My Green Juice

Even though spring is in no rush to settle in this year, I try to fool myself into believing it is warm, sunny and beautiful outside with my daily fruit and veggie juice. With such a jolly color, and with so many vitamins, how can your day not start off right after you have it?

I found out about this juice from Dr. Oz. For those of you who don't know who he is (I don't mean to be patronizing, I swear :)), Dr. Oz is a cardiothoracic american-turkish surgeon who also hosts a health show. Since I don't have time, I don't watch him on TV, but a while back, I decided to try and do a short detox session for about 3 days, so I went to my dear friend... Google. :) That's how I came across Dr. Oz's green juice recipe which I am pretty much addicted to... in the best way possible of course

How is it prepared? Very simple. For 4 glasses I use: 

- 2 cored apples (skin on)

- 1 orange (peeled)

- 1 lemon (peeled)

- a few carrots (I use the little ones, so I need about 5 - 6)

- 1/4 pineapple

- 2 handfulls of spinach

- 1/2 large cucumber or 2 - 3 small cucumbers

- 3 stalks of celery

- a little mint

- 1 handful of parsley

I simply juice everything and that's it! It's true that I invested in a good juicer, but it's worth it. I drink a glass of juice on an empty stomach, and the rest throughout the day as I wish. It looks pretty, but most importantly... it is yummy and healthy. Of course I also eat 3 balanced meals a day. Anyway, I try to have this juice first thing in the morning for a natural boost of energy.

Now let's talk a bit about the benefits of this juice, the main reason I drink it everyday.

- the apple is one of the healthiest fruits out there. It has antioxidants, dietary fibers and flavonoids, decreasing the risk of cancer, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. They don't say an apple a day keep the doctor away for no reason. :)

- oranges have a lot of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants which, among others, improves immunity and prevents cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, a study has showed that vitamin C tablets are not as effective as vitamin C you'd get from orange juice.

- Speaking of vitamins C...  lemon also have it. Even though lemons are acidic at first, they become basic in the stomach helping the alkalinization of bodily fluid, thus maintaining an optimum pH. Also, lemon juice detoxifies the liver by dissolving uric acid and other toxins. Not to mention that is kills intestinal worms, improves circulation and helps ameliorate brain diseases.

- the carrot (my least favorite vegetable ^_^) contains beta-carotene that turns into vitamin A in the liver and improves vision. Beta-carotene also has strong antioxidant properties, so carrots also help slow down the aging process.

- pineapple is an exotic fruit, so it is more expensive than the others, but it has just as many beneficial properties. Besides vitamin C, which I've praised enough thus far, pineapple contains a substance that helps digestion and prevents inflammation. There is also manganese, copper, vitamin B1, B6 and dietary fibers in this fruit.

- spinach should get its own post. No wonder Popeye was crazy about it. :) Spinach should be an essential food item for diabetics since it lowers blood sugar. It is also effective against anemia thanks to iron. and it prevents cancer (thanks to chlorophyll), asthma (thanks to beta-carotene also found in carrots), decreases high blood pressure (through its high potassium content) and contributes to bone health (through vitamin K).

- cucumber is the forth most grown vegetable in the world and it's for good reasons. The water in cucumber (95%) hydrates our bodies, while vitamin A, B1, B6, C și D helps maintain our health. Cucumber is also good for constipation, diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

- celery prevents inflammation and has very few calories (the same applies to most of these ingredients). The essential oils and magnesium found in celery "calm down" our nervous system and acts as a natural relaxer. Studies show that you'll sleep better if you eat a little celery before bed. Same as lemon, celery helps alkalinize the body and improves digestion. Not to mention that celery contains salt, but not table salt which we should eat as little as possible, but organic, natural, essential salt that helps our body maintain optimum parameters of functioning (homeostasis).

- I'd add mint in this juice even if it wasn't good for anything, that's how much I love it. However, to my joy, mint in a natural stimulant, so fatigue and depression don't mix with mint. Also, it plays an important role in oral health, allergies, memory and skin health. 

- studies show that the volatile oils in parsley inhibit tumors, especially lung tumors, while vitamin C ameliorates rheumatic arthritis through anti-inflammatory properties. Parsley is also an important source of follic acid which is essential for normal development of babies' nervous system (mainly spinal cord). Women who plan on having children, however, should have intake of follic acid way before the pregnancy occurs because the nervous system develops very early in pregnancy (first 4 weeks) when moms-to-be may not even know they're expecting.

Of course this is not a complete list. I just wanted to show you some of the reasons why it's worth getting in the habit of drinking a juice like this, at least every now and then. After all, we are what we eat, right? :)

You can leave me messages/comments on the blog, on Facebook (search for "Traveler Through Life") or at lauraanamariahurjui@gmail.com

Yours,

Laura