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Juice Recipes

There are loads of delicious juice recipes that you can make quite easily for yourself at home provided you have your own juicer. This site will focus exclusively on juice recipes for people who already have a juicing appliance. If you are interested in starting a healthier lifestyle but do not yet have one of these units then this is an area that you are going to have to research. There are plenty of online resources that can help you choose a juicer that is right for you.

The thing I like most about drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices is that they taste great (usually) and make me feel great (always). You can literally juice up any fruit and/or vegetable that you want. Once you have your own juicing machine, you become the master of your own juicing domain.

You will quickly learn that some fruits do not really lend themselves to being juiced successfully. Specifically, this includes bananas and berries. They contain so much fiber that it is almost wasteful to feed them into a juicer. But don’t worry, if you like bananas and strawberries, these can easily be incorporated into great tasting juice smoothies.

So let’s get started with a discussion of some of the best juice recipes.

Straight Up Orange Juice

I know, I know. Not exactly original, is it? That said, a juice doesn’t have to be original to be good. It just has to be…good. With so many different types of oranges on sale, you can enjoy a range of flavors. A citrus juicer or unit that comes with a citrus juicing attachment is the easiest way to juice oranges. In this case you just have to cut each orange in half. But with a centrifugal, masticating or twin gear juicer, it is harder since you have to chop all the outer skin off then put it through the juicer. If ever there was an arguement for getting a dedicated citrus juicer. This is it.

Alkaline Green Juice

Now this might not sound too appetizing but don’t worry. It is not all greens. Just adding some green vegetables to your juice really does give the nutritional content a boost. It is real easy to make up your own recipes. One that I often have is based around apples and spinach. The sweetness in the apples and earthy taste of the spinach go well together. For a bit more taste you can add any or all of the following: ginger, celery, parsley, cucumber or carrots. This list is not exhaustive so you can easily have fun for weeks adding and subtracting various ingredients until you find the taste that is right for you. Fruits and vegetables that are high in potassium, magnesium and calcium help us alkalize. This is good as it helps us to feel more energetic and better able to concentrate.

The two fresh juice recipes above should be enough to get you started. Below are links to some other types of drinks, including:

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Fruit Juice Recipes

The number of fresh fruit juice recipes that you can come up with are really only limited by your own imagination. I’m just going to go through some of my own favorites which might inspire you to come up with your own delicious recipes.

There are a few things that are worth remembering as you create delicious fruit juices at home. Juicy fruits contain tons of water so you don’t really need all that much to make a big drink. For one person, 2 big apples or 3-4 oranges is plenty. If you are going to be adding other ingredients then you won’t even need that much.

When you see the recipes below, you might not think they are all that original. To be honest, they aren’t but don’t confuse uniqueness with quality. Some of the best tasting juices are popular precisely because they taste so good.

Plain Orange Juice

I cannot talk about fruit juices without mentioning this one. Everyone knows it and if you don’t love freshly squeezed orange juice then what’s up with your taste buds? This is a great fruit juice!

  • Orange (3)

It is best to juice oranges with either a citrus juicer or a masticating juicer. The former are the fastest. Although if you use a masticating juicer, you should be able to extract a bit more of the nutritional content from the oranges. This is because a large percentage of the vitamins and minerals are contained in the pith. This is the white part just underneath the peel. Just to be clear, you do not want want to juice the orange peel. It would make your juice taste bitter and may add some unwanted chemicals to your drink.

In the summer time, you might want to add some still or sparkling water and some ice to your freshly squeezed orange juice.

Plain Apple Juice

Apple juice is really sweet so try and ensure that you have some tart apples to use. Granny Smith apples are perfect. If you use tart and sweet apples, you can create your own blends. Just experiment until you find the taste that is right for you. Juice the whole apple except the stalk.

  • apple (2-3)

Fruit Juice based Smoothies

Both oranges and apples make a good base for fruit juice smoothies. You would start off by juicing your fruits and then using a blender you can mix the fruit juice with some berries or a banana. Below are just a couple of examples.

Orange and Banana Smoothie

  • orange (2-3)
  • banana (1)

It depends just how big your banana is. First of all, juice 2 or 3 oranges. Then pour half of this juice into a blender. Add the banana, blend, then pour in the rest of the orange juice and stir. Doing it this way prevents the smoothie from becoming too frothy. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Apple and Strawberry Smoothie

  • apple (1)
  • strawberry (6-8)

Use the same technique as the recipe above. Juice your apple. Then pour a little of this into your blender and add your strawberries. Mix and then pour in the remainder of your apple juice and stir.

Personally I do not pay too much attention to the sugar content of the fruit I eat. I consider fruits to be health foods and eating more of them, a good thing. But if you are concerned about juice recipes for weight loss then you may feel that drinking more vegetable juices is a good idea. As far as I’m concerned though, both fruit juices and vegetable juices are good for me.

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Juice Recipes for Skin

Juicing can play an important part in the health of our skin. Of course, drinking fresh home made juices is not the only thing that is required for perfectly clear skin. The key benefits of juicing are hydration and nutrition. In many ways, the condition of our skin is a reflection of our overall health. That said, there are skin conditions that juicing is unable to cure, for instance, eczema and acne. Juicing helps to give us the best chance to achieve a clear complexion and vibrant glow.

Juicing in the Morning

Aiming to have a fresh fruit and vegetable drink soon after you get up in the morning is literally one of the best nutritional choices that you can make. In many respects, it does not really matter what juice recipe you choose to make. What is important is that you are making something. Regardless of the ingredients that you choose, you are giving your body a great vitamin and mineral boost.

