Juices are among the richest sources of antioxidants that you can consume. Juicing isolates these antioxidants like polyphenols from the fiber. It liberates them so they can easily get into your system to fight diseases like cancer. When they are bound with the fiber, you do not get much of the cancer-fighting nutrients. They are also big combatants against free radicals, which are molecules that are missing an electron. They are like live wires. The antioxidant-rich juices donate an electron and shut down the live wire. They stabilize them.
Following are some of the most nutritious plants you can juice and parts of the plants you probably don’t usually eat.
1. Beet leaves and stems
Beet leaves are richer in calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese than the root.
Ways to incorporate beet leaves: Green smoothies, salads & soups—just chop up the leaves and stems and toss them into green salads or veggie soups. Another easy way to include them is in a green smoothie or juice cocktail.
Green Delight Smoothie
- 1 avocado, peeled and seeded and cut in quarters
- 1 cup raw spinach and beet leaves and stems (chopped)
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk
- Juice of 1 lime
2-3 tablespoons ground almonds (optional)
Combine all ingredients, except almonds, in a blender and blend well until smooth. Sprinkle ground almonds on top, as desired, for additional protein.
Beet-Ginger Cleansing Cocktail
- 3 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 beet with stem and leaves, scrubbed well
- 1 apple
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 handful of parsley
- 1-2 inch chunk ginger root, scrubbed or peeled
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice all ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
2. Lemon peel
Rich in vitamin C and bioflavonoids, citrus peel will stimulate and cleanse the liver. It’s time to cleanse the liver. So juice it up or blend it up in a smoothie!
Note: You cannot juice orange and grapefruit peel because of the oils (limonene) that are volatile and can cause digestive problems, headaches, and allergic reactions. These oils are used for cleaning products and to kill termites and ants. A small amount of orange zest is okay for most people, but those who are sensitive will react to even that.
Ways to incorporate lemon peel: Put lemon zest in healthy desserts or on chopped up fruit, in smoothies, or juice recipes.
You Are Loved Cocktail
Serves 1-2
- 3 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed (always remove the tops as they are toxic)
- 2 celery stalks, with leaves
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 handful spinach
- 1 lemon with peeled (organic is best)
- 1/2 beet, scrubbed well, with stems and leaves
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice all ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
3. Asparagus ends
Asparagus is a natural diuretic. It helps flush toxins from the body and promotes kidney cleansing. It’s a great tonic for the kidneys and a great way to use the tougher end parts we usually throw away. The end of the stalk has just as many nutrients as the tops. Save them and juice them–that’s good economy with health dividends! Or, add a few stems to a green smoothie.
Veggie Tonic
Serves 1-2
- 1 tomato
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 8 asparagus stems
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice all ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
4.(a) Wild Greens such as nettles, burdock, sorrel, and dandelion: We call them “weeds,” but they are some of the foods most packed with nutrition. Wild greens reduce the desire for starchy foods making them an excellent weight loss helper. And they’re packed with life-giving nutrients such as biophotons that help our cells communicate with each other more effectively,1 along with chlorophyll, vitamin C, minerals, and enzymes. Best of all—they’re free! Don’t kill them or throw them away. Juice them or blend them up!
Awesome Wild Green Smoothie
Serves 2
- 1 avocado, peeled and seeded and cut in quarters
- 1 fistful of wild greens such as nettles, dandelion, or sorrel
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks
- Juice of 1 lime
- Several drops of stevia (liquid) or a pinch of stevia powder
- 4-6 ice cubes (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well until smooth.
Wild Green Energy Cocktail
Serves 1
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 handful wild greens such as dandelion, nettles, plantain, lamb’s quarters, or sorrel
- 1 apple (green is lower in sugar)
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
Cut all ingredients to fit your juicer’s feed tube and juice. Stir the juice and drink as soon as possible.
Reference
1 John Switzer, “Bio-Photon Nutrition and Wild Green Energy Cocktails
for Optimal Health (English),” May 21, 2009.
4. (b) Dandelion leaves
Considered weeds and killed in the spring, dandelion leaves offer one of the best liver tonics for cleansing.
Ways to use: Salad (chop up the leaves and add to spring greens or coleslaw with a sweet and tart dressing), make a tea with the leaves, add them to a green smoothie or juice. (Note: they are bitter so include mild and sweet-tasting complementary foods.)
Liver Life Tonic
Serves 1
- Dandelion juice is a traditional remedy for cleansing the liver.
- 1 handful of dandelion greens
- 3-4 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
- 1 apple or pear
Bunch up dandelion greens. Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Tuck the greens in the feed tube and push through with a carrot. Juice the remaining ingredients. Stir the juice, pour into a glass, and drink as soon as possible.
5. Kohlrabi leaves
Rich in vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, copper, and pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene). Most people throw the leaves away and only use the bulb. Juice up the leaves and reap all the great nutrition you’d be throwing out.
