We enjoy juicing in our home when we can access fresh produce regularly. I prefer juicing over drinking any caffeinated drinks. In my opinion, I consider it my nature’s energy shot. I also consume a whole food supplement daily to bridge the gap and it helps when we’re not able to intake larger amounts of fresh produce due to being in between grocery shopping trips.
I want to share one of my favorite juicing recipes. This one promotes healthy skin due to the vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals.
Skin friendly foods are always leafy greens, yellow and orange foods, and the papaya or sweet potato also promotes healthy skin.
Promote Healthy Skin Juice
3 leaves of romaine lettuce
3 leaves of curly kale
1 apple
1 whole lemon
1/2 of medium papaya without seeds (can sub a sweet potato here)
1 medium beet plus greens
1 carrot
Please source organic (or locally grown) ingredients when possible. Wash all produce including scrubbing the beet.
This recipe is about 200 calories, approximately 60 carbs, and 36g of sugar – remember every ingredient is from an unadulterated whole food. The recipe is packed with Vitamins A, C, and about a third of a day’s worth of calcium and iron. Sodium is under 200mg. (Manually entered and sourced from MyFitness Pal.)
If you are watching your carbohydrate consumption from all foods including whole foods, juicing likely is not a good fit for you.
Also, if you’re diabetic or needing to watch your sugar, even from natural sources, check with your practitioner before juicing. If you decide to give this a try, start out with a small portion. You can store the remaining in an air tight container (like a mason jar with a lid) in the fridge until the next day. Give it a good shake and sip. The beets will make your bathroom trips more colorful than usual. It’s normal. Lastly, be careful not to spill the juice on a carpeted surface.
If you’re gardening and have a compost pile, be sure to discard your pulp there! When juicing vegetables only, you can use the pulp to make a vegetable broth. Use cheesecloth or a reusable vegetable mesh bag to keep the pulp together while simmering it with herbs and water. In the case of this recipe though since I juiced fruits and vegetables, you can use the pulp in a smoothie. I’d start with a little bit of it at first. Store the remaining in an air tight container for 1-2 days or freeze it as part of your smoothie bags that I will share in a future post. Otherwise, discard the pulp in the trash. Lastly, if you prefer not to juice, and need/want the fiber (as it's so important!), you can blend these foods in a high powered blender in lieu of juicing. That way you get all the pulp - I'd recommend cutting the serving sizes in half or even a fourth. You'll want to blend it all in filtered water or you can try plain coconut water. You'll want to remove the seeds from all foods, the lemon peel and optional: peel the carrot.
Happy Juicing (or Blending)!
Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease, condition, or ailment. This information is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Speak with your healthcare provider to see how/if it pertains to your individual needs.
The purpose of this blog is to offer support for your health goals. As of July 2022, Jessica David is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Jessica has ten years of coaching experience and you can consider her an encourager, someone in your corner, a friend, and a professional.
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