Something that you might want to consider is drinking a glass of water as soon as you get up in the morning. Then have your juice with your breakfast. This will in effect give you a double dose of hydration early in the day. Drinking too much fluids at once can leave us feeling bloated. This is not what I’m suggesting. I have a small cup of water (150ml – 300ml) as soon as I wake up. Then about 30 minutes later, once I have washed and made breakfast, I drink a juice of between 300ml – 500ml. This helps to flush out my body after a good night’s sleep. See below for some specific juice recipes for skin.

Vitamins for Healthy Skin

Let’s face it, vitamins and minerals that we get from live foods are really good for our bodies. As far as our skin is concerned, vitamins A, C, E and B complex are all vital if we want to look our best. Getting enough of vitamins A, B and C through our foods is simple. Spinach and asparagus are both reasonable sources of vitamin E however, some people choose to take a supplement. I personally take a multi-vitamin once a day.

Just in case you are not too sure, carrots are often regarded as the best source of vitamin A and oranges are perfect for getting vitamin C. Vitamin B is found in a wide range of foods. Try adding some bananas to your juice recipes for vitamin B from fruit. They are also a rich source of potassium which has numerous health benefits.

Some of the juices that I drink regularly are some of the easiest ones to make and they’re full of the vitamins discussed above.

Plain Carrot Juice

  • carrot (3)

With a centrifugal juicer, you can make this juice in no time. Just wash and top the carrots. Chop if need be and run through your juicer.

Fresh Orange Juice

  • orange (3)

One of the simplest and best. Using citrus juicer is the fastest and simplest way to juice oranges. However, if you use a masticating juicer you may be able to extract more vitamins. This is because the pith (the white stuff between the skin and fruit) is in fact the area with the highest nutrient concentration.

Orange and Banana Smoothie

  • orange (2-3)
  • banana (1)

Depending upon the size of your banana, first of all, juice 2 or 3 oranges. Then pour half of this juice into a blender. Add the banana, blend, then pour in the rest of the orange juice and stir. Doing it this way prevents the smoothie from becoming too frothy. Pour into a glass and enjoy. This is a really good juice recipe for energy, especially good in the morning.

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Alkaline Juice Recipes

Drinking fruit and vegetable juices is an important part of the alkaline diet. The theory behind this diet is that alkaline rich foods (fruits and vegetables) help to alkalize our bodies and help to shift the pH of our bodies to be more balanced. From what I have read about the science behind the diet, this claim about moving the pH of our body seems a bit dubious. Our body has internal mechanisms to prevent the pH level of our organs from changing much at all.

However, I’m not suggesting that the alkaline diet is bogus. Not at all. It is good to consume high alkaline foods. The reason for this is that without them, instead of the acidity of the foods that we eat being balanced by the alkaline foods that we have, our bodies have to use up alkaline deposits from within our bodies. I will introduce some alkaline juice recipes below. Did you know that in some cases, these come from our bones? You may have heard that if you put a tooth in a glass of soda, that it would dissolve. This is due to the acidity of the soft drink.

The USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory has all the data that you need to work out if a food that you eat is either acidic or alkaline. It comes down to a few different factors. The first thing that you have to realize is that the acidity of the foodstuff is not in fact the determinant of its effect on the human body. For example, carbonated soft drinks and freshly squeezed orange juice are both acidic. But it is the soft drink which is an acid drink and the orange juice is in fact alkalizing. The difference is to do with their chemical make up.

Carbonated soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which gives them their tangy taste. This is also what makes them acidic. Not the acid per se but the phosphorus. Oranges on the other hand contain ascorbic acid but it is their potassium, magnesium and calcium content that gives them their alkaline properties. You can find out more about acid/alkaline values using a PRAL calculator.

The aim then is really to consume a decent amount of alkaline foods in our diet. Realistically this means that if we can consume at least 10 servings of fruit and vegetables, in solid or liquid form, each day, we are doing fairly well. As you know, juicing removes the fiber but we still get almost all of the vitamins and minerals that the produce contains. It is becoming more popular to “juice” with a Vitamix blender since these appliances are so powerful that they simply liquefy everything. Since we are consuming everything, no nutrition is lost. The other good thing is that the fiber provides bulk so we can juice less produce for the same amount of juice.

The most alkalizing vegetables are greens such as spinach and kale. So a “green juice” is an excellent option. These drinks help to make us feel more energetic, our mental focus is improved and we have a sunnier disposition, simply because we give our body some quality nutrition. Remember, all fruit and vegetable juices are alkalizing. For that extra boost, simply try to add some greens. Here are some of my favorite alkaline juice recipes.

Spinach and Spice Juice

This tastes great and is super healthy. What is more, it is real easy to make.

  • apple (1)
  • spinach (handful)
  • ginger (small chunk)

The apple provides the sweetness and liquid volume. Spinach has an earthy flavor and helps to neutralize the sweetness of the apple. What makes this drink though is the addition of some ginger. It gives is a great spicy kick. Even if you are just starting out juicing, you will have no trouble drinking this juice, even though it is full of alkaline greens.

Carrot, Spinach and Ginger

  • carrot (3-5)
  • spinach (handful)
  • ginger (small chunk)

Once you have been juicing for a while, you might decide that apples are just a bit too sweet to have every day. If you ever start to feel this way then simply swap them out for carrots. These vegetables are surprisingly sweet themselves, nowhere near as sweet as apples though. However, when you get used to a juicing lifestyle, you are sure to fall in love with them.

As always, don’t think too hard about what produce to use for your juices. The most important point is to try your hardest to make at least one fruit and vegetable juice a day. Go for it!

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