Ways to use: Chop up some leaves along with the bulb for a salad, add them to a veggie soup, green smoothie, or juice.
Kiwi peel:
The peel of kiwi is richest in vitamin C and pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene), so don’t throw it away. Blend it in a kiwi smoothie or juice it up with the kohlrabi leaves, or anything else. (See the recipe below)
3 K-Green Cocktail
Serves 1
- 2-3 kohlrabi leaves
- 1 kale leaf
- 1 kiwi fruit
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 apple (green has less sugar)
- 1/2 lemon, peeled
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Roll the leaves and push through the juicer with the kiwi fruit and celery stalk. Add the apple and lemon, then juice. Stir the juice and drink as soon as possible.
7. Fennel leaves
Rich in iron, calcium, carotenes, folic acid, and vitamin C. Fennel is beneficial for the kidneys, liver and spleen, and also helps clear the lungs. It’s a diuretic and increases the amount and frequency of urination, thereby helping the removal of toxic substances from the body and is helpful for rheumatism and swelling. Fennel juice has been used as a traditional tonic to help the body release endorphins, the “feel good” peptides from the brain into the bloodstream. Endorphins help to diminish anxiety and fear and generate a mood of euphoria.
Ways to use: Chop up the leaves and toss into a salad, add them to “Carrot –Cashew Sauce Summer Veggies”, a green smoothie, or a delicious juice such as the Mint-Fennel Refresher or Mood Mender.
Mint-Fennel Refresher
Serves 1-2
- 2 stalks of fennel with leaves
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 green apple such as Granny Smith or Pippin
- 1 handful mint
- 1-inch chunk of ginger root, scrubbed or peeled if old
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
Mood Mender
Serves 1-2
- 3 fennel stalks with leaves
- 3 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed
- 2 stalks of celery with leaves, as desired
- 1/2 pear
- 1 inch chunk of ginger root, peeled
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
8. Jicama skin
Rich in vitamin C and potassium. It is always recommended that we peel jicama, but then we then lose the biggest concentration of nutrients. The good news- you can juice jicama with the skin.
Ways to use: Since jicama skin is not desirable to most people’s palates, the best way to incorporate it into the diet is to juice it up as with the Jicama Surprise (see below).
9. Daikon radish leaves
Radishes and radish leaves are an excellent source of vitamin C—the leaves are a richer source of nutrients and are typically thrown away. Juice them or blend them in a green smoothie. Or, you can chop them up and add them to a salad.
Jicama Surprise
Serves 1
- 2-inch by 4 or 5-inch chunk of jicama, scrubbed well
- 2-3 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1/4 daikon radish with leaves, trimmed and scrubbed
- 1-inch chunk of ginger root, scrubbed, peeled if old
- 1/2 lemon or lime, peeled if not organic
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
10. Jerusalem artichoke skin
Rich in carotenes, folate, choline, magnesium, and potassium. The most nutrient-dense part of the plant is in the skin and next to the skin. The Jerusalem artichoke is usually peeled, but you can juice it with the peel, blend it in a veggie smoothie, or chop it up for salads and reap the rewards.
Weight-Loss Buddy
Serves 1-2
Jerusalem artichoke juice combined with carrot and beet is a traditional remedy for satisfying cravings for sweets and junk food. The key is to sip it slowly when you get a craving for high-fat or high-carb foods.
- 3-4 carrots, scrubbed well, tops removed, ends trimmed
- 1 Jerusalem artichoke, scrubbed well
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
- 1/2 small beet, scrubbed well with stems and leaves
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
From The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet
11. Kale ribs (usually thrown away)
Kale and parsley are loaded with calcium, but that’s not all. They also have magnesium, boron, and vitamin K—all are important for bone health.
Though not richer than the rest of the plant, the tough ribs are often discarded, and we miss out on all their great nutrients for healthy bones. It’s good economy to save them and juice them up!
Ways to use: Stir-fry, salads (chop up a few and toss with the salad), green smoothies, or my “Healthy Bones Cocktail” (a delicious juice combo!). A great treat is to make my “Spicy Kale Chips” (recipe in The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet) with the leaves and use the leftover ribs for other dishes.
Healthy Bones Cocktail
Serves 1
- 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic
- 1 large kale leaf
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 lemon, peeled if not organic
- 1-inch chunk of ginger root, scrubbed or peeled if old
Cut produce to fit your juicer’s feed tube. Juice ingredients and stir. Pour into a glass and drink as soon as possible.
Note: When juicing peels and skins and many different parts of plants, it’s a good idea to avoid the worst of the pesticide-sprayed foods by purchasing only organic when it comes to the “Dirty Dozen”—a list of the most highly sprayed fruits and vegetables. Go to www.ewg.org.
All recipes are from The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet by Cherie Calbom, MS
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