juices are jam packed with vitamins and nutrients that will keep you feeling and looking fab in the New Year.