Green juice, commonly known as vegetable juice, is a mixture of various green vegetables and fruits sometimes. Drinking green juice has been proved very beneficial to achieve good health, beauty goals and in weight loss program.
Consumption of green juices is also related to reducing or preventing the rate of some chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Regular use can provide essential nutrients and improve overall health.
Apart from regular physical exercises or practicing yoga, one needs to grow a nutritious food habit by adding more greens in their daily diets to maintain proper health.
There is a saying that the more greens you consume, the healthier you become. But in today’s world, we do not get enough time to cook and eat various dishes with different green vegetables. In that case, drinking green juice or vegetable juice can be an easy way to neutralized the vegetable imbalance in the body.
Should you drink green juice?
Green juice diet contains lots of green leafy vegetables that are rich in minerals and other nutritious vitamins, and it is an effective way to improve green vegetable intake. Drinking juices especially the mixture of vegetable provide varieties of polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and nitrate.
Various studies have proved that drinking green juice may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Vegetable Juice provides several biologically active components such as polyphenols which may improve cardiovascular health. Polyphenols exhibit antioxidant and antimicrobial property which can be beneficial in reducing these chronic diseases. [1, 2]
But all green juices are not healthy, especially when you buy it from a local market. They may contain added sugar or sugar from fruit. The green juice that includes the high amount of apple or other fruits can provide the higher level of sugar than only vegetable juice. So, always look for fruits to vegetable juice ratio.
Some vegetables have naturally occurring sodium content like Beets and Celery that can raise sodium concentration in your juice diet. Also be aware of sodium content when you choose to juice.
Although to get maximum health benefits, you can blend all the vegetables at your home. By controlling the ingredients, you are not only saving its freshness but also reducing the chances of getting more sugar and sodium content into your juice.
What are the benefits of drinking green juice daily?
Drinking fresh green juice allows your health to get proper nutrition and helps to fight for a better lifestyle. It contains polyphones, fiber and other vitamins and minerals that play a vital role in providing various health benefits.
1. Weight loss:
Unlike heavy and sugary smoothies, fresh green juice with low sodium can help you to reduce your body weight and maintain proper shape. In the human intestine, the gut bacteria is an essential factor for the development or minimizing of obesity and obesity related diseases. Green Juice contains polyphenols which regulate the gut bacteria and increase the number of good bacteria which helps to reduce weight.
In an experiment, around twenty adults were allowed to drink green juice for 3 days followed by 14 days of the regular diet. After the 3rd day, a significant reduction in their weight and body mass was noticed and remained decreased after the 2 weeks follows up period. So it is the time to replace your snacks with a green juice to cut a few inches from your body naturally. [1]
2. Reduce the risks of coronary artery disease:
One research has been proved that healthy green drinks can reduce the risks of coronary artery diseases or any heart diseases. In the study, thirty-two men with hypercholesterolemia were included and consumed 150ml of kale juice per day for 12 week intervention period. And the result showed the LDL- Cholesterol concentration was reduced by 10% and the atherogenic index was also reduced by 24.2% without affecting the body mass index. [3]
3. Reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes:
Diabetes is like an epidemic and quite a prevalent disease in every family. However, in a study, it has been seen that unlike fruit juice and smoothies, fresh leafy vegetables juice can be beneficial to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, especially for women. It is due to their low energy density, low glycemic load, and micronutrient content. It also provides magnesium which is inversely related to the development of type-2 diabetes. A cup of green juice contains low sugar compared to a cup of sweet fruit juice or smoothie. According to the researchers, an increase of green vegetable consumption one serving per day can significantly lower the risks of getting diabetes. [4]
4. Delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease:
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia in which the brain cells degenerate and causes memory loss. Modern studies have proved that fresh fruit and vegetable juice can delay the outbreak of Alzheimer’s disease. This is due to a high concentration of polyphenols which can decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
During an experiment, it was found that people who drank fresh vegetable juices for at least 3 times per weeks have decreased ratio of probable Alzheimer than those who drank the juice 1 or 2 times per week. [5]
5. Reduce Blood Pressure
Research has also been proved that consuming green juice containing high nitrate content (ex – beetroot or fresh carrot juice) can reduce the blood pressure. In the research of 12 weeks, consumption of vegetable juice showed a decrease in blood pressure. [2]
6. Improve digestion:
Fresh green juices are simple and quite easy to digest. Simultaneously it helps to fight all sorts of indigestion issues after heavy meals or after consuming heavy veggies like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, parsley etc. As you are removing the fibers and cellulose, some people with GI distress lack the proper enzymes to digest fiber. For them, the green juice will not cause the bloating or discomfort which make it easy to digest.
7. Source of energy:
Healthy vegetable drinks are indeed a great source of energy that helps to revitalize your body. The greens contain Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants which help to oxygenate the blood and increase brain function and physical energy. Green vegetables also help you to maintain the balance of sugar in your veins and improve energy stability. Greens are natural supplements that provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals and maintain the pH level of the body.
8. Age miracle:
Green veggies play an essential role in preventing aging and giving you a youthful glow. Vegetable drinks packed with antioxidant veggies help to reduce free radicals and oxidative stress that make aging on the skin. Further, it always keeps hydrated and nourished skin that reflect on your skin. Green juices are packed with enough vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are more than enough to retain your youth.
Also Read: How to Use Aloe Vera for Skin Whitening?
What are the best vegetables to juice?
- Spinach – Loaded with Vitamin C, per 100 grams serving of spinach contain 28.1 micrograms of Vitamin C, which is 34 percentage of the daily recommendation.
- Cucumber – It is high in water content and contains approximately 96% water.
- Carrot – It is a good source for getting beta-carotene, Fibre, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Potassium and antioxidants.
- Celery – Celery is a good source for getting Fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.
- Parsley – Fresh parsley contains Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.
- Apple – Raw Apple (with skin) contains Fibre and Vitamin.
- Orange – A good source for getting Folate and Potassium and a very good source of getting Fibre and Vitamin C.
- Ginger – Raw ginger contains Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
How to make green juice?
Making green juice recipes at home is as easy as making fruit juice. Although green juices cannot be as sweet as most of the fruits juices and they are highly nutritious and health beneficial. You can easily make a healthy mix vegetable juice at home by following these steps:
Ingredients needed –
- Carrots – 3 small carrots
- Apple – 1 small piece (avoid this if you have GI distress)
- Celery – 2 stalks
- Cucumber – 1 large cucumber
- Spinach – 1 handful
- Parsley – 1 handful
- Ginger – 1 small piece
- Lemon juice – ¼ of lemon
- Black pepper powder
- Salt and ice cubes as required.
Process –
- Chop all the veggies roughly and put them in a juicer or blender.
- Extract the juice and add the lemon juice, black pepper, and salt to improve the taste before mixing it well.
- You can drop some ice cube after pouring the juice into the glass to get a chilly green flavour.
Conclusion:
However, green juice has become a trend in today’s healthy lifestyles. Being a natural supplement, it can be a healthy option from different aspects starting from staying in proper shape to fighting heart diseases and maintaining the zest for life. Therefore, it is the high time to grab your favorite greens from the market and blend them to get a green treat.