Get Juiced

by Debra Bokur | photography by Andrew Purcell | food styling by Carrie Tinkham

Juicing provides a fast, tasty, and healthy way to meet your daily quota of fruits and vegetables.

Everyone loves a juice smoothie, and there’s a whole world of delicious, healthy options that go far beyond the standard banana-strawberry-vanilla yogurt variety. In fact, such less-popular ingredients as cucumbers, apples, celery, and lemon add a huge nutritional kick.

“Cucumbers are one of the best kidney cleansers known,” says David Rainoshek, M.A., research assistant to Dr. Gabriel Cousens at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona, which is known for its juice fasting programs. “Cucumbers prevent bloating, contain an enzyme called erepsin that digests proteins, and also contain silicon in their skins.” Apples, says Rainoshek, add just the right touch of sweetness to vegetable-based juices without driving them too high on the glycemic index. Squeeze in some lemon, and you’ve got a boost of vitamin C.

“Juicing is fast becoming a popular way to supplement a healthy diet,” adds Heather K. Jones, a Washington, D.C.-based registered dietitian. “Fresh juices are better than bottled juices that may be loaded with sugars, preservatives, and artificial colors and sweeteners. And fresh juices from a larger variety of fruits and veggies provides a wealth of good-for-you vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that promote good health and reduce the risk of major diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.”

Jones suggests starting with one glass of fresh juice a day, and working your way up to two or even three glasses. “But don’t go overboard,” cautions Jones, “as drinking more may crowd out your consumption of whole fruits and veggies, which provide necessary fiber.” To reap the full array of benefits from fresh juices, experiment with a mix of vegetables and fruits. Also try using the fiber-rich pulp you extract from your juicer in other recipes, like carrot pulp in muffins or tomato pulp in spaghetti sauce.

Customize the following recipes by adding filtered water to make your juice-smoothie thinner, or ice to make it thicker.

TURTLE COVE SPA’S PINEAPPLE KIWI SMOOTHIE

Courtesy of Turtle Cove Spa, Mount Ida, Arkansas, www.turtlecovespa.com

“Our Pineapple Kiwi Smoothie is a delicious, low-fat, high fiber smoothie that provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” explains chef Ted Thompson.

Serves 1 – 2

INGREDIENTS

1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped

1 kiwi, chopped

3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Honey to taste

PREPARATION

Remove skin from kiwi. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add ice to create desired thickness, and honey to taste.

GRAIL SPRINGS SPA’S DETOXIFYING JUICE

Courtesy of Grail Springs Spa, Ontario, Canada, www.grailsprings.com

“The human body has an incredible capacity for healing itself and fighting off potential disease, which generally always starts in the colon,” says Madeleine Marentette, founder of Grail Springs. “Juice fasting gives your body the necessary break to cleanse and repair itself, a powerful purifier starting from the inside out. This particular combination of apples and beets are great liver cleansers, while cucumber and ginger make excellent immune boosters.”

Serves 2 – 4

INGREDIENTS

6 apples

4 medium-size beets

1/2 English cucumber

1 tbs. ginger, finely chopped

PREPARATION

Combine the first three ingredients through your juicer. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of ginger into each glass. Mix and serve within 30 minutes of preparation.

NEW AGE HEALTH SPA’S MELON MINT COCKTAIL

Courtesy of New Age Health Spa, Neversink, New York, www.newagehealthspa.com

This recipe, created by Valerie Myers, nutrition program coordinator at New Age Health Spa, is high in vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Myers, who oversees the spa’s juice fasting program, also develops juice recipes for the spa’s seasonal cookbooks. She explains that peppermint has a cooling effect on the body, aids in digestion, and adds a burst of fresh flavor to this summer fruit drink.

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

1 cantaloupe, ripe

1 cup strawberries

1/8 cup fresh peppermint leaves

(plus four leaves for garnish)

PREPARATION

Peel the cantaloupe and remove the seeds. Cut into cubes. Rinse strawberries and remove hulls. Rinse mint leaves in cold water, then run mint through food processor. Place all ingredients in juicer or blender, and blend until smooth. Pour over crushed ice, and garnish with additional mint leaves.

TREE OF LIFE REJUVENATION CENTER’S SUMMER CUCUMBER COOLER

Courtesy of the Spiritual Yoga Fasting Retreat and Detoxification Program at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, Patagonia, Arizona, www.treeoflife.nu

“This is a favorite among fasters and staff alike,” says recipe creator Michela Casey, chef at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center Café, “particularly during the hot summer months when we cannot possibly drink too much of live, hydrating, nutrient-dense juices. All told, this recipe cleanses, rebuilds, rehydrates, and alkalizes the body – everything we could possibly want out of a juice. It’s also low on the glycemic index, making it available for guests with blood sugar and candida issues, as well as those on a low-glycemic green juice fast.”

Serves 1 – 2

INGREDIENTS

6 ribs celery

1 lemon

3 cucumbers

1/2 apple

1 small bunch parsley

PREPARATION

Place all ingredients in a press-style juicer, beginning with the lemon and celery to better prevent the apple from oxidizing when juiced.

ADDED VALUE

Adding supplements to your juice or smoothie can help enhance its nutritional content and healing potential. And remember this rule of thumb for skins, which can provide a valuable source of fiber: If you’d normally eat the skin of a fruit or vegetable, it can be juiced. Other add-ins include:

Bee pollen: Produced naturally by bees, bee pollen is a tonic nutrient rich in bioflavonoids, amino acids, B vitamins, beta-carotene, and vitamins C and E; it also has strong anti-viral and antibiotic effects.

Ginger: A known immune system booster, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that make it valuable in the treatment of heart disease. It is also useful in combating nausea, motion sickness, menstrual cramps, fever, cough, and colds.

Gingko: Ongoing medical studies are exploring ginkgo’s possible anti-aging properties. In addition, ginkgo increases blood flow to the brain, and is useful in treating allergies, headaches, and a score of other complaints, including sinusitis.

Ginseng: The Asian variety, P. ginseng, is another herb believed to be useful in addressing conditions related to aging, including loss of skin and muscle tone. An overall strengthening herb, it can be added to your juice freshly grated.

Parsley: “According to John Heinerman in Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Healing Juices (Prentice Hall Press, 1994), parsley has excellent results in reducing allergies, reducing mercury poisoning from dental amalgams, and is an amazing energizer,” says David Rainoshek, M.A., research assistant to Dr. Gabriel Cousens at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. “This is partially because of the highchlorophyll content that both builds the blood and increases its capacity to transport oxygen.”

Spirulina: Considered by many to be the original green superfood, spirulina is a complete, high-protein food that’s easily digested by most people. Find it in powder form at natural foods stores.

July/August 2007