Drink your Greens: Green Juice with a Kick

Green is good, almost without exception: kale, broccoli, spirulina, green traffic lights, green thumbs, American currency—well, once upon a time it was. Green is so good that even vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists sometimes have a hard time eating enough of the stuff. So what’s the solution? Drink green juices. Yes, you’ll be forfeiting some fiber but think of the nutrients you might not have otherwise consumed.

The following recipe may not be for juicing lightweights, but I’m not here to detour anyone. By all means, give this green juice a GO!

Power Punch

4 Kale leaves
2 Collard leaves
3 Celery stalks
1 Tomato
1 Carrot, large
1 Apple
½ Anaheim pepper – for the kicker

Makes 3-4 servings. Choose organic when able and serve promptly.

Kale and collard greens are both great sources of vitamins A, C, E, and K, and are high in manganese, potassium, and calcium. You may be surprised to know that they also contain all of the essential amino acids, making them complete protein sources. Kale is also a decent source of iron.

Anaheim peppers contain capsaicin which has been shown to boost metabolism and immunity, help stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, clear congestion, and fight inflammation. Anaheims also provide significant amounts vitamin C.

Celery, like kale and collard greens, is a significant source of vitamin C, potassium, and calcium, as well as magnesium, iron, and essential sodium. Some benefits of drinking celery juice include: lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, replaced electrolytes, helps relieve constipation, relieves all types of inflammation, can lower blood pressure over time, and promotes healthy kidney function.

Apples are also a good source of vitamin C and potassium, boasting the benefits listed above.

Carrots, as we know, are tremendous sources of vitamin A—one large carrot contains 173% of our daily values (1 cup of chopped kale – 206%). Carrots are also a great source of vitamin K which aids in absorbing the calcium found in the kale, collard greens, and celery in this drink.
Tomatoes are highest in vitamin C, then A, and potassium. Tomatoes harvested in the summer have nearly three times the amount of vitamin C as those picked during winter.

This is definitely a go-getter juice. Get your green on with green juice!