Trick Yourself Into Drinking Green Juice

Drinking green juice seems to be all the rage these days. I can’t surf the web without running into a picture or an article on the miraculous properties of green. But, have you ever tried it? The smell alone can put you off your food. If you manage to work up enough nerve to taste it, you are adventurous indeed, and in for a “special” treat. 😉

I got into juicing a couple of years ago because I was injured pretty badly and nothing was helping me heal. The medicines I was prescribed were super heavy duty, with heavy duty side effects. They took away some of the pain, but I wanted something more. I wanted to try to help my body heal itself, and that’s when I started looking into juicing. I was really geared up about it, bought a juicer and tried my first green juice. As the green stream of liquid ran out of the machine, my excitement peaked. I couldn’t wait to try it! As I lifted the glass to my lips, my smile turned into a grimace and I immediately wished I could erase the flavor from my brain. I literally wanted to wipe my tongue off with a towel. It was disgusting and bitter and sludge-like. But, before giving up for good, I decided to try experimenting until I found a combination of flavors that I could handle. This is when The Gateway Green Juice was born.

Let me just mention a couple reasons why fresh juice is special. Juicing removes the fiber from the fruits and veggies, making it easy for your digestive system to access the vitamins and nutrients in these special foods, as you don’t have to do a lot of work to break them down. Fiber is good for you, but sometimes it’s great to give your body a quick shot of easy access vitamins.

I don’t want to call this a recipe because it’s really only two or three ingredients. The first ingredient is an apple. I like to use green apples because they are kind of tart and give a little punch, but you could use any kind of apple. Red apples (gala, fuji, etc)  make the juice a bit sweeter, so that might be a better option if you are completely new to green juice. There are so many health benefits of eating apples, including decreasing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and supporting your neurological health. You can find a list of more benefits here.

The second ingredient is some kind of leafy green vegetable. You can use kale, spinach, or whatever you have on hand. The key is to only use a little bit. This keeps the juice from tasting too bitter, it really just tastes like apple juice with a little something extra. This gets you used to the green taste without overwhelming your taste buds. So, if you are using the big leaves of kale, only use 2-3 leaves, roll them up and put them into the juicer first. If you are using spinach, use about half a cup. I’m sure you’ve heard about Kale, it seems to be the new superstar food. “Kale’s nutrient richness stands out in three particular areas: (1) antioxidant nutrients, (2) anti-inflammatory nutrients, and (3) anti-cancer nutrients…” From this very in-depth article about Kale’s health benefits. Spinach also has amazing health benefits such as cancer prevention, and aids in bone, skin, and hair health. Read more here.

So, here is the “recipe”. Feel free to experiment to find a flavor combo you like. As you get used to the taste you can start adding more greens until you can easily drink a “regular” green juice recipe from around the internet.

Gateway Green Juice

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 Apple, sliced into pieces small enough to fit into the juicer

Small bunch of leafy greens (2-3 pieces of kale, or small handful of spinach, or other green you prefer)

Method

Put greens into the juicer first, then put in the apple slices.

Enjoy your shot of liquid vitamins.

Important: **Too much vitamin K can cause problems if you are taking anticoagulants (such as warfarin). The high level of vitamin K may interfere with these drugs. Consult your doctor before adding kale, spinach, or any foods high in vitamin K to your diet if you are on this type of medication.