Why good gut health matters
The gut is key to your overall health. Therefore, it’s important that the ecosystem of bacteria in your digestive system is healthy. Digestive system problems such as heartburn, gas, bloating and constipation reflect what’s happening throughout your body.
The main drivers of gut health change are shifts in stomach acid, gut immunity and gastrointestinal flora.
Luckily, our bodies have their own inbuilt detoxification processes, including the digestive tract, liver, skin and lungs.
How does juicing improve health?
Juices are most well known for claiming to remove toxins from your body and help you feel healthier. However, there’s no conclusive medical evidence that detoxes or cleanses will benefit your digestive tract.
Juice also shouldn’t be the only way to get these nutrients. Whole fruits and vegetables also contain healthy fibre, much of which is lost during juicing — especially if the skin and pulp are removed. Dietary fibre not only aids in digestion, but also may improve blood cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. Fibre also helps you feel full, which can help with weight control.
Instead, here are some juice cleanse recipes to incorporate into your healthy diet of solid foods. The juices contain ingredients to aid with ensuring the health of your digestive system. All of them contain fruits and vegetables, providing the fibre that builds good bacteria and gut health.
Juicing can also be helpful if you find it challenging to fit all your fruits and vegetables in your day, for example if you are on the go a lot. The good news if you choose to have juices, you can get most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals phytonutrients found in whole fruit.
Juice Cleanse Recipes
For all the juice recipes, simply place all ingredients into your juicer and blend. Serve chilled.
Beet It Up
Beets get their colour from betalains, a type of natural plant pigment that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beets also boost your fibre intake which can help your digestive system, control blood sugar levels, maintain a healthy weight and lower your cholesterol.
Recipe is from Mind Body Green.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cm fresh ginger
- 3 beets
- 3 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
Apple, Pear and Spinach Juice
Recipe from Taste.com.au
Ingredients:
- 3 large packham pears, quartered
- 3 large granny smith apples, quartered
- 100g baby spinach
- 5 fresh mint sprigs
- Ice cubes, to serve
- Mint sprigs, to serve
Carrot and Orange Juice
Carrots are known for being a good source of beta-carotene, fibre, vitamin K, and potassium. Oranges are helpful to the immune system being high in Vitamin C.
Recipe from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds carrots, trimmed and scrubbed
- 8 oranges, peeled
Ginger Aid Immune Juice
Cucumber contains mostly water, so it’s great for detoxification, while lemon is a great cleanser for the body and cuts through the bitterness of greens.
Kale is a powerful anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory properties and garlic has been show to reduce the risk of developing certain diseases.
Recipe from Draxe.com
Ingredients:
- Kale, 1 bunch
- Parsley or cilantro, ½ bunch
- Green apple, cut and seeded
- Ginger, 2 inch piece
- Garlic, 1 clove peeled
- Lemon or lime, peeled
- Cucumber, 1 whole with ends removed
Spring Clean Green Juice
Spinach is contains iron and packed with vitamins. Pineapple and mango are antioxidant-rich to help keep the body health and reduce oxidative stress. Celery is also rich in antioxidants and aids digestion.
Recipe from Caroline Green Nutrition
Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch swiss chard
- 1 large handful spinach or kale
- 2–3 large stalks celery
- small handful fresh basil or parsley
- 1 small handful mango or pineapple (1/4 – 1/2 cup)
- 1 small cucumber or 1/2 large cucumber
- 1 small ginger root
- 1 lemon (peeled)
Afternoon Pick-Me-Up
The name says it all, for that afternoon slump hits. It’s slightly spicy, giving you an energy boost.
Recipe from Camille Styles
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1/2 pineapple, peeled and cored
- 1/2 lemon, peeled
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 knob ginger
Tropical Mint
This will transport you to the beach, especially if you’re needing a pick me up in the Winter. The mint is high in vitamin A, while the lemon adds some vitamin C to the mix.
Recipe from Mind Body Green
Ingredients:
- 2 stalks celery
- ½ cucumber
- 2 cups spinach
- 3 cups mint leaves
- 1 cup pineapple
- ½ lemon
Iron Boost
Broccoli is an excellent dietary source of iron, celery aids digestion and detoxification in the body, while cucumber and apple are loaded with important vitamins and minerals.
Recipe from Mind Body Green
Ingredients:
- ½ cucumber
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 cup romaine lettuce
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 green apple
- ½ lime
Sweet Beet
If you want all the antioxidant goodness of beets but not the strong taste, this version provides the same nutrition but with a more subtle beet flavour. Ginger aids in digestion and supports the immune system.
Recipe from Mind Body Green
Ingredients:
- 1 beet
- 2 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- ½ lemon
- 1 cm ginger
- 1 green